This week, we're talking about the politics of Italian food. Earlier this year, the FT's Marianna Giusti wrote a viral article called "Why everything I, an Italian, thought about Italian food was wrong", which looked at the origins of classic Italian dishes like pizza and pasta carbonara. In response she got dozens of furious emails and was condemned by some of Italy's top politicians. Today Mari is on with the man whose research she profiled, historian Alberto Grandi, to discuss how Italy's right wing has taken up what Alberto calls “gastronationalism”.

– Mari’s viral article with Alberto: ‘Everything I, an Italian, thought about Italian food is wrong’ https://on.ft.com/45yV1LO

– The FT’s Amy Kazmin on Italy’s efforts to protect Italian food against insect protein and lab-grown meat: https://on.ft.com/45iq3b9

– Slate’s Decoder Ring also featured Alberto and Mari on the origins of parmesan cheese: https://slate.com/podcasts/decoder-ring/2023/07/parmesan-cheeses-journey-from-italy-to-wisconsin

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Original music by Metaphor Music. Mixing and sound design by Breen Turner and Sam Giovinco

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How pasta became political in Italy

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How pasta became political in Italy