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> I imagine you can grow pretty much anything in the US at a decent quality I believe this is true, subject to the original source material (seeds?) being impo

> I imagine you can grow pretty much anything in the US at a decent quality I believe this is true, subject to the original source material (seeds?) being imported. > but with its size, population and diversity of climates This makes it tricky, as producing enough of the high quality ingredients in appropriate locations, that can survive the transportation distances, creates a whole new range of problems. Solving this at Italy scale is a different matter to solving this at USA scale.

crispyambulance 7y ago
> Solving this at Italy scale is a different matter to solving this at USA scale. Italian cuisine is all about letting the ingredients speak for themselves and success really depends on having high quality ingredients. So, yes, selecting for tomatoes that have long shelf life and trucking them long distances would violate Italian food sensibilities. The Italian point of view would be to make the most of the ingredients that are available where you are. In other words, if you don't have fresh tasty tomatoes in the middle of winter, don't substitute subpar global-supply-chain tomatoes from the supermarket. Instead, use something else, like high-quality sundried tomatoes or don't use tomatoes at all. This is what happens in Italy, and it's why what visiting Americans might consider "iconic" Italian dishes aren't always present or recognizable.