ABSTRACT
Campanilismo, a picturesque term meaning a loyalty that extended no farther than the distance from which one could hear the sound of the village bells, characterized Italian life at the time of mass immigration between 1880 and 1910. Regionalism extended to foodways–pasta, in general terms, being the staple among southerners, while corn and rice dominated the diet of northerners, who might even be called polentoni because of the prevalence in their diet of polenta, a cornmeal dish whose name reflected its similarity in appearance to pollen. Centuries of tradition must have contributed to the importance of bread and wine in Italian American culinary tradition. Bread appeared on the table at every meal and might constitute the main course at breakfast, where it was dipped in coffee or milk. Wine may be sampled at any time during the process, but often a traditional date would be designated as the official time to test the wine.
