During the Second World War the password of daily life was cutting down on everything. Ada Boni’s recipes – rich in olive oil, lard, bacon fat and butter – were popular among the middle classes. This was a time for rationing cards. Many people, having lost all their personal belongings during the bombings, were forced to eat in community kitchens organized by the local parish or the town council.

There were food restrictions and basic foods such as flour, oil, sugar and meat were strictly rationed. Everything could be found on the “black market” but at a price which most people could not afford.

Vegetables were grown in balconies and gardens and even public gardens. Potatoes were planted in the fields of Villa Borghese. Bizarre cake recipes without flour or sugar were published to help the housewife.

The end of the war arrived and with it hope for a better future but many Italians were out of work and still had to suffer privations, and face great financial problems.

With the arrival of the Americans the Marshall Plan was put into action and there was food aid such as powdered milk, tinned food and Coca Cola.

Finally prosperity returned and the goal of every Italian was to purchase his own home, a fridge, a semi-automatic washing machine, a car. And finally television invaded the Italian home. It brought with it news, culture, fun and of course advertising.

Carosello, the programme made up of TV commercials, was not only an amusing show but also the first efficient advertising medium affecting the choices of most Italians, especially regarding food.

The 1950s brought with them more prosperity. Markets and shops were full of new products. Foods from all over the world and vegetables grown in greenhouses could now be found cheaply and in all seasons.

The first ‘snacks’ come into the limelight: biscuits, wafers, Nutella...and yoghurt.

By the ‘70s social wealth was consolidated. Lunches and banquets became characterised by opulence. Traditional Italian dishes were served side by side with new recipes proposed by famous chefs. There was a wish to raise standards and a desire for new ways to prepare food. New magazines contained new and appealing dishes. Tiramisù starts being offered for dessert and has remained popular to this day.

Along with meat consumption, fish consumption begins to increase. The Italians want something different, to break the daily routine. Fish farming and deep-frozen foods make an appearance in supermarkets. The kitchen has become a place for creativity.

With migration risotto goes South while spaghetti goes up North.

But the intelligentsia of the time fears that, in spite of everything, Italian cuisine is dying and in July 1953 the Accademia Italiana della Cucina begins its existence in order to safeguard Italian traditions and Italy’s great social and cultural heritage. Gourmet schools and associations are born and ‘nouvelle cuisine’ makes an appearance as does the slimming diet.

The word ‘diet’ is also used to mean a healthy way of eating and the Mediterranean diet, based on authentic foods, becomes popular.

Midday lunch is shortened and so fast food restaurants and quick meals in bars begin to be served.

New eating experiences are welcomed, so spices are used more frequently and balsamic vinegar and ostrich meat and kangaroo from Australia start appearing on menus. Exotic fruit arrive in Italy.

According to American surveys on obesity and cardiovascular diseases, the Italian or Mediterranean diet based on the use of virgin olive oil, pasta, fish, vegetables and pulses is considered healthy.

In the ‘80s and ‘90s the evergreen aphrodisiac cuisine is in vogue. The combination of food and seduction confirms its appeal and books on the subject are widely purchased.

The general pleasure of eating out and mass tourism means plenty of guides to restaurants, food magazines and cookery books.

The working woman has less time to shop and cook daily and so deep-frozen food – and all types of pizza come into being in a big way.

But soon, traditional regional cuisine is rediscovered and old-style tastes are once again popular: lasagne from Emilia Romagna, ‘risi and bisi’ from Veneto, soup of ‘fave and cicoria’ from Calabria, truffled lamb from Umbria, ‘pasta e fagioli’ from Tuscany and Ossobuco alla Milanese...Italian cusine – and table settings too – go on evolving. Organic food makes an appearance.

Pasta becomes the symbol of Italian cuisine around the world. But before Naples became the cultural capital of pasta, it was the Arabs who had first kneaded flour with water, letting it dry in the sun. In 2001 the EU regulations started allowing pasta manufacturers to make pasta with ‘soft’ wheat. Nevertheless, the utilisation of durum wheat makes the manufacture of pasta more ‘exclusive’ and has marked Italian pasta and safeguarded its excellent quality so far.

Then there are Italian cheeses – an endless range, some made only in small quantities are excellent but almost unknown. Manufacture of each type of cheese is limited to restricted and specific areas. ‘Parmigiano Reggiano’ for example is made in an area between Parma and Bologna.

Then there is prosciutto and salami. Parma ham achieves its own sweetness and its soft fat thanks to the careful way in which pigs are fed. It is seasoned in places situated in a long valley touched by the sea-wind blowing from Liguria. Mortadella is a speciality from Bologna and famous world-wide.

Centuries of tradition along with the peculiar properties of the soil allow Italy to offer the world some incomparable specialities such as truffles.

The art of bottling is an ancient Italian tradition that preserves all the characteristics of food and its flavour and taste, but also makes it available when it is out of season. While pasticceria italiana – both the hand-made and the industrial variety enjoys centuries of tradition.

Italian products and cusine continue to evolve but never lose sight of their traditional and ancient roots.

Adapted by Marie Benoît from 50 anni di Cucina Italiana published by the Accademia Italiana della Cucina in 2003.