Pasta Grannies, let's learn how to cook pasta like Italian grannies.
If something triumphs in the world of social networks and outside of them, it is, without any doubt, grandmothers and grandfathers . It doesn't matter where they are from, or if they speak our language or not, because we love them all without distinction. We are touched by your wrinkles , their simple and happy way of facing life and how much they know. For their wisdom is infinite, as they should be too.
The ancestral cuisine has been taught to us by them, the grandmothers . Shadow cooks who accumulate so many recipes and tricks that they would give to write an encyclopedia. Then, Why don't we turn more to all that wisdom? The same thought Vicky Bennison, the creator of Pasta Grannies, a digital project to publicize Italian pasta recipes from the hand of grandmothers or nonnas.
Grandmothers: the best we have.
The project came to life in 2016 when she created her website, Instagram and YouTube. “I have a house in the Marche, in central Italy. It was there that I noticed it was only older women who made handmade pasta on a daily basis . The over 80s are the last generations that had to do this to get food on the table, but for the younger ones it's a choice. I thought of two things: I would like to make a record of his abilities; and secondly, this is a good opportunity to celebrate the work of older women who are often invisible in the food media”, explains Vicky to Traveler.es.
The videos of grandmothers making homemade pasta that began to upload on YouTube and Instagram soon went viral. So much so that she ended up writing a book with all those Pasta Grannies recipes: The Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooksby Vicky Bennison (Hardie Grant, hardback & ebook).
During confinement Vicky Has seen a 50% growth in views What's more, some of her videos already exceed 40,000 views, and she has received three times as many requests for subscriptions on her website. It is not surprising, considering that these clips of about 4 minutes are easy to watch and, above all, they are endearing.
Against all odds, the most interested are young people between 20 and 35 years old . “Italian food is universally loved, so I don't think it's going to go away. I hope that the use of seasonal ingredients and eating as a family will never be forgotten. Pasta Grannies stats tell me that both the YouTube channel and Instagram feed are most popular with 25-35 year olds, so there are many young people interested in learning to cook from scratch even just on the weekends. And, of course, it is no longer a job only for women. Now the men are excited too, ”she stresses.
Among the favorite videos of her followers is Grandma Letizia, who is now 101 years old . “It is currently our most popular video. What is clear is that people love pasta, but on top of that, people love grandmothers because they remind them of their own.”
The average age of these cooks is around 90 years and, when we ask her where she finds so many grannies willing to go out on Instagram, she tells us that she has one “granny finder”.
“Many tell us no; some say yes and then change their minds; and most start out nervous and then really enjoy themselves. We traveled all over Italy, from Alto Adige, where the food is definitely Austrian, to Sicily, where the Arab influence is noticeable.”
The dishes that we can find are very varied and reflect the history, climate and geography of each region of Italy. “ The secret to handmade pasta is that there is no secret! It's so easy...beginners will enjoy making pici pasta, which is like making snakes out of playdough. Non-Italians tend to add too much sauce and serve too large portions; so remember to be restrained ”, says Vicky when we ask her about the secrets of traditional pasta.
And don't forget that like grandmothers, you have to put a lot of love into each dish.