Food is such a form of love and community in my family. Sharing a meal among those I love is something I hold close to my heart and aim to share with new and old individuals in my life. My Sicilian heritage and the traditions that have been passed down to me, as a fourth-generation American, are a big factor I have to thank for the way I think about food. Some cultures merely eat to live, which is a common mentality in our current day. Fortunately, my family continues to embrace our family-centered, food-loving, Sicilian roots so that we live to eat. 

The overall influences of food in America have been impacted by the diversity that immigrants have offered this land. Food, being a significant example, is just one way immigrants have impacted America. When my family left Sicily, it was on their second attempt, in 1914, that they reached North America and settled in Buffalo, New York, where some family members still live near today.

I imagine my family’s new life in New York looked slightly different from their previous life. Back in Sicily, my family lived outside of Canicatti, a small town in central-southern Sicily. The way they sustained themselves from their vineyard is precisely what they did when settling in Buffalo, only they did not indeed build a vineyard. Farming, allowed them to use and sell their products as a means to make money and support the family. I’d always heard about the immigration of my family along with the photos of Canicatti, other regions of Sicily, and distant relatives, but it all was still far-fetched. Having never met a first-generation family member, although my grandfather had the love and enthusiasm as if he were one. I still struggled to fully understand and feel a sense of connection with my ancestors and our history.

In 2018, I was fortunate enough to travel to Sicily with my extended family and visit parts of the island my family established themselves in, Canicatti, and meet new and distant relatives who are still living in these areas.

The feeling of our ancestor’s presence and impact on even such a tiny town of Canicatti was surreal. It took for me to travel to this land, where my name meant something real, to grasp what the stories I’d grown up hearing truly meant. In Canicatti it was not uncommon to see our familial name, “La Lomia”, to be written on signs, streets, or historical sites. This name is authentically Sicilian, translating to “lemon”, and if there is one thing Sicily is known for it is its citrus fruits, particularly lemons. Here, my name was meaningful and I began to feel a connection to the land and my roots, grasping more of what those familiar stories always lacked.

“Italian Thanksgiving”

Family traditions have been carried down and modified as the years have progressed and as the LaLomia family has grown. New ways have been learned and taught to the next generations in Sicily and the United States. As the first-generation Sicilian Americans and some of the second generations have passed away, the urge to continue and live out the traditions of my ancestors has only grown stronger. 

One tradition my family has had since coming to the U.S., in some capacity, is what we call “Italian Thanksgiving”. Yes, we still do the classic turkey and stuffing on the notable Thursday. Still, the highlight for all the LaLomia’s, and any lucky outsiders who receive an invite, is the Friday to Sunday gatherings we share. Despite the ever-changing locations and growing family members, the food is consistent. Italian Thanksgiving has the basic necessities that contribute to multiple key dishes. In any Italian meal, it is difficult, arguably impossible, to not incorporate at least one or two of the following ingredients: olive oil, garlic, wine, tomatoes, olives, herbs, and some sort of carbohydrate (pasta and/or bread). These ingredients are vital for the dishes at any Italian Thanksgiving which includes spaghetti, varieties of red sauce, meatballs, Italian sausage, braciole, lasagna, and a selection of wines. 

In recent years, I have learned how controversial red sauce is among members of the family, especially for the spouses who have married into the LaLomia name. It makes me wonder what the traditional, standard recipe was in Sicily and how it progressed. Clearly, the olive oil, garlic, tomatoes/tomato paste, and herbs, are a necessary base, but when did other components get added and why? One component I still find interesting is the boiled eggs that are always in the sauce. Their popularity among family members is evident as they are always fought over. The reason the hard-boiled egg made it into the sauce is rooted in Sicilian history. Thinking back to Sicily in the 18th century and even earlier, eggs were a less expensive, available source of protein, especially for those living predominantly off the land. Comparable to our Thanksgiving needs, that is to feed the masses, incorporating more ingredients sometimes as simple as an egg makes a difference. 

Braciole, on the other hand, is a whole meal in itself but still requires sauce for not only serving it but to finalize the cooking of the dish. Braciole is authentic, hardy, and a specialty of my Aunt Carmella, who is a second-generation American. This dish, although not visually appetizing, is a staple for our Italian Thanksgiving and a developed tradition. After years of only partaking in the consumption of this dish, it took the curiosity of the food writer in the family to get this recipe on paper and understand exactly what this dish entailed.  

The locations of our Italian Thanksgiving have changed throughout the years depending on who is willing to host this hectic event, or maybe whoever is brave enough! Relatives and growing members of our family travel to gather to eat, reminisce, and create new memories. I like to imagine the way we gather resembles what our ancestors did even before immigrating to America, centuries ago. Nana’s Creole Italian Table, a cookbook written by Elizabeth Williams, articulates a good point about immigration and cooking. Williams called it a “hybrid way of cooking” that carried on traditional Sicilian meals and traditions as best it could in this new and foreign land (Williams, 2022). Take our Italian Thanksgiving for instance this year. My family hosted in Baltimore which meant less of the LaLomia’s attended, including my Aunt Carmella since the journey from New York is not quite convenient. Regardless, we know braciole was still a necessity, so my aunt and uncle stepped up to the challenge and volunteered to give it a go. Their use of Aunt Carm’s recipe which was now in writing along with comparative recipes, out of pure curiosity, allowed for another year to carry on the essential braciole that is now a tradition in itself. 

Despite that over the years, some alterations likely have been made to the braciole recipe, and this can be true for any recipe passed down and shared through the years. External factors can contribute to this, including the available ingredients, season, and location. I think about it like the eggs in our pasta sauce, it was not always there, and today when it is, it is extra special. The vital components will remain but the same love and flavor is always there. Those key components are merely reminders of the origin, something that can never lose meaning. Williams’ brief introduction to her recipes painted a picture in my head of the different lives Sicilian immigrants may have had. For example, a Sicilian who settled in New Orleans, compared to where my family immigrated to in the northeast, would be extremely different experiences. New Orleans’s vegetation, climate, and environment generally resemble Sicily more than upstate New York does. Regardless to say, the location is a small piece of the story because food brings the feeling of home, wherever it originated, into the final product. And as for my aunt and uncle’s shot at the braciole this year, I’d say Aunt Carm would be proud.

Work Cited

Felicia LaLomia, I. S. D. A. C. (2020, April 20). Family recipe: Aunt carm’s braciole. Italian Sons and Daughters of America. https://orderisda.org/culture/our-recipes/family-recipe-aunt-carms-braciole/ 

Williams, E. M. (2022). Nana’s Creole Italian table: Recipes and stories from Sicilian New Orleans. Louisiana State University Press.