Synopses & Reviews
Spaghetti with meatballs, fettuccine alfredo, margherita pizzas, ricotta and parmesan cheesesand#151;we have Italy to thank for some of our favorite comfort foods. Home to a dazzling array of wines, cheese, breads, vegetables, and salamis, Italy has become a mecca for foodies who flock to its pizzerias, gelateries, and family-style and Michelin-starred restaurants. Taking readers across the countryand#8217;s regions and beyond in the first book in Reaktionand#8217;s new Foods and Nations series,and#160;
Al Denteand#160;explores our obsession with Italian food and how the countryand#8217;s cuisine became what it is today.
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Fabio Parasecoli discovers that for centuries, southern Mediterranean countries such as Italy fought against food scarcity, wars, invasions, and an unfavorable agricultural environment. Lacking in meat and dairy, Italy developed foodways that depended on grains, legumes, and vegetables until a stronger economy in the late 1950s allowed the majority of Italians to afford a more diverse diet. Parasecoli elucidates how the last half century has seen new packaging, conservation techniques, industrial mass production, and more sophisticated systems of transportation and distribution, bringing about profound changes in how the countryand#8217;s population thought about food. He also reveals that much of Italyand#8217;s culinary reputation hinged on the worldand#8217;s discovery of it as a healthy eating model, which has led to the prevalence of high-end Italian restaurants in major cities around the globe.
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Including historical recipes for delicious Italian dishes to enjoy alongside a glass of crisp Chianti,and#160;Al Denteand#160;is a fascinating survey of this countryand#8217;s cuisine that sheds new light on why we should always leave the gun and take the cannoli.
Review
and#8220;In this fascinating guide, Parasecoli takes us through the history of Italyand#8217;s relationship with food, right back to the Romans, discussing the origins of olive oil and the importance of sun-ripened tomatoes. . . . The stories that are interwoven into the pages are essential reads for any budding connoisseur or general foodie.and#8221;and#160;
Review
“This cool analysis of the geopolitical background to the delights of Italian gastronomy is a welcome addition.” Gillian Riley, author of The Oxford Companion to Italian Food
Review
and#8220;This cool analysis of the geopolitical background to the delights of Italian gastronomy is a welcome addition.and#8221; and#160;
Review
andldquo;This ambitious volume places discussions of food and food-related customs in the context of Italian history from the Neolithic to the present. Parasecoli leads readers on an engaging journey through time and geography. The author peppers the account with anecdotes and historical tidbits ranging from whether or not there was food scarcity during the Middle Ages to how changes in female empowerment have caused adjustments in portion sizes in the twenty-first century.andrdquo;
Synopsis
Over the last three decades Italian cuisine has gained in status as well as fame. It is not only served at family-style eateries, ice cream parlors, and pizza shops: high-end Italian restaurants are now listed among the most prestigious establishments in major cities worldwide. TV shows and magazines are full of Italian recipes, and culinary professionals become celebrities, banking on their Italian origins. As Italian cuisine acquires new relevance, scores of tourists flock to the epicenter of it all: Italy.
The author shows that for centuries, countries such as Italy in the Southern Mediterranean fought against food scarcity, wars, invasions, and an environment that was often not very favorable to agriculture. With limited access to meat, dairy, and fats, they developed foodways that hinged on grains, pulses, and vegetables. It was only after the and#147;economic miracleand#8221; of the late 1950s that the majority of the Italian population was able to afford a more diverse and abundant diet, albeit sacrificing traditional ways of life and culinary habits. New packaging and conservation techniques, industrial mass production, and more sophisticated systems of transportation and distribution brought profound changes in the way Italians ate and thought about food. Gradually, the rest of the world has become aware that the practices adopted by Italians constitute a healthy eating model, and its reputation has been growing exponentially ever since.
About the Author
Fabio Parasecoli is associate professor and coordinator of the Food Studies Program at the New School for Public Engagement in New York City. He is the author of several books, including Bite Me! Food and Pop Culture and Introduction to Culinary Cultures in Europe.
Table of Contents
Introduction: The Food of Italy: Beyond Myths and Stereotypes
1. A Land in the Mediterranean
2. Invaders
3. Rebirth
4. Fragmentation and Unification
5. From War to Miracle
6. Now and the Future
7. The Globalization of Italian Food
8. A Nation of Town and Regions: Italian Campanilismo
References
Select Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index