Tuesday, January 29, 2008

SPICE OF LIFE?

Everyone knows that the Mediterranean diet, and the Italian variey of this in particular, are among the most healthy in the world. Why, then, in the country which loves dough-based products more than any other, are there so many cases of gluten allergy? It is estimated that one Italian in every 150 suffers from coeliac disease and some are not even aware of the cause of their discomfort.

It is worth remembering here that pasta means only "paste" or "dough" and, according to John Dickie in Delizia [which is fast becoming my favourite volume on the history of Italian food] it is true that Muslims brought pasta to Sicily and thence to Italy, but these were Muslims from the Maghreb [indicating that pasta was not invented by the Arab peoples]. It seems that something like "dough cooked in liquid" was known to the Greeks before them. At some time during the Middle Ages, largely because of poverty, pasta became the staple food of Italy. Add to this the fact that the poor depended upon it until quite recent times, along with bread and a version of pizza, and you begin to wonder about the possibilies of inherited food intolerance and of becoming intolerant to something which you eat every day. [I'm no scientist but I believe the latter theory can explain certain addictions.]

I am sometimes astonished by the number of digestive ailments suffered by people in my small circle of friends here and ask myself [again with little scientific evidence] whether this could be partially due - however good the Sicilian Mediterranean diet - to a strange aversion to using spices [other than cinnamon, saffron and ground chilli pepper] in the non-Muslim Mediterranean countries.

14 comments:

marymaryquitecontrary said...

I am sure the tummy problems have nothing at all to do with 'Chianti' I do know that you are not a wine drinker yourself.

Maria said...

Ciao Bella, comme stai! Thank you for your wonderful note! I hope you and Simi are both well... Looking forward to catching up... Missed you both. M

jmb said...

Ah the Italians and their digestive problems! I think they are are bunch of hypochondriacs and they wind each other up on this topic. They are convinced that they can't do this or that because it upsets their digestion. Their mother told them so.
I just bit my tongue when this subject comes up with Italians.

Leslie: said...

I understand that it's a common problem among many - not just Sicilians. I developed certain food sensitivities as an adult and have to be very careful with some things.

Claire said...

I constantly staggered by the variety of food intolerances suffered by people here, nut allergy being the most high profile here.

Whispering Walls said...

I always thought it was Marco Polo who brought pasta to Italy from China?

Anonymous said...

You wil be pleased to know I have no weird digestive ailments or complaints or allegries and am happy to eat everything. It will make cooking for me very much easier!!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, MM. No, my sin is the g&t! Ciao, M. How lovely to hear from you. Simi sends love x That seems heartfelt, jmb! Hi, Leslie. Maybe the Sicilians just talk about it more! I am allergic to fish and have to be careful about cheeses made from cow's milk. Hi, kissa. That's interesting. Ciao, WW. To quote Dickie: "The story that it was Marco polo who imported noodles to Italy & thereby gave birth to the country's pasta culture, is the most pervasive myth in the history of Italian food.... China's noodle culture is distinct from Italy's because the Chinese have never cultivated hard-grain durum wheat.... pasta secca was present in Sicily at least a century before Polo was born". Sorry about that! Oh, I am very glad to hear that, Mutley!

James Higham said...

Need to be scrutinized very carefully - it might be other than diet, the reason.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, James. Yes, it might indeed.

Ellee Seymour said...

I think JMB has it sussed, they are attention seeking, how could their delicious food possibly cause them any tummy problems.

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, Ellee. I don't know either!

Ardent said...

Welshcakes, when I was on a tour of China, I was also informed that the Chinese invented noodles/spaghetti and it was Marco Polo that bought it to Italy.
??
:)

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

Hi, ardent. No, I'm afraid that is a myth. See my comment above. I would have liked to have been able to believe it, too!

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