The italian gastronomic system and the national identity

The article is devoted to the analysis of the emergence and the key trends of Italian gastronomic system development considered in terms of sociology and culturology as one of the components of national identity. National identity arises from the awareness of ethnic background which is manifested by the artefacts of material culture, i.e. in the context involved by the standard set of ingredients typical of the Italian cuisine. The «regional-unitary» dichotomy crucial for Italian people is analyzed in detail and the Italian state is shown to have been able to transform the regional diversity initially standing in the way of national unification into a smart marketing ploy positioning regional agricultural product as the national wealth and property quite suitable for export.