What is the difference between Italian food in Italy and Italian food on Long Island?
In Italy, there really is no such thing as “Italian food.” While there are common ingredients (pasta, olive oil) and principles (simplicity, seasonality) the cooking varies widely from one region to the next. Most of the Italian food in the United States — and on Long Island — is a hybrid Italian/ American cuisine that arose when Italians, most of them from the Southern-Italian countryside, arrived in the New York area. In their new urban home, these immigrants had to adapt their recipes to the lack of many traditional ingredients (e.g. good olive oil, fresh tomatoes, aged Italian cheese) and the abundance and relative affordability of others (red meat, chicken).
