FOOD, TASTES AND TRAVELS OF GARIBALDI, ITALIAN HERO. 

Giuseppe Garibaldi (Nice, 4 July 1807 - Caprera, 2 June 1882) was one of the main protagonists of the Risorgimento, a well-known and loved figure throughout the boot. A man certainly particular, frank and resolute, even in the kitchen!

From the point of view of culinary predilections he was in fact a simple character, without particular pretensions. He loved the products of the countryside closely linked to the peasant tradition. In fact, he preferred vegetable and legume soups, cheeses but certainly could not miss fish on his table, to mark the close link with the sea and its gifts. These could be of different origins, both in nature and in the social and cultural symbols connected to them. In fact, he loved very much, for example, both stockfish and scampi.

During his life he also dedicated himself to different activities related to food or, in any case, to the raw materials that constitute it. Agriculture and beekeeping are two significant examples of this; The latter, moreover, was particularly loved by the hero of the Risorgimento. During his life he got used to consuming, even for practical needs, sailors' food or preserved dishes that could therefore be easily transported and crammed.

He was also a great admirer of polenta, it was a preparation that he loved very much. An extremely curious aspect of his figure is that, despite being a personality who often had to do with people of culture and politics, and therefore with dishes of a certain level, he did not disdain at all foods and raw materials deeply associated with the people. Polenta, just mentioned, is a significant example of what has just been stated.

His way of eating was a real thought: attentive and not at all prone to excesses or exceptions, even in correspondence with particular events. In fact, he was also a very responsible person in the consumption and fight against waste, an absolutely modern figure in the food field, a real precursor of sensitivity towards food and the raw materials that compose it that, even today, we have not fully reached. He certainly had passions: coffee above all but also rosolio, his favorite liqueur.

In some food choices or, in general, preferences he was influenced by his travels and experiences in other countries. A particularly important example is his long stay in South America which determined his passion for meat. Among other things, an extremely curious aspect is that, when he arrived in those places, he started a small business of pasta trade. Another food he particularly loved were olives, prepared in various ways: pickled, very ripe or preserved in salt.

To better understand this frank and authentic personality also from a food point of view, it is useful to remember that during the expedition to Southern Italy he consumed the same food as the soldiers: bread (cakes that could be preserved) and products stolen from local populations and the result of agriculture and breeding.

Those of South America were not the only foreign foods appreciated by our protagonist: there was in fact a dish belonging to the Nice cuisine that he loved very much: the pissaladière. It is a variant of pizza consisting of pasta with black olives, anchovies and onions on top. The Garibaldi biscuits, still on the market and much appreciated, are an English peculiarity concrete witness not only of the travels of this nineteenth-century hero, but also of his close relationship and deep affection with England.

In short, a particular and resolute man, even in food tastes and attachment to the land, the sea and the activities associated with them. A beautiful example even today for the younger generations and, no less, to all those famous people who forget (too often) the importance of traditions and food history.