I was raised in an Italian neighborhood. I thought there were only Italians in the world, but my family were near eastern.. Immigrants. I ate pizza many times at Pepe's pizzeria on Wooster St. I can still taste the raw clams we ordered with the pizza. That's when I was 16. I'm 93 now. All my bosom buddies were Italian. Great memories.
I miss real Italian pizza, cheese, bread, pastries. Houston is so lacking in Italian culture. I miss my people! Thank you for bringing me along with your videos. I’m so loving this series. 💗
You probably can find some decent Italian foods in Houston if you search around but yes I agree it’s still not the same vibe. I also live in the south and the vibe is generic and bland for the most part.
Your segment on New Haven brought tears to my eyes... I was born and raised there and have so many wonderful recollections as a young Italian boy growing up there...
Born and raised in New Haven and now an ex-pat in a different state. Miss many of the foods from that area particularly the pastries and pizza. The water is too hard down here so the dough could never rival what they do in New Haven. Thanks for bringing this walk down memory lane.
Sorry you got skunked on Zeppole, Pasquale. You guys need to make another visit, but next time we need to set you up with the full immersion experience. Come back in June for the Sant’ Andrea Avest (runs concurrent with festivities in Amalfi) and to learn more about the history of immigration to New Haven, primarily from the Sorrentine peninsula and the iconic New Haven style a’pizza that developed as a result. You’ve only scratched the surface with your visit, we have much more to share of our Italian American experience.
4:45 So here's the updated history of US pizza: New Haven apizza (and other early Italian American pizza) is *closer* to 19th century pizza in Napoli than modern pizza napoletana. Modern pizza napoletana became what it is today with the introduction of refined "Manitoba" flour (from Canada) and the eventual invention of 00 flour "in the 60s or 70s", according to Mauro Caputo of Mulino Caputo. During the wars, flour in Napoli was semi-whole wheat (with additives to bulk up supply) and the pizza lacked the puffy cornicione of today. Also pizza fritta (fried pizza) became more common on the street than baked wood fired ones. Before that in the 19th century, whole wheat flour was all that existed. And pizza was patted thin yet had a dense crumb but was baked crispy. We've found descriptions of pizza from the mid-19th century that describe the recipe and bake time as virtually the same as it was made in the early US pizzerias, e.g. Totonno's on Coney Island, Papa's in Trenton, or Frank Pepe's.
We have the best pizza anywhere. Even travel just outside the city, it’s good. Go to other metro areas in CT and the quality of pizza disintegrates rapidly!
Awesome! Gave me a place to go to on vacation! You guys do really great work. Keep it up! Old Italians, like me down here in Texas really enjoy seeing these places. .......yes, there are Italians (Sicilians) in Texas. Ha ha! Giuseppe Pasquale Roberti (Roberts was a name change back when my grandfather came from Italy....oh well.. it happens)
I was with you all the way until you went for the zeppole /san giuseppe. Growing up in New Haven means I know the best places for everything. Liuzzi for cheese, Sally's for apizza, Lucibello's for Italian Cream Rum cake, and Rocco's on Ferry St. for zeppole! Also Romeo's for your meats for antipasto and for the best anginettes, you'll have to call me because everyone orders cookie trays from her! @RachelFerrucci
Rocco's in Fair Haven...#1 !!!! Right across from my alma mater, St. francis, where the nuns hit you with a ruler and you BAKED on the 3rd floor in June....
you should have gone to DiSorbo's in Hamden. Best bakery around, great Zeppole and I love the sfogliate, the spinach bread and the cigala (sp?) chigala? bread. close to Liuzzi's
@@ItalianAmerican it's not much to look at but it is authentic. of course go to Sally's too, it is Number #1 amongst the real guineas. Ernie's too is in a different part of New Haven and the pizza has more cheese, but its an old school family biz around for ages in a neighborhood that was traditionally Italian. There are also many spots in the suburbs like Branford, Guilford etc where all the real Italians moved to from New Haven in the 70's.
even when they get off the exit in North Haven the sign is sponsored by the law firm Parrett, Porto, Parese and Colwell...I detect at least 2 italian names there
Thank you for posting this. My husband used to work at Lucibello's when he was in high school but he's forgotten (?) the recipes - pretty convenient huh? We miss the great Italian food to be had in New Haven. Nothing like that in FLorida.
New Haven does not have a higher % of italians than Staten Island. Idk how they're the #1 city.. Its not even close. There's prolly more italians in SI than there is people in New Haven.
But Staten Island is NOT a city... it's a borough/county so there is a technical distinction that demographers take into account. So Staten Island is the highest percentage of Italian Americans for a COUNTY, which we point out in our latest video when we visited there! Thanks for watching!
