Numero 50
8 dicembre 2021
How Italians Eat Spaghetti
On National Spaghetti Day and Every Day!
Benvenuti al nostro 'Nuovo Look'!
Welcome to our 'New Look'!
That's right, 'look' is an anglicism!🙄
Secondo il mio calendario elettronico, oggi - 4 gennaio - è la giornata nazionale degli spaghetti! Almeno negli Stati Uniti…
[According to my electronic calendar, today - January 4 - is National Spaghetti Day! At least in the United States…]

Thing is, everyday is some National or International “something-or-other” day. Who knows what’s authentic any more!

Fortunately, and quite coincidentally, fellow Italian friend, student and reader – Fiore C. – confirmed to me about this auspicious day when - here in the States - we can officially celebrate the best Italian staple food of all space and time.

I’ve talked about pasta in previous issues of 🇮🇹La Newsletter Italiana, but in this issue…

...parliamo su come gli Italiani mangiano gli spaghetti!
...[we talk about how Italians eat spaghetti!]

Strictly speaking, “spaghetti” is actually...

...solo uno dei nientepopodimeno oltre seicento formati di pasta ufficiali!
...[only one of - no less than - over six hundred official pasta shapes!]

However, when writing or talking about 'spaghetti' as a generic shape, I generally include the various kinds of 'fork-twirlable' long pasta shapes available: spaghetti, thin spaghetti, thick spaghetti, square spaghetti, spaghetti rigati [scored], spaghettini, capelli d’angelo [angel-hair], vermicelli and the slightly thicker capellini, as well as linguine, bucatini (perciatelli), fettuccine, and quite a few others.
Allora, how DO Italians eat spaghetti?

Ecco la regola principale di come si mangiano gli spaghetti: si mangiano solo con la forchetta!
[Here is the governing rule - that’s right, a rule… not a guideline - that dictates that long pasta is eaten with a fork only!]

Tagliare gli spaghetti con un coltello è severamente vietato!!
[Cutting spaghetti (any long pasta) with a knife is strictly forbidden!]

Well, in reality, cutting the pasta may be acceptable for baby Italians, but to become good, true Italians, they must be trained in PPTT ➜ Proper Pasta Twirling Techniques at a very early age. Sandrino, for example, was a master spaghetti-twirler at only four-months!
What happens when you forget the silverware.
(This is not Sandrino... this bambino is good-looking!)
I know what you're thinking... "Hey, Sandrino... what about using a spoon?"

Usando un cucchiaio per dare assistenza durante una bella spaghettata? Ci mancherebbe altro!!
[Using a spoon to provide assistance with your spaghetti meal? That’s all we need! (i.e.; 'fuhgeddaboudit!)']

You want to eat spaghetti correctly, am I right? Especially when eating in Italia, in the presence of Italian clientele and an Italian wait staff observing you attentively for the tell-tale sign confirming your status as...

...un forestiero [a ‘foreigner’ (i.e.; tourist)!]

Besides, you don't want to fare brutta figura!]
(Remember 'fare brutta figura' and 'fare bella figura'?]

You must learn to twirl your fork clockwise against the sloping sides of your plate at an angle, grabbing a few of the precious strands, while rhythmically lifting the fork slightly and back down again, twirling continuously so as not to load too much of the scrumptious savory semolina strings through the fork tines; the end result being the successful capture of just a few lucky strands and to achieve a tidy and moderate boccone [morsel] that avoids leaving ‘slobbering threads’ hanging over the edge.

Sorry for that run-on sentence! My grade school nuns are most unhappy with me right now.
In fact, Italia’s go-to tome of good etiquette - Il Galateo, ovvero de' costumi [paraphrasing: the rules of polite behavior] - clearly states: 

  • Se c’è un piatto riconosciuto in tutto il mondo come simbolo della cultura gastronomica italiana è sicuramente lo spaghetto al pomodoro. Semplice, rassicurante, un punto fermo della nostra tradizione, ma anche fra le ricette più replicate in ogni ristorante italiano all’estero. E se inorridiamo alla visione di spaghetti mal conditi, consumati come contorno o – ancora peggio – tagliuzzati con forchetta e coltello, c’è un tema che invece ci riguarda molto più da vicino, ovvero l’utilizzo del cucchiaio per mangiare la pasta lunga.
  • [If there is one dish recognized world-wide as the symbol of the Italian food culture it is surely spaghetti with tomato sauce. Simple, comforting, a strong-point of our tradition, but also among the most replicated recipes in every Italian restaurant abroad. And if we horrify everyone by showing a plate of spaghetti that poorly (or improperly) sauced, or eaten as a side-dish, or – even worse – cut up with a fork and knife, there is nevertheless an action that concerns us most of all - that of the use of a spoon to eat long pasta.]

In fact, according to Il Galateo, the fork and spoon are never to be used together. Up until a generation or two ago, this custom was habitually used mostly in the southern regions of Italia - especially in and around Napoli. It was a symbol of elegance and distinction. Nowadays however, the use of fork and spoon to eat spaghetti is not only considered to be a beginner's mistake, but an honest-to-goodness sacrilege!
Take a good look at the wonderful vintage 1966 photo at the top of this issue of 🇮🇹La Newsletter Italiana… the one of Italian actress Claudia Cardinale enjoying a plate of spaghetti? Of course Claudia (we're on a first-name basis) only did this for comic effect, and never actually ate the pasta. So please, you would never mimic this style of eating! Let's face it, Claudia is doing this to titillate half of her audience.

Nevertheless – I'll say it here first – there is prurient pleasure in watching beautiful people enjoying their pasta! Properly or not!

And, finally...
Spaghetti Factoid #544
Italians used to eat spaghetti with a spike!

Forget the fork and spoon debate: in the Middle Ages, Italians would have been shocked to see diners using anything except a wooden spike to twirl up their noodles.

The instrument was known as a punteruolo* and was gradually replaced by the fork, as Italians realized that three spikes were better than one!

The fork’s practicality for eating pasta is believed to be a major factor in why Italia adopted actual cutlery earlier – and more enthusiastically – than most other countries in Europe.

*Today, the punteruolo is the Italian word for awl.
Siamo arrivati alla fine di un'altro bellissimo numero della nostra 🇮🇹Newsletter Italiana!
[We've arrived at the end of another beautiful issue of our wonderful 🇮🇹Newsletter Italiana!]

Ci credete?! Questo era NIENTEPOPODIMENO che il cinquantesimo numero della nostra divertente 🇮🇹Newsletter!
[Can you believe it?! This was NO LESS THAN the fiftieth issue of our fun 🇮🇹Newsletter!]

In questo numero, avete imparato delle cose molto interessanti riguardo gli spaghetti! Ti è venuta la fame?
[In this issue, you have learned some very interesting facts regarding spaghetti! Are you hungry now?]

In più, avete imparato l'UNICO modo di mangiare gli spaghetti!
[In addition, you have learned the ONLY way to eat spaghetti!]

Ed infine, avete conosciuto la graziosa Claudia Cardinale - una vera BUONA FORCHETTA!!
[And finally, you have met the lovely Italian actress, Claudia Cardinale - a real lover of good food and good eating.]
('Buona Forchetta' literally means 'Good Fork' and is a high compliment to all foodies!)

Ci rivedremo nel prossimo numero della 🇮🇹Newsletter Italiana!
[We'll see each other again in the next issue of our
🇮🇹Newsletter Italiana!]
🇮🇹La Newsletter Italiana
is written and published by
Sandro "Sandrino" Cuccia
sandrino@hey.com