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Sunday, August 22, 2010

Summer Time is Reading Time

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:

Terra said...

I am sure from what you wrote here that my dh and I would enjoy this book, so I wrote down the title.

Angie Ledbetter said...

Ah, books! Aren't they a gift?

Unknown said...

I need to keep an eye out for this book!

Brian Miller said...

nice. might check this out...just got back from the bookstore...

Rachel Cotterill said...

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.

Ann Best said...

The book sounds absolutely delicious!

Michael said...

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.

Maggie May said...

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

What About The Girl? said...

Oh. But I am always hungry! :-)

yaya said...

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!

Alexandra MacVean said...

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

Rob-bear said...

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!

rjerdee said...

"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.

Arkansas Patti said...

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.

NitWit1 said...

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.

Unknown said...

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.

Rosaria Williams said...

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.

Fragrant Liar said...

Sounds luscious!

Jo said...

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.

Granny Annie said...

As our weather finally cools, the idea of reading a book outside under the shade of a big tree sounds very enticing.

Unknown said...

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

Relyn Lawson said...

I finally just got Ms. Dahl's Voluptuous Delights from the library. YIPPIE!!

Welshcakes Limoncello said...

I've got this book, too. It's a great read. Now I want to read John Dickie's book on the Mafia.

xxx said...

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