FOOD: STORIES OF CULTURE AND INTEGRATION
By Sara Capolecchia TIA FORMAZIONE
Food is, in its main meaning, the simple substance necessary for humans and other species to perform their vital functions and stay alive.
However, in today's society, it is becoming increasingly difficult to stop and look at food in its simplest and most primal sense.
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FOOD: STORIES OF PEOPLES AND MIGRATIONS
Migration is increasingly at the center of political and economic debate, despite the fact that it is a phenomenon that has existed since the earliest eras: in fact, the first three mass migrations could be dated to the invention of agriculture (between 10 and 8 thousand years ago), the discovery of the use of bronze (about 5,000 years ago), and the spread and use of iron (about 3,000 years ago) coincide with three massive population shifts.
Before such mass migrations, homo erectus and homo sapiens migrated in turn, and many nomads existed during such eras.
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Such movements, of course, involved not only the mere movement of people, but also of plants and food.
The connection between food and migration, in fact, is expressed not only in the common existential need to feed ourselves, but also in the idea that we would not eat what we eat without the migrations of people and plants.
In fact, not all products that exist in our territory originated in the same. They were often brought by migratory flows, which then made them part of our cuisine.
This already shows how migration has been an asset to peoples, leading to the development of plants, foods, traditional dishes and recipes, which might not otherwise have become part of a people's history and culture.
Food, then, shows how fundamental migration has been in our history and has led to an interweaving of different histories and cultures, demonstrating that, in fact, this phenomenon unites us more than it divides us.
Food, however, does not even stop at this second meaning of sharing, of migration, of equality.
FOOD: STORIES OF PEOPLE AND HUMAN BEINGS
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If it is true that food tells the story of each person, and of the meeting of peoples, it also tells the story of each person.
Indeed, food is an integral part of our days, accompanying us in every story, in good times and bad. It tells of departures, of loves, of sadness or joy. It tells of hope, fear or nostalgia.
It tells of emotions and experiences common to all humankind, reminding us that we are always the same.
Food thus allows us to tell an important story of our lives or a simple act of everyday life; it allows us to tell about ourselves, to make ourselves known. But at the same time, it allows us to get to know each other.
And so it is that around similar or different foods, we find ourselves in our similarities and our differences, but we rediscover ourselves all human.
It is because of all these meanings that food becomes an important factor of aggregation and social inclusion, allowing us to learn about stories, cultures, identities, and at the same time breaking down the divisions that these have too often created and allowing for intercultural and interpersonal dialogue.
Food thus stands as a mediator: although it undoubtedly plays an important identity role, both from the point of view of the individual and the ethnic group, it brings about an encounter that creates an integration that becomes increasingly inevitable, moderating those conflicts and frictions that arise from misunderstanding, lack of knowledge and fear of the other.
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