Food and the Silver Screen

Have you ever wondered where some food trends started? Believe it or not, Hollywood has a lot to do with it. Movies and TV shows have influenced our dinner tables choices for many years. Some have even gives us new recipes to try at home. Here are a few different dishes that have stuck around since they hit the big screen.

Big Night (1996)
Movie Plot: A failing Italian restaurant, run by two brothers, gamble on one special night to try to save the business.

Famous Food: Timballo
Referred to as 'Timpano' in this film, this Italian dish became famous after the move hit the screen in 1996. It can be translated to pie or savory cake. Timballo is an Italian dish made out of pasta or rice, bound with eggs or cheese, and baked into a mold with savory ingredients including pheasant, pumpkin, giblets, meatballs, mushrooms and/or truffles. In the United States, many Italian restaurants have created different variations of the traditional dish to appease the American palate.

Sex and the City (1998-2004)
Plot: Four friends share their stories on relationships, friendships, and life changes, while living in one of the most exciting cities in America.

Famous Food: It was actually a drink - Cosmopolitan
While the girls from Sex and the City sipped their Cosmopolitans on TV, more and more local restaurants saw their sales of the delicious cocktail skyrocket.

The Godfather (1972)
Plot: It focuses on the powerful Italian-American crime family of Don Vito Corleone. When Don's youngest son, Michael (Al Pacino), reluctantly joins the Mafia, he becomes involved in the inevitable cycle of violence and betrayal.

Famous Food: Peter Clemeza's Red Sauce
The recipe came from Francis Ford Coppola, who directed the film. Many households swear by the recipe that includes sausages, meatballs, and red wine. Coppola decided to include the recipe in the actual script, just in case the movie failed so the people would at least know the proper recipe for the traditional Italian spaghetti sauce. You can see the full recipe online!