Americanization and authenticity : Italian food products and practices in the 1950s and 1960s

In this article I analyze products as well as their associated cultural practices, which also conveyed their meaning: the food-related consumption regime. Specifically, I study food in its domestic context, analyzing whether or not changes in the kitchen parallel changes in selected technical innovations and new food products. The thesis here is that process innovation and product innovation must be considered separately. For changes in process, from food-preparation practices to technical devices and technologies, were accepted faster—and to a greater extent—than changes linked to food products themselves.