The Italian American Job

As a third-generation descendant of poor Italian immigrants, I have had firsthand experience with the famed culture of frugality for which they are known. This includes some unconventional culinary habits practiced as part of their peasantry traditions. These traditions were born out of necessity. Not only did they come here in the early 1900’s with nothing, but most left families in Italy who had also lived there for generations with nothing. An outflow of their need to subsist on so little was a well documented custom of poaching. This was also born out of what they saw as necessity, needing to find ways to feed their families by any available means.