Why Italians Love to Talk About Food

by Kostioukovitch, Elena; Appel, Anne Milano; Eco, Umberto; Field, Carol

• ISBN13: 9780374532536
• ISBN10: 0374532532
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-11-23
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

Summary

Italians love to talk about food. The aroma of a simmeringragu, the bouquet of a local wine, the remembrance of a past meal: Italians discuss these details as naturally as we talk about politics or sports, and often with the same flared tempers. InWhy ItaliansLove to Talk About Food, Elena Kostioukovitch explores the phenomenon that first struck her as a newcomer to Italy: the Italian "culinary code," or way of talking about food. Along the way, she captures the fierce local pride that gives Italian cuisine its remarkable diversity. To come to know Italian food is to discover the differences of taste, language, and attitude that separate a Sicilian from a Piedmontese or a Venetian from a Sardinian. Try tasting Piedmontesebagna cauda, then a Lombardcassoela, then lambala Romana: each is part of a unique culinary tradition. In this learned, charming, and entertaining narrative, Kostioukovitch takes us on a journey through one of the world's richest and most adored food cultures. Organized according to region and colorfully designed with illustrations, maps, menus, and glossaries,Why Italians Love to Talk About Foodwill allow any reader to become as versed in the ways of Italian cooking as the most seasoned of chefs. Food lovers, history buffs, and gourmands alike will savor this exceptional celebration of Italy's culinary gifts.

Author Biography

Elena Kostioukovitch was born in Kiev in 1958, studied in Russia, and moved to Italy in 1988. She is an essayist, translator, and literary agent. Her 1988 translation of Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose was a literary sensation in Russia and led to a longtime collaboration with Eco. Since 1988, she has been the editor of the Russian series for Bompiani/RCS Publishers, and, since 1996, of a series from Edizioni Frassinelli. She isthe recipient of numerous prizes, including the Welcome Prize (2006), given by the Russian National Association of Restaurateurs. In 2006 Kostioukovitch published Perche agli Italiani piaci parlare del cibo (Why Italians Love to Talk About Food). A bestseller in Italy and Russia, the book received the Bancarella della Cucina award and the Chiavari Literary Award in 2007. Kostioukovitch lives with her husband and two children in Milan.

Table of Contents

Map	p. ix
Foreword	p. xi
Foreword	p. xv
Preface	p. xix
Friuli Venezia Giulia	p. 3
The Sagra	p. 12
Veneto and the City of Venice	p. 17
Olive Oil	p. 29
Trentino Alto Adige	p. 34
Pilgrims	p. 41
Lombaray	p. 46
Slow Food	p. 63
Valle d'Aosta	p. 71
Jews	p. 78
Piedmont	p. 85
Risotto	p. 101
Liguria	p. 106
The Early Gifts from the Americas	p. 117
Emilia Romagna	p. 123
Calendar	p. 143
Tuscany	p. 159
Pasta	p. 178
Umbria	p. 189
Preparation Methods	p. 195
The Marches	p. 201
The Later Gifts from America	p. 208
Lazio and the City of Rome	p. 215
The Mediterranean Diet	p. 232
Abruzzo and Molise	p. 245
Democracy	p. 256
Campania and the City of Naples	p. 265
Ingredients	p. 274
Puglia	p. 280
Eros	p. 292
Basilicata	p. 301
Restaurants	p. 305
Calabria	p. 317
Pizza	p. 325
Sicily	p. 332
Totalitarianism	p. 350
Sardinia	p. 358
Joy	p. 370
Cooking Methods for Meat, Fish, Eggs, and Vegetables	p. 381
Sauces and Gravies for Pasta	p. 383
Pairings of Pasta Shapes and Sauces	p. 385
Notes	p. 395
Author's Bibliography	p. 405
Translator's Bibliography	p. 425
Acknowledgments	p. 429
Index	p. 433
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