The kitchen rediscovered: the effects of the lockdown on domestic food consumption and dietary patterns in early pandemic Italy

Italy was among the first countries worldwide and the first in Europe to implement a complete lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus. This two-month lockdown significantly disrupted daily routines, leading to the reorganization of space, time, and modalities of meals. This article presents a study conducted in Italy during the lockdown, aiming to capture real-time changes in home-based eating practices. The study highlights how food-related routines shifted around home spaces, altered schedules, and increased technology use for cooking. It also explores changes in family dynamics, emphasizing communal cooking and dining. These shifts offer insights into opportunities for broader social changes, with food practices serving as a focal point for reconsidering role dynamics and dialogue within households, particularly related to gender, generations, and work-life balance. Furthermore, the study delves into agential factors, such as healthier nutrition habits and active lifestyles linked to a renewed commitment to cooking together and local food, which has remained a priority for Italian consumers even during times of crisis.