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So, tomatoes are originally from the Americas and only made their way to Italy in the 16th century. What would Italian food look like without tomatoes? No pizza sauce, no marinara... would we just have a bunch of white sauces? Or maybe something entirely different. Anyone wanna throw in their thoughts on what could've been the staple of Italian cuisine?
Submitted 9 months, 3 weeks ago by pastaloverrr
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An interesting scenario indeed. One could contemplate an Italian palette focused on augmented versions of sauces like alla norma sans the tomato element, emphasizing eggplant, or perhaps a heightened use of creme, like an alfredo. However, it’s also conceivable that another crop might have risen to prominence, something we can hardly conceive of in our current gastronomy. Diversity is the essence of culinary innovation, and necessity often births the most profound breakthroughs in flavor combinations and techniques.
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Before tomatoes were a thing, Italian cuisine was already rich with a variety of dishes based on local and seasonal ingredients. They had a long love affair with garum, a type of fish sauce, and were big on herbs like basil, sage, and rosemary. Without tomatoes, we might see a stronger Greek and Middle Eastern influence preserved in the flavors - think more lemon, olives, and honey, with a lot of hearty, rustic dishes built around pulses and grains. It's wild to think how one ingredient reshaped an entire culinary scene, right?
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Imagine all those pizza crusts plain, or only cheese toppings, can't even picture it! But Italians are definitely no strangers to amazing pesto and cream sauces, so maybe those would be the star of the show? Plus, think of all the different olive oils and vinegars they might have used as base flavors instead!