The struggle between the true Italian and the Italian American has been ongoing since the first wave of Italian immigrants landed on the east coast of the United States in the late 19th century. In order to please the American palate, “Italian” food has been chopped up, reinterpreted, and redistributed in ways that any first-time Italian would hardly even notice.

In defining the two types of cuisine and comparing or contrasting them, it is important to understand what makes authentic Italian authentic. It really comes down to a few simple ideas. First, Italian cuisine is not a monolith. It is a regional dish, and each region of Italy has its own customs, traditions, and cultural characteristics that define the cuisine. Secondly, Italian cuisine is seasonal. There is a right time to eat white truffles (late fall/early winter), tomatoes (May to October) and artichokes (March to May). Thirdly, Italian cuisine is a lifestyle where dishes are cooked slowly, pasta is not a staple, and cappuccino is breakfast and only breakfast.

Steve Samson is an Italian-American and the head chef at Rossoblu and Superfine Pizza in Los Angeles, but he lives and breathes authentic Italian because he spent his formative summers visiting his mother’s family in Italy. Samson is a glutton for the real thing as he looks at the history of the origins of Italian Americans.

Although Steve is a purist, he is not entirely dogmatic as he understands the need to evolve and grow, he just doesn’t like to cook like that. “Italians are really proud of their culture, for good reason, and because of that, they don’t experiment much. But there are chefs like Massimo Bottura and others who are modernizing Italian food, relying on authentic flavors, modernizing them, and pushing the boundaries of what Italian food can be. I like to eat and experience it, but I don’t like to make it.”

In America, visitors often confuse the food with their homeland, but there are many misconceptions. Spaghetti and meatballs are just the beginning. Dishes such as veal parmesan, chicken Marsala, and choppino stew are undoubtedly inauthentic – no matter how delicious they are.

Michelin-starred chef Luigi Fineo from Puglia, Italy, has his own thoughts on the two sides of the debate. Although he doesn’t have an Italian-American restaurant that he particularly likes, he believes that if a chef can at least get the basics right, he would like to see some experimentation.

The dichotomy of the two cuisines is perhaps best illustrated in the 1996 movie Big Night, where the story of Italian-American cuisine tells the story of what the average American is willing and able to spend the most money on. It’s this push and pull that ultimately leads to restaurants like Maggiano’s, Buca di Beppo, and the damn Olive Garden.