you remember the '60s American films? Focus on the person who enters the house, opens the door, and immediately after the "Hello dear," without undressing, you sling on the refrigerator and drinks his bottle of coca-cola or beer as if to return from work had gone through a vast desert.
E 'image that comes to my mind to speak of " snowfield " or "ice ", ie as in the past you could make ice and store food when it possessed the refrigerator.
In fact, today the most used appliance in the homes of the Italians, was invented in 1919 in Chicago, under the name " Kelvinator," transformed into " refrigerator. " It, however, was produced on an industrial scale, also in the United States only since 1931.
In Italy arrived in the mid-40s, and only in wealthy homes, as too expensive. Began to grow everywhere after the '60s.
And until then, as was done to preserve perishable food? But above all, as it was to produce ice in summer?
In rural life, the ice was needed to make butter, a food of prime necessity because in the North was (And is) used instead of oil.
Each country had its "snowfield" or "ice", a deep hole, in a cold place, where he picked up the snow during the winter and covered it all with fagots. The snow turned into ice ended up lasting until the following winter. The person who kept the snowfield, cut the ice as necessary.
Without the ice well preserved, as mentioned, the "cheese masters" was not able to produce butter from her milk. E 'possible to make by hand the butter without ice, but only in small quantities and with very "Elbow grease", which is why, for the implementation difficulties of this food, the cheese was involved in the production of butter for all.
The ice snowfield, was also purchased by households to make sorbet or granita. The piece of ice was then scratched on the mixture, pour the mint syrup, almost always in the North of black cherry, lemon and the South: a delight for young and old. Tell Nicoletta Barbarito (post 40) that the wealthy families had small ice composed of wood and zinc, where we fell into a large cylinder of ice. This ice was delivered by a special giornarlmente seller.
Other perishable foods were eaten during the day or at most within two days.
The pork, for example, that could be killed only in winter, was instead placed under the suet to last longer, as well as everything that concerns the whole of pig production.
Other perishable foods could be placed in brine, salt, oil, vinegar, lard or fat in the dried or smoked. They were systems of food preservation that lasted for millennia and continue to endure and that allowed the man its growth (eat and multiply!).
Barbara Bertolini
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