Why read How Italian Food Conquered the World?

Book cover of How Italian Food Conquered the World

Book description

Not so long ago, Italian food was regarded as a poor man's gruel - little more than pizza, macaroni with sauce, and red wines in a box. Here, John Mariani shows how the Italian immigrants to America created, through perseverance and sheer necessity, an Italian-American food culture, and how it…

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Why read it?

1 author picked How Italian Food Conquered the World as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Ian MacAllen

Author

Food inspired by the traditions of Italy are well known around the world, and Mariani examines how the nation had an outsized impact on global food culture. Once considered an unsophisticated cuisine better known for macaroni or pizza, Mariani argues Italian food has since displaced French cuisine as the quintessential example of haute dining culture. His discussion of Italian food history largely centers how it disseminated globally. He discusses Italian American foods, but as part of the whole rather than as a distinct cuisine onto itself.

From Ian's list on when you’re hungering for history.