Reading · Notes from Emiko’s Kitchen

“The boiling sounded like a symphony. I heard many conversations on the end of Fascism but the most beautiful speech was that of the pasta boiling.” —Alcide Cervi in his family’s story, My seven sons (I miei sette figli 1955).

You might say that all pasta is antifascist. Historically speaking, pasta was demonised by Mussolini and the Fascists, who claimed it was unsuitable for good, strong soldiers and that is was even unpatriotic (as the wheat was imported).

But there is one specific pasta that is known as antifascist pasta — pasta with butter and cheese. It dates to 1943 and is celebrated on July 25th.

The birth of this pastaciutta antifacista is also the story of the Cervi family — Genoveffa and Alcide and their seven sons, simple farmers and partisans from Emilia-Romagna — who offered their entire town a celebratory meal of 370 kilos (815 pounds) of pasta dressed in butter and parmesan cheese, simple ingredients but ones that can only be described as pure luxury in the middle of the Second World war.

A brief background: Mussolini had been the fascist dictator of Italy from 1925 (and Prime Minister since 1922) and he entered the Second World War to support Hitler with the Pact of Steel in June, 1940. By 1943, Italy was desperately starving — and losing. The night between Saturday July 24 and Sunday July 25, 1943, Mussolini was deposed and arrested. Italians celebrated this news, pouring onto the streets, many believing it to signal the end of the war. The army disbanded and soldiers went home. After some weeks of confusion, Italy decided to switch sides and went back to war but siding with the Allies and the fascists doubled down on their traitors and the war went on for another two brutal years.

Crowds celebrating the fall of fascism in the streets of Milano, 25 July 1943.

But there was a moment for Italians when the news of Mussolini’s arrest was met with absolute joy and relief and crowds of people were celebrating in the streets, finally ignoring the 12 year strong rule of no gatherings of more than three people — il venticinque luglio still represents one of the most important and hope-filled days in Italy’s modern history, the Fall of Fascism. After 21 years, Italians were free from dictatorship.

When the Cervi family heard of the arrest of Mussolini, they danced and sang all night, they helped their antifascist friends escape from prison and then, they celebrated in the best way possible: with pasta. Forbidden pasta, during a time when flour, eggs, cheese and butter were all rationed and difficult to obtain. But, like many farmers, they had saved and stockpiled flour and it was brought to their baker friend, Amadeo Rapacchi, an antifascist who also had a pasta machine with an extruder — he made the pasta with everyone’s stockpiled flour and dried it in his ovens. The Cervi brothers obtained butter and cheese on credit from the local caseificio (dairy).

They cooked the pasta (some at home, some in big containers of the dairy), friends helped grate the cheese to go into big pots filled with pasta and the butter and then they brought the pots on carriages drawn by two horses to the piazza of Campegine, their town in the province of Reggio Emilia (Emilia-Romagna) to share with everyone. People came out of their homes with their own plates and forks and joined the celebrations. The police came in to disperse the huge gathering of people, but there was confusion over what rules now needed to be enforced so Gelindo Cervi invited them eat with them — even they couldn’t resist a plate of pasta.

That simple plate of pasta became a symbol of hope, freedom and resistance.

“The boiling sounded like a symphony. I heard many conversations on the end of Fascism but the most beautiful speech was that of the pasta boiling.” —Alcide in his family’s story, My seven sons (I miei sette figli 1955).

Unfortunately, the story does not end well. Alcide Cervi and his seven sons, Gelindo, Antenore, Aldo, Fernando, Agostino, Ovidio and Ettore (aged between 42 and 22 years), were all arrested at home by fascist authorities several months later on the 25th of November and taken to prison in Reggio Emilia. A month later, the brothers were executed in retaliation to the death of a fascist secretary, to set an example. Alcide survived the war and wrote a book, I Miei Sette Figli, My Seven Sons, in 1955, which inspired a movie in 1968, I Sette Fratelli Cervi. The Cervi name is celebrated in street names around Italy and they were posthumously awarded the Silver Medal of Military Valour, an award to "distinguish and publicly honor the authors of heroic military acts.”

Casa Cervi is now Istituto Cervi, a museum and archive in the original Cervi house dedicated to the fight for democracy. Every year they put on a pasta antifascista event, but they also encourage others to host one and they even have this handy list of all the places in Italy that are offering Antifascist Pasta (Enoteca Marilu will be too!).

Or you can make it at home, maybe make it together with friends and loved ones and tell them about this history, to keep this story of resistance alive. It is the easiest pasta recipe, practically a non-recipe of pasta dressed in butter and cheese, but below is how I make it.

Pasta Antifascista

For 4 people

320 grams of pasta of choice (this above features pennone, large penne pasta!)
100 grams of butter (preferably unsalted so you can add salt to your liking)
100 grams (2 big handfuls) of grated Parmesan cheese

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted water and cook al dente (follow the timing on the package and shave off 1 minute). While that is cooking, melt the butter in a wide pan, add a little bit of the pasta water (a few tablespoons or) and swirl or stir vigorously to create a creamy sauce. Keep warm but turn off the heat.

Strain the pasta once it’s ready (set aside a cup full of the pasta water in case you need any of it) and add it to the butter in the pan (no heat needed) and toss to coat completely with the Parmesan (all of it or save some for the top). It should look nice and creamy and taste buttery and cheesy. If it’s looking a little dry, add some of the pasta water and toss again. Serve as is — the taste of freedom, comfort and joy.

Antifascist Pasta for July 25th

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