Introduction. Food, Foodways and Italianicity

This chapter introduces the book and its scope within current research on italianicity and food. The book aims at positioning itself as a novel and original collection of essays on Italians and food, edited by an expert in consumer culture with a solid empirical research record on food culture in Italy. Food culture is central both to the way Italians perceive their national identity and to the consolidation of Italianicity in global context. More broadly, being so heavily symbolically charged, Italian foodways are an excellent vantage point where to study consumption and identity in the context of the commodity chain and the global/local dialectic. The chapter discusses the main results of the research on italianicity and food and critically discusses the papers from distinguished experts on Italians and food included in the book, looking at Italianicity as conveyed by food culture; food and consumers practices in Italy; cultural intermediators and foodstuff narratives; traditions of production and regional variation in Italian foodways; representation of Italianicity through food in old and new media.