An Italian tryst

Janardhan Roye rolls out a delectable tale of how Italian Prisoners of War contributed to popularising Italian cuisine in our part of the world

Back in the 1950-60s, there stood a signboard on Bangalore’s Residency Road — The Italian Guest House. Passers-by would often get treated to smoky, wood-fired, and scrumptious cooking aromas that emanated from its outhouse kitchen. Old-timers fondly remember the spaghetti, pizzas, pasta… that warmed the hearts and taste buds of local gastronomes. Little did we know then that this pizzeria, the first of its kind in the city, had links to the Italian Prisoners of War (POW) encamped here in the early 1940s. To know that, we need to start with WWII. At that time, the British Indian army was the largest voluntary fighting force in history and manned mostly by Indians. Within the army, embedded was the spirited non-combatant group, the 1780-raised Madras Sappers.

The Sappers, small, tough and wiry men from South India, affectionately known as thambis, distinguished themselves everywhere and every time with their bravery and heroic action. In Bardia, Libya at the height of the war, they hand-carried the mine-clearing device, the Bangalore Torpedo, and used it to blast open the enemy anti-tank ditch fortress. This allowed soldiers and tanks to quickly move in and take control. The enemy within was Mussolini’s soldiers. They came out with hands in the air. In similar ops, 4,00,000 such Italians were taken as POWs. 22,000 of them were bundled off to British camps in the northern outskirts of Bangalore.

At the Hebbal camp initially, the prisoners were lodged in tents. The wounded and sick were treated in what became ‘the ‘largest hospital of the world’ of the time. Some of the prisoners were sent to fields to grow vegetables, greens, and fruit. The produce supplemented the sourced provisions and eased the burden on the camp kitchen. The Italians sportingly helped in other areas: menu planning, meal preparation and cooking. With that, simple Toscano, Sicilian, Neapolitan and regional food came to be served.

It started with Cucina Povera or Italian peasant cooking — soups made from discarded, leftover vegetables from meals prepared for the British officers. Leftover minestrone was stretched into Ribollita by adding stale bread .In time, as the vegetable garden yielded more items, and war situation eased, elegant food was shared en masse in the camp. Even the red wine used for communion got a make-over with inputs from the men from the Piemonte region. Their love, knowledge and expertise in wine-making helped both the cultivation of grapes and making wine. Methods that thrive to the day at the vineyards near Nandi foothills.

The spirit of La Cucina Italiana tradition born in the Hebbal camps wound its way to Residency Road and to The Italian Guest House. The origins of the place remain a mystery. Some say an enterprising olive oil-food tradesman persuaded the camp chefs and set it up. Though closed now, old-timers fondly remember the place and the food and ambience. The red-and-white table cloth. Anolini, bigoli, cannoli, cannelloni, lasagna…and pizzas and the sauces made from imported jarred capers, olives, cured artichokes, and locally grown onion, garlic, basil, and herbs. What remains now are just memories, and the Italian prisoners’ bonhomie and zest for living in their most difficult hour.