As a mom of identical twins, I wanted them to learn more about their heritage as Sicilian-Americans and about the early Italians who emigrated from Italy to the Boston area. Here is a brief history of what had transpired during that period
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Italian immigrants were the largest and the most important immigrant group in East Boston, arriving mostly from Sicily, Naples and Calabria. They also introduced their food culture like pizza, pasta dishes and tomato sauce which were the popular foods of the impoverished. Note: Northern Italians were much more prosperous and educated and because of the terrain , their cuisine is usually void of tomatoes and olive oils.
At the time, Boston’s population was 90% Irish but in just a few decades, Italians would become the dominant ethnic group growing to a population over 10,000. Construction workers were in high demand and the Italians were instrumental in building Boston’s subways, bridges, railroads, and tunnels.
In the early 1900’s, the average Italian household held twelve occupants. My dad was one of seven children, and my mother was one of nine, all who were raised with a high work ethic. My paternal grandfather, Francesco Belluardo, was from Pachino, Sicily, famous for growing cherry tomatoes. He was a superior craftsman in the art of shoemaking, a trade he taught my dad. He left his family behind in Sicily because women were not allowed to migrate to the U.S by themselves. It was only after my grandfather found work and had some financial security that my grandmother would rejoin the family.
My maternal grandfather, Rafaelo Dolce, was a mill worker who grew up in Anapia, Naples, and yet without a formal education was able to purchase three income producing properties in Lawrence, MA, about 25 miles north of Boston. One house was a triple-decker whereby one floor supplied housing for his nine children and the other six units provided additional rents to cover the mortgages.
During the first part of the 20th century, Italian settlers were practicing Roman Catholics and built several parishes in East Boston. (Aka The North End). They would proudly display elaborate religious shrines outside their homes which created tension with the Irish whereby they were quite different. They would describe Italian Catholicism as boisterous, commemorated by noisy festivals and loud parades. The Italians in turn described the Irish Protestants as dry, colorless and boring, including their foods, which was mostly potatoes.
For Italian immigrants, education was not a priority whereby only 56% could read or write. Both my maternal and paternal nonnas were illiterate and could neither read nor write and could only sign their names with an “X”. They worked in the local garment shops and woolen mills like many immigrants because women were prevented from pursuing further education.
Most of East Boston was Irish dominated and had a stronghold in neighborhood politics, blocking Italians from seeking office and as a result lacked voting power. The Irish also feared that the new immigrants would compete for local jobs and the limited housing.
From the 1920s-1970s, the North End was the city’s new Little Italy, but in the 1940’s after WW1, Boston’s Italian population began to decline whereby younger generations moved out to nearby communities buying homes in more affluent neighborhoods. By the 1980’s, another migration was taking place with the influx of Latinos and Southeast Asians.
As a New Englander, this Italian Diva often travels into Boston to taste some childhood favorites. Places like Mike’s Pastry and Modern Pastry on Hanover Street who still offer the “Mack daddy” of Sicilian cannoli and pastries. And small
restaurants like Carmelinas - yum! Their foods, and cuisine products are incomparable to anything available in any other part of Massachusetts or your local grocer’s freezer.
In today’s economics and millennial consumers, most bakeries today offer poor substitutes cutting back on costs as well as quality and buying ingredients that are commercially made. On my many visits to Boston, I would make my way to the North End dropping into a favorite salumeria (Italian for deli) where I would survey the litany of olives, roasted eggplant, peppers, taking in the perfume of the hanging salami and cheeses overhead. Perhaps I'll order a delicious panini where I would eagerly watch as they sliced ever so thinly the prosciutto di Parma and smoked provolone placing it on ciabatta bread, then pressing it between a panini maker . My oh my, what could be better.? And unduplicatable!!
Today, cities like New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco have succumbed to the transformation of Asian and Hispanic eateries. The old Italians have either died, retired, or simply lost interest surrendering to the conversion. However, in Boston’s North End, the Italian culture has survived, stubbornly maintaining 95% of their influence, population, and proud heritage. You can still find the Italian language ubiquitously spoken in the streets, preserving their heritage among the vanishing tradition amid today’s millineal youth and culture.
This Italian Diva still proudly exhibits her Italian legacy and lineage by not only visiting family in Italy but by offering cooking classes in upscale Italian cuisine - teaching others what TRUE Italian dishes should be. No harmful and cancer causing chemicals, preservatives or proAging toxins - much unlike fast and convenience foods of today, which has contributed to the declining life span as much as 40%
For bread recipes and other authentic Italian recipes, visit www.theitaliandiva.com Hit the subscribe button.
Side note: Pictured above are my identical twin sons, Jeff and Steve, both excellent cooks taking from me the same tradition in preparing REAL Italian dishes
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