Italian food is, to no one’s surprise, one of the most popular cuisines in the world. You only have to look at the omnipresence of pizza to see that Italian culinary influence spreads far and wide across the globe. But what is it about Italian cuisine that makes it so popular? How did it become so prevalent in the North American diet? Well, we at Wood, an authentic Italian restaurant in Silver Lake, know why!
The Secret of Italian Cuisine
In reality, there’s no actual secret to Italian cuisine. In fact, it is famously simple. Rather than relying on over-complicated recipes or elaborate preparation, Italian cooks focus on having the best ingredients to work with. Pasta, tomatoes, cheese, olive oil, basil, wine, and mushrooms are considered the cornerstone ingredients of Italian cuisine, giving way to countless different dishes. These recipes are the result of thousands of years of refining and fine-tuning. Influences range from Germanic to Arab, with tomatoes being introduced after contact with the New World brought them from their native Central and Southern America all the way to Europe. It’s this exact use of simple ingredients available all across the world that made Italian cuisine so popular and ubiquitous.
The Appeal of Italian Cuisine
Now, what makes Italian food so prominent in the United States? There are actually a lot of interesting factors that led to it becoming such a big influence on North American cuisine. It all goes back to the late 19th and early 20th centuries when multitudes of immigrants from all across Italy arrived in the United States and settled all across the country. Most of these immigrants were from Southern Italy, which is why their influence in the cuisine here is stronger.
Italian-American restaurants remained mostly local for decades, serving other Italians more than anything. However, when soldiers returned from Italy after World War II, plenty of them had grown used to Italian food and fallen in love with it while there. This intensified public interest in the food and helped it spread into the mainstream culture. Along with Mexican and Chinese cuisines, Italian food is one of the key foreign influences in the American diet.
An Authentic Italian Restaurant in Silver Lake
It’s these values, those of simplicity, quality, and tradition, that guide us here at WOOD. We are proud carriers of the long withstanding Italian culinary traditions, which is why we have crafted a menu that explores the best that they have to offer. We make sure to always pick the best ingredients, honoring the principle of quality over quantity that has for so long defined the Italian approach. Maintaining simplicity across our menu is even easier when we have our very own wood-fired oven that better brings out the flavors in every dish. In short, we carefully tend to every stage of our process in order to make sure that you only get the best possible dining experience delivered to your plate.
If you would like to try our delicious pizzas, pastas, meats, and more, be sure to pay us a visit at 2861 Sunset Blvd.