Pizza, Rice and Kebabs. Migration and Restaurants

The big immigration flow, which started in the second half of the 19th Century, caused enormous changes and blending of eating habits in Europe and America. At the same time as these changes, which in a sense can be called ‘natural’, changes of a more economic type also took place. The spread of restaurants offering traditional foods and drinks from countries of origin was due to the desire to reproduce home country foods in the new host country, but also to meet a certain demand for “exotic” eating, which grew in developed countries like the UK and the USA. The phenomenon at first concerned Kosher, German and especially Italian eating establishments, but later occurred again with the spread of Chinese restaurants over nearly the entire western world. And today it is being repeated with the spread of kebab houses all over Europe. However, it is necessary to keep in mind that by following these traditions where often the willingness to integrate involves denial (at least partially) of homeland food traditions or at the very least the attempt to blend them with the host country’s models . It is therefore not just the economic factors but also the cultural and anthropological elements. This paper describes these processes and their history, taking into account different waves of migration, socio-economic characteristics and the effects on the food cultures of destination countries. The cultural aspect is described against an economic background. The desire for representation and preserving traditions from home, sometimes related to religious precepts, creates a demand for specific products, which are often unavailable in the host country, leading to the establishment of important new businesses.