Picture this: your great-great-nonna arrives at Ellis Island in 1905, holding a jar of San Marzano tomato seeds and a wooden spoon worn smooth by generations of stirring. Fast-forward to today, and her great-great-granddaughter is posting Instagram stories of her “authentic” Italian Sunday dinner, complete with pre-made sauce from Trader Joe’s and a side of quinoa salad. So what happened? Did we lose our way, or did we simply find new ones to honor the old?
Long before there was an “Italian America,” there was just Italy, a patchwork of regions, dialects, and fiercely defended culinary traditions that stretched back to the Roman Empire. The Romans gave us the foundation of what we now consider quintessentially Italian: the importance of communal dining, the art of preserving foods, and yes, even early versions of pasta (though they’d probably side-eye our spaghetti and meatballs).
But here’s the thing about Italian traditions! They were never static, even in the old country. Ancient Romans adapted Greek cooking techniques, medieval Italians embraced Eastern spices in the south, and Renaissance cooks welcomed tomatoes from the New World. Adaptation wasn’t betrayal; it was survival and change.
Between 1880 and 1920, over four million Italians made the journey to America, and they didn’t just bring their hopes and dreams, but also their nonne’s recipes, their feast day celebrations, and an unshakeable belief that food equals love. But here’s where it gets interesting: most of these immigrants weren’t from the northern regions that tourists flock to today. They were primarily from the impoverished south—Sicily, Calabria, Campania—places where la cucina povera (the cooking of the poor) had elevated simple ingredients into pure magic and delight.
These early Italian Americans faced a peculiar challenge: how do you maintain traditions when the ingredients don’t exist? You can’t make proper prosciutto di Parma in a New York tenement, and good luck finding buffalo mozzarella in 1910 Chicago. So they adapted, and in doing so, they created something entirely new—Italian-American cuisine.
Italian immigrant ancestors clung to their traditions like lifelines in a foreign sea. Sunday dinners became sacred rituals, lasting for hours and involving every cousin within a five-mile radius. The kitchen was the heart of the home, and nonna ruled it with an iron fist and a wooden spoon. Recipes were passed down not through cookbooks but through watching, tasting, and endless repetition.
The children of immigrants faced a unique challenge: they were caught between two worlds. At home, they spoke Italian and helped make fresh pasta on Saturday mornings. At school, they were encouraged to assimilate, to become “real Americans.” Many changed their names—Giuseppe became Joe, Maria became Mary—but they kept the Sunday dinners.
This generation became the bridge builders. They translated not just languages but cultures, explaining to their American friends why we eat fish on Christmas Eve and why you never, ever put cheese on seafood pasta. They also began the great Italian-American food evolution, opening restaurants and delis that introduced mainstream America to “Italian” food—even if their carbonara would make a Roman chef weep.
The civil rights movement inspired many ethnic groups to reclaim their heritage, and Italian Americans were no exception. Suddenly, it was cool to be Italian again. Movies like “The Godfather” (complicated as that legacy is) and “Saturday Night Fever” put Italian American culture in the spotlight. Cooking shows began featuring Italian cuisine, and families who had let some traditions slide began dusting off old recipes.
The feast days and religious celebrations have evolved too. While many Italian American families still observe traditional Catholic holidays, the celebrations often blend Italian customs with American practicalities. St. Joseph’s Day might be celebrated with both traditional zeppole and American birthday cake. Easter still means lamb and blessed bread, but it might also include an egg hunt in the backyard.
Some traditions have been democratized by necessity. In Italy, certain celebrations were specific to particular regions or even villages. In America, Italian Americans from different regions found themselves neighbors, sharing and blending their distinct traditions into something new and uniquely Italian American.
Today’s young Italian Americans are experiencing a renaissance of interest in their heritage, partly fueled by social media. Food Instagram accounts celebrate both traditional recipes and creative adaptations. TikTok videos teach traditional techniques to new audiences. Online communities connect Italian Americans across the country, sharing stories, recipes, and family photos.
This digital connection has created something unprecedented: a national Italian American culture that transcends regional differences. A Italian American in California can now easily connect with cousins in New Jersey, sharing recipes and stories that might have been lost in previous generations.
Here’s the beautiful truth about Italian American traditions: they’ve survived by changing. The families that have maintained the strongest connections to their Italian heritage aren’t necessarily the ones who’ve preserved every tradition exactly as it was practiced in 1900. They’re the ones who’ve understood that traditions are meant to be lived, not just preserved.
Your great-great-nonna would probably be puzzled by your gluten-free Christmas cookies and your Zoom family dinners. But she’d recognize the love that goes into preparing food for family, the joy that comes from gathering together (even virtually), and the fierce pride in being part of something bigger than yourself.
The traditions have changed, but the heart remains the same. And maybe that’s the most Italian American tradition of all—honoring the past while embracing the future, keeping what serves you and adapting what doesn’t, always with love and usually with excellent food.
Salute to all the Italian ancestors who started this beautiful evolution, and to all the modern Italian Americans continuing it in their own unique ways. The tradition lives on—it just looks a little different than it used to.
