zero waste thanksgiving tips from Italy

save these now and feel more sustainable next week

Often, I get the question - do they celebrate Thanksgiving in Italy?

Don’t laugh. While Thanksgiving is such an American holiday in its nature (also Canadian, but that’s a little different), holidays seem to have become so commercialized that we think less of their meaning and more of the thematics. I mean who doesn’t love a party and a 50-pound turkey? And gallons of gravy?

Hard to refuse. On that note though -

Let’s be real, the biggest theme of Thanksgiving is the excess. But what if we could be just as indulgent, without as much waste? In other words, how can make the most gluttonous American holiday one that also honors Mother Earth? As it did in its very not-so-humble beginnings?

It’s possible! This time - thanks to the Italians. Don’t worry - this does not mean no leftovers.

Two things really define and unify Italian cuisine: bread and repurposing. I told you this bread series thing was here in full force.

La cucina povera or peasant cooking unifies Italy’s many culturally diverse regions. While the dishes may differ, the approach does not. A history of the poor and working-class making the best out of every morsel of food - especially bread - unless you happened to be one of the .0001%, aka an heir to the Medici rule or a Hapsburg Queen.

Sometimes I wonder what it would be like to be a Medieval princess…I digress…

The regular folks had to do with what they had. It was mostly carbs and fat. Beans, veggies, bread, cheese, leftover bits of pork or cow. And on Thanksgiving, we love our carbs and grease.

So here are 5 ways to make your Thanksgiving more Italian, more sustainable, but still all the while slutti