Abbiocco: The Sleepy Feeling Coming After a Big Meal - Italian
On the culture of food, with a few recommendations on its philosophy
The belly rules the mind.
— A proverb which can’t be denied
If such a word did not come from Italian, from which language would it come? It is, of course, Italian. We've already featured a few Italian words, two of which are related to food culture: Culaccino and Scarpetta.
Today's word, by coincidence, has the same feature. Of course, Italian culture and vocabulary are vast, but perhaps it's because of my choices as a writer that the words I choose from Italian are always related to food.
Abbiocco in Italian means that sweet feeling of tiredness that comes over you after a meal. It's something that people like me, who love to eat, often experience after a full plate of pasta with lots of sauces, meat dishes, salads, and wines, but especially after breakfast.
In Turkish culture, breakfast is extremely important—often even the most important meal. When you invite your guests over for breakfast, the preparation can take longer than for dinner. With a table full of at least ten different kinds of food, the hardest part is deciding which one to eat first. After at least an hour of breakfast, abbiocco is an inevitable result.
Food is an essential component of culture. Don't you think of spicy dishes with garam masala when you think of India? Or do you think of pasta, pizza, and tiramisu when you think of Italy? Or do you associate Germany with hamburgers, hot dogs, and cold beer? In fact, when you think of a country, one of the first things that comes to mind is food. Food has special words in every language, which is unavoidable and fortunately.
Food, in my opinion, should be considered an art form. It is a unique art form that engages the eye, palate, nose, and sometimes the ear, as well as our touch. Chefs are artists too. Does that sound strange? Why not?
The art of gastronomy. Let's think about it.
Notes & Reads:
When Italy and food come together, one of the first things that comes to mind is Elizabeth Gilbert's famous book Eat, Pray, Love. It was one of my favorite books, too. In the book, where Gilbert tells a real cross-section of her own life, her experiences in "Eat" in Italy, "Pray" in India, and "Love" in Indonesia can be read with pleasure.
Eat, Pray, Love is also a movie; Julia Roberts, my favorite actress, is playing, but I would prefer the book.
Taste: A Philosophy of Food by Sarah E. Worth who is is professor of philosophy offers a different view on food and philosophy.
Worth says: “When we eat, we eat the world: taking something from outside and making it part of us. But what does it taste of? And can we develop our taste?”
Another book about philosophical side of food, The Philosophy of Food, is prepared by David M. Kaplan. From the book: “The book explores food from a philosophical perspective, bringing together sixteen philosophers to consider the most basic questions about food: What is it exactly? What should we eat? How do we know it is safe? How should food be distributed? What is good food?”
So, books on food philosophy sound interesting and worthwhile to read.
Next week we'll continue traveling around Europe. We may keep thinking about food.
Have a great week and weekend.
— Gulsun
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It's a really joyful word, I also enjoyed while writing about it. Thank you so much :)
A word that puts a big smile on the face, one that is easily relatable, like 'Siesta' in Spanish. 😃 These words bring extra joy and warmth that the word 'nap' doesn't cut it.