PRECARIOUS LIVES or PANINARO’S PHILOSOPHY
a funky menu by Egle Oddo
Panino modaiolo
Filosofia: avoid consumption of animal products to preserve one’s health and the environment, and/or for reasons related to religious or spiritual principles. Alignment with global general trends regarding ethical consumption.
Ingredienti: sour doe bread, zucchini, check peas, tomato, basil, olive oil, chili, salt, olives, cucumber, vinegar.
Panino sportivo
Filosofia: having something greasy to eat either watching sport on tv, or after hiking in nature. A cold beer should come attached to it, and free burping session should rigorously follow. Alignment with global trends of hedonists with small budget.
Ingredienti: sour doe bread, eggs, onions, persil, parmesan, olive oil, salt, pepper.
Panino proletario
Filosofia: intake of cheapest possible animal proteins in view of performing hard physical labour for long time. Not too picky about diet, the main intention is to keep moving. Alignment with global trend of precarious workers.
Ingredienti: sour doe bread, ham, salame, oilive oil, mozzarella.
Panino is an Italian word used worldwide to designate a sizeable sandwich. In the ‘80 in Italy there was a street movement called ‘paninari’: they had very specific dress code as well as specific diet associated with the consumption of a variety of panini. The philosophy associated with each panino was the result of a local mix of regional popular cultures, and the influence of US in Italy, which in the ‘80 was close to massive.
This collection of panini is rooted in habits and trends that I have observed principally in Italy where I come from, consequently my comments are based on my direct experience of representation of such trends mainly in Italy.
Once upon a time il Panino
The Sandwich -Panino- is the daughter of the famous matriarch the Bread -il Pane.
Il Pane emerged when human communities, after living nomadic or cave-dwelling, became sedentary and grew in number of members and family groups, they thoughtfully chose a place as their residence, thus founding the first cities. The most relevant parallel development was the cultivation of the earth. With the advancement of agriculture came the seasonal production of grains and the first forms of bread emerged, soon becoming a basic food for the survival, and in some cases a symbol of well-being, prosperity and religious beliefs.
Taking an acrobatic leap, it seems relevant in the context of Drift Festival to mention the famous expression used in Roman Empire: panem et circensem, which indicates the importance to give to the folks bread and entertainment. Benevolent emperors knew that meeting the food needs of the people was a key element in maintaining stability of power. Incidentally, it is due to recall that for several centuries the grain needed by Rome came mainly from Egypt.
Taking another reckless historical leap of 16 centuries or so, we arrive in France in the period of a severe famine during which the overly-rich nobility, totally engaged in the solace of Versailles, forgot the lesson of the imperial time, thus loosing their illuminated heads: a simple consequence of the hunger and despair produced by their ignorant politics, countless injustices, violence, abuse and social inequities,
At the beginning of the 18th century emerged the Carboneria (the carbon burners society), a secret revolutionary lodge advocating the institution of a constitutional republic in Italy. Their bread was baked in wood-fired ovens once a day with loaves between 800 grams and one kilogram, and large loaves (vastedde in Sicilian dialect) reaching up to two kilograms. There was only whole-wheat flour, and the bread had a dark brown color on the outside, and a firm texture.
Little later, as a result of the first industrial revolution, a change in food preparation technologies began, so rapid that in a few decades it led to the mass production of bread, with several bakings daily. At the beginning of 19th century, ovens were more sophisticated, able to accommodate variations in recipes with new textures, flours and blends, to satisfy the multiplying demand and tastes. It should be pointed out that said changes mainly affected the urban realities, while the peasants still remained for a long time tied to traditional recipes and mode of production.
In 1925 the first sandwich was baptized tramezzino in Italy by the fascist poet D’Annunzio, who did not want to use the anglophone word, to oppose the cultural influence of UK and US pervading Europe. Meawhile, two world wars broke one after the next, and the trend of bread consumption collapsed until the end of 1947. In some cases folks resorted to use wood dust instead of flour as a desperate attempt to keep hunger away during scarcity.
This brings us to the 1960s and 1970s in which the postwar recovery produced an economic boom that substantially changed social and economic conditions in Italy. Industries developed, and the working and middle classes experienced moments of prosperity. The stuffed sandwich replacing the traditional convivial moment of lunch, had its apical success and become a fashionable choice in many cases, reversing the pre-war trend and embracing the influence of the trans-Atlantic pragmatism. Today, for workers at the factory, at construction sites, as well as office workers, for students and travelers, the panino solves practical and economic problems.
Obvious as it may seem, the history of food and human nutrition is a master track for understanding social behavior and economic changes. The stuffed sandwich silently became one of the most widespread products allowing savings, a frugal diet, facilitating mobility and shorter time dedicated to nutrition. Between the two-half bread slices one can count hundreds of philosophies of food. Or maybe just one.