Information:
- Delizia! The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food, by John Dickie.
- From Dwyer’s Bookstore, Noosa.
I’m pretty sure I’ve read and enjoyed John Dickie’s earlier book on the Mafia, so this one caught my eye.
The central idea is that Italian food is city food; and that the whole rhetorical vision of well-fed peasant families (naturally led by a smiling Nonna) used to promote “mediterranean” cuisine is mostly mythological… and that the real story is more interesting.
And it is.
The book is full of interesting stories… but for me, although pretty absorbing, it still somehow failed to present an entirely coherent whole. It’s light enough reading that this isn’t a huge problem though, and I’d recommend it.
In fact it was exactly the book I needed while on holiday the other week, and I can also recommend Dwyer’s Bookstore for anyone stuck for an interesting read while in Noosa.
