A friend of mine gave me Delizia, an epic history of italians and their food by John Dickie.
And I have been devouring every word.
"Boisterous, gluttonous stories-some verging on the salacious..." Publishers Weekly
"A book that is as much a feast of horrors as delights..."The Sunday Times (London)
You don't read this kind of book when you are hungry or on a diet. You read it when you are sitting down in the shade of a big tree, with trade winds blowing, with a glass of wine in one hand and the book in the other, savoring history one sip at a time.
I swear, there is as much history here as there are recipes and how they came about.
If you are curious about how Italy came to be a great place for food, read this book. History was never this much fun for me.
If I were not already Italian, I would convert!
Buon Appetito!
24 comments:
I am sure from what you wrote here that my dh and I would enjoy this book, so I wrote down the title.
Ah, books! Aren't they a gift?
I need to keep an eye out for this book!
nice. might check this out...just got back from the bookstore...
That sounds fun :) I heard a really great talk at a conference last year about the linguistics of food - how foods and their names (and recipes) have passed around the world, in some cases. Really fascinating stuff.
The book sounds absolutely delicious!
Oh, I absolutely want to read this now--you've sold me. And that picture or the chair in shade? So beautiful and serene. I am sure you have spent many hours there.
Those look mighty cosy chairs. The book looks great. I have always taken for granted that Italians were good cooks and food lovers. I think out of all the meals I could have, Italian food is what appeals the most to me. definitely my favourite.
Maggie X
Nuts in May
Oh. But I am always hungry! :-)
Nothing better than a comfy chair and a good book...and I love Italian food, even though I'm Greek and I love that too! Thanks for the book tip!
I've not heard of the book, but it does sound interesting. And I'm with you...summer time is made for reading....in the shade!! :) Thus why I love my little deck so much. It's in the shade ALL of the time. tee hee
A book like that would only make me hungrier, and larger. Sigh!
I think I'll stick to reading light books on politics and philosophy. Not nearly as fattening!
"savoring history, one sip at a time"--love your expression and the idea of sipping wine while reading...I don't know if I could do that...I'd fall asleep with my nose in the book.
I'll have to pass. Living on 1300 calories a day leaves no room for temptation.
The thing I like most about true Italian dining is that it is a social event that can last hours. None of this bolting food down to zoom off to the next project.
Enjoy your reading.
A culture and its cuisine are intertwined naturally.
But my 900 cal to 1300 cal diet is not going well as it is.
However, I agree books, printed or electronic make us what we are, or are NOT.
LOL, love that you would convert if you weren't already Italian! Not sure this is a book for me Rosario, but I'll put it on my "maybe" list.
Oh no! We are all a bit torn about food, aren't we? When did food become cosa non grata?
I will pursue this topic at my other blog,btw.
Food, like family, are necessary for our survival as a species, as a civilization: English and their tea time; Italians and their noisy mid-day meals that go for hours. See Rachel's comments below for further scholastic connections.
Sounds luscious!
Italians have THE best food in the world -- bar none.
I love books about the history of food. The Tudors have a very interesting history of food as well, and some interesting recipes.
As our weather finally cools, the idea of reading a book outside under the shade of a big tree sounds very enticing.
oh wow, this sounds like a book I have to read, notwithstanding the fact that my bookshelves are already groaning under the weight of Italian recipe books (I'm sure I must have been Italian in a previous life!) xx
I finally just got Ms. Dahl's Voluptuous Delights from the library. YIPPIE!!
I've got this book, too. It's a great read. Now I want to read John Dickie's book on the Mafia.
Sounds like a brilliant way to spend time to me.
I hope to make the book you mention a gift for a member of my family.
thanks for sharing this.
x robyn
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