1. Pizza.
Traditional Italian pizza has three simple ingredients: olive oil, tomatoes and a thick crust. For families with little money, it was one of the main dishes, and no one, of course, back then thought about how to make it more refined.
Attitudes toward pizza changed thanks to Queen Margaret. She wanted to try a simple dish, and a pizza was made for her with ingredients that resembled the colors of the national flag. The queen was impressed and the pizza, named after her, became a hallmark of Italian cuisine.
2. Quinoa.
Quinoa was a staple in the South American Indian diet and in the late 20th century was still considered a poor man's food. In the mid-2000s, its health benefits caught the attention of Western nutritionists. And then, thanks to nutritionists and Instagram-bloggers, it became so popular that it became many times more expensive.
Now quinoa is a trendy element of a healthy lifestyle. It is added to soups, salads and desserts, and ground grains are used to make pasta and bread.
3. Sushi.
It used to be eaten by poor Japanese fishermen. It wasn't until recently that this dish was recognized by gourmets and appeared on the menus of the world's best restaurants. Prices for sushi have increased significantly in the middle of XX century. According to one version, it happened after Japan established relations with other countries and began to attract more tourists.
4. French Onion Soup
It has been considered the food of the poor for centuries. One legend says that the soup became popular among the nobility when Louis XV decided to boil it with champagne. According to another legend, the dish was much appreciated by the Polish king, who was on his way to Versailles. He was so impressed that he learned the recipe from the chef at the inn and brought it to the French monarch.
Be that as it may, onion soup is now served in most French restaurants and considered a delicacy.
5. Tiramisu.
Many Italian regions vie for the right to call themselves the birthplace of this dessert. It most likely originated in the city of Treviso around 1970 and came from whipped egg yolks with sugar, which ordinary workers used as an "energy drink."
Chefs then complicated the flavor by adding mascarpone, cookies and coffee. Later there were variations with the addition of alcohol. Today, tiramisu has many fans around the world, and it is one of the culinary symbols of Italy.
6. Salmon
The phrase "poor Scots used to have to eat salmon and trout" may sound strange today, but it was. Once upon a time, these fish were abundant in Scottish waters. Now, it is a delicacy, very expensive, and not considered inferior to other seafood in terms of gastronomic value.
7. Pasta
During the Renaissance, pasta with vegetables, cheese and garlic saved poor Italians from starvation. They ate pasta with their hands because cutlery was not yet available to the common people.
The dish became an integral part of Italian cuisine in the 16th century. And when pasta factories opened, it became a national treasure.
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