The Representation of Italian Arbëresh National Identity in the Culinary Code of Their Traditional Christmas Menu

Альманах
Key words
Arbëresh diaspora, southern Italy, identity, traditional cuisine, Christmas
Author
Marina A. Suloeva
About the Author
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2291-1636
E-mail: suloevamarina@yandex.ru Tel.: +7 (812) 328-14-12
3, Universitetskaya emb., St. Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation
Postgraduate student, Peter the Great Museum of Anthropology and Ethnography (Kunstkamera), Russian Academy of Sciences
Tel.: +7 (812) 328-08-42 7-9-11,
В, Universitetskaya emb., St. Petersburg, 199034, Russian Federation
Lecturer, L. A. Verbitskaya Department of General Linguistics, Faculty of Philology, St. Petersburg State University
Received
Date of publication
DOI
https://doi.org/10.26158/TK.2022.23.3.013
Body

This article is devoted to the traditional Christmas cuisine of the Arbëreshë people, descendants of Albanians who migrated to southern Italy from the Balkan Peninsula in the fifteenth century. Over the five centuries of its existence, Arbëresh gastronomic culture has become largely integrated with the Italian, but despite the rapid development of culinary globalization, traditional Arbëresh food continues to be an important marker of their identity. Christmas is one of the most important religious holidays for the Arbëreshë. These days, representatives of different generations gather at the same table. The Christmas meal, which is attended not only by members of the immediate family, but also by relatives, friends and acquaintances, expresses the idea of group solidarity, interchange and friendship and serves as an occasion to recall the centuries-old traditions that are honored by all members of the Arbëresh diaspora and passed down from generation to generation. The Arbëresh Christmas menu is distinguished by a variety of dishes and ways of preparing them. Despite the fact that globalization processes cause alterations in classic recipes, Arbëreshë strive to remain true to tradition, using the same ingredients and cooking methods as in centuries past. Thanks to this, their national cuisine continues to be an important mechanism for the representation and transmission of Arbëresh culture.

References

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For citation

Suloeva M. A. The Representation of Italian Arbëresh National Identity in the Culinary Code of Their Traditional Christmas Menu. Traditional Culture. 2022. Vol. 23. No. 3. Pp. 161–170. In Russian.