Stocking up food in large capacities was a post-war necessity and pure common sense. No supermarket was available around every corner for last-minute grocery rounds. Produce was generally home-grown and consumed according to season. Surplus from the harvest was pickled, canned and bottled in order to last the entire year.

This meant the dispensa, the pantry, had shelves upon shelves of pickled vegetables from the garden, bottles of home made tomato preserve, sauces and many jars of summer fruit jam. Even in more lofty times, the tradition endures. Here are a few Italian pantry basics and the work that goes into producing them at home.