7 'Italian' Dishes That These Native Italian Chefs Will Never Order

Westend61 via Getty Images There are some strong feelings about fettuccine Alfredo. He explained that when Italian immigrants made it to the United States “and saw the abundance of ingredients available to them, the dishes they had learned to cook back home began to stray from the ‘cucina povera’ into a richer, often meatier cuisine.” Let’s be clear: Many people love Italian American cuisine and believe this type of dining created by Italians in the U.S. is completely authentic to its own history, its own creators, and its own culture. Giuseppe Gentile, executive chef of L’Antica Pizzeria da Michele in Naples, Italy, and its four U.S. locations in California and New York, also understands the appeal of Italian American cuisine, acknowledging that these dishes “seem to be more comforting in some ways” than many dishes created in Italy proper. Fabio Viviani, a “Top Chef” alum and prolific restaurateur, noted that “many Americans still expect a plate of pasta to be smothered in sauce, whereas in Italy, the pasta itself is the star, and the sauce is just there to enhance the flavor of the pasta.” When visiting Italian restaurants in the United States, these Italian chefs agree that certain menu items either can’t fulfill their Italian origins or don’t exist in Italy at all. “Unlike American marinara sauce, normally a good tomato sauce is a bit sour.” Pizzas With Unconventional Toppings These Italian chefs generally acknowledge that America has something to contribute to the pizza conversation.