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<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\nSmoked, what a passion!<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\nIn my life, the 1980s were a turning point.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIn the previous decade, everyday food was local and homemade.<\/span><\/p>\nAfter that<\/span><\/em><\/strong>, dry pasta, packaged snacks, tinned vegetables, powdered mixes, and new ingredients entered the kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\nLooking back now, it was the decade of the food revolution for Grandma Sara, my family, and a few million other Italians.<\/span><\/p>\nThe 1970s were a gastronomic bridge between the past, when most of the food came from the nearby countryside or was still home-grown, and the future, which began with the opening of the first supermarkets.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nIn Italy’s big cities, the process began in the 1960s, while in most small towns in the huge Italian provinces, it began a little later.<\/span><\/p>\nRegardless of when it started, the transition is unstoppable.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nPeople, including my family, shop at this new type of store.<\/span><\/p>\nAt first, ties to the countryside are still strong. Then, you know how it goes. Little by little, points of reference disappear, and ties loosen.<\/span><\/p>\nEven in small provincial towns, like the one where I was born and raised, the <\/span>new shopping venues and products on the shelves<\/span><\/strong> reflect the biggest change in Italians’ eating habits.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nWhen fresh, local products are first flanked and then irreversibly overwhelmed by industrial ones.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\nSmoky ham and cannellini bean soup is a dish that belongs to this period, when, in the early 1980s, my grandmother discovered the taste of smoked meats within easy reach. And what was once rarely eaten, such as speck, Prague ham, and bacon, became normal.<\/span><\/p>\nSmoked ham vs pork rinds<\/h4>\n
Bean soup was originally made with pork rinds.
\nIt is a typical dish in many rural areas of Italy, including Romagna, and is flavorful and robust.<\/p>\n
In the countryside, it was a dish made from leftovers, as pork rinds were one of the least valuable parts of the pig and were not intended for sale. They were often included in slaughterhouse workers’ salaries.<\/p>\n
In addition to pork rinds, the soup also contained stale bread and dried beans, which could be cannellini or borlotti beans. Like pork rinds, beans were also affordable for almost everyone.<\/p>\n
Today, pork rind is an ingredient of peasant cuisine that has been rehabilitated and ennobled.<\/p>\n
And even though it is the central element in this traditional peasant dish, here I share the version I remember, the one rich in cubes of smoked ham, which, as my grandmother knew, goes really well with the rounded flavor of cannellini beans. Together, they create a bean soup worthy of a Sunday lunch.<\/p>\n
A bean soup recipe you have to try at least once:<\/p>\n
In the previous decade, everyday food was local and homemade.<\/span><\/p>\n After that<\/span><\/em><\/strong>, dry pasta, packaged snacks, tinned vegetables, powdered mixes, and new ingredients entered the kitchen.<\/span><\/p>\n Looking back now, it was the decade of the food revolution for Grandma Sara, my family, and a few million other Italians.<\/span><\/p>\n The 1970s were a gastronomic bridge between the past, when most of the food came from the nearby countryside or was still home-grown, and the future, which began with the opening of the first supermarkets.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n In Italy’s big cities, the process began in the 1960s, while in most small towns in the huge Italian provinces, it began a little later.<\/span><\/p>\n Regardless of when it started, the transition is unstoppable.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n People, including my family, shop at this new type of store.<\/span><\/p>\n At first, ties to the countryside are still strong. Then, you know how it goes. Little by little, points of reference disappear, and ties loosen.<\/span><\/p>\n Even in small provincial towns, like the one where I was born and raised, the <\/span>new shopping venues and products on the shelves<\/span><\/strong> reflect the biggest change in Italians’ eating habits.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n When fresh, local products are first flanked and then irreversibly overwhelmed by industrial ones.<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n Smoky ham and cannellini bean soup is a dish that belongs to this period, when, in the early 1980s, my grandmother discovered the taste of smoked meats within easy reach. And what was once rarely eaten, such as speck, Prague ham, and bacon, became normal.<\/span><\/p>\n Bean soup was originally made with pork rinds. In the countryside, it was a dish made from leftovers, as pork rinds were one of the least valuable parts of the pig and were not intended for sale. They were often included in slaughterhouse workers’ salaries.<\/p>\n In addition to pork rinds, the soup also contained stale bread and dried beans, which could be cannellini or borlotti beans. Like pork rinds, beans were also affordable for almost everyone.<\/p>\n Today, pork rind is an ingredient of peasant cuisine that has been rehabilitated and ennobled.<\/p>\n And even though it is the central element in this traditional peasant dish, here I share the version I remember, the one rich in cubes of smoked ham, which, as my grandmother knew, goes really well with the rounded flavor of cannellini beans. Together, they create a bean soup worthy of a Sunday lunch.<\/p>\n A bean soup recipe you have to try at least once:<\/p>\nSmoked ham vs pork rinds<\/h4>\n
\nIt is a typical dish in many rural areas of Italy, including Romagna, and is flavorful and robust.<\/p>\n
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