The Food of Italy: A Culinary Guidebook

by Waverley Root

In this thoroughly comprehensive, utterly captivating culinary guidebook, acclaimed food writer Waverley Root traverses Italy from Lombardy to Sicily, and across 3,000 years of invasions. An exhaustive catalog of the country’s gastronomic legacy, The Food of Italy explains the regional delicacies, the traditions, and the history that define the way Italians eat.

From the legally enforced frugality of the Renaissance table to the enduring Saracen luxury of Sicilian desserts, from the lasagna of Bologna to the saltimbocca of Rome, Root explores the secrets and customs of a cuisine so nuanced that even the basic ragu Bolognese has some two hundred variations.

A culinary adventurer who made his mark decades before Anthony Bourdain appeared on the scene, Root shares the stories of an elephant forced to spend the winter of 1551 in the South Tyrol and the dishes named after him, the proper way to bottle Chianti, and the mysteries surrounding the origin of tortellini. Essential reading for travelers—of the armchair and ticketed variety, alike— The Food of Italy, which features decorative maps (that may not be legible for all readers) and illustrations, brings the subtleties of the Italian palate into any home.

Genres: Food, History, Italy, Cooking, Nonfiction, Food Writing, Cookbooks

768 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1971

About the author

Waverley Lewis Root (April 15, 1903, in Providence, Rhode Island – October 31, 1982 in Paris) was an American journalist and writer. Root authored the classic The Food of Italy on Italy and its regional cuisines.

Root was a news correspondent for over 30 years; in 1969 he retired from daily journalism. He was the Paris correspondent for the Chicago Tribune and then The Washington Post. He was also a columnist for the International Herald Tribune.

His books and writings focused on food, and yet mingled culinary details of the regions he wrote about with historic facts, and literary references. [wikipedia]

Reviews

[Leftbanker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this is almost as much fun as eating. I got my recipe for mussel soup (Zuppa di cozze) from this guy and I have been making it for years and years. I would love to read this book again but it is stored away back in the States somewhere. I think I also picked up my recipe for tomato sauce from Mr. Root.

I write a lot about the food of Spain and I would love to expand it into a book some day. One thing that I have learned about living in Europe is to respect food. It isn't something just to stuff into your fat gob to fulfill a caloric requirement. People here even take the time to decant a bag of potato chips into a bowl for presentation. And it's not about buying some yuppie ingredients that cost a fortune; it's about taking the time to care about what you are making. We have to eat every day so you may as well make the best of it.

[Patrick O'Connell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My suspicion is that you have to love food and history to love this book. It is a long book and I keep picking it up and putting it down, but never stop enjoying reading it.

We may call it ciappino, but every region of Italy seems to have its own version of fish stew.

Did you know that the Roman Army survived on a diet of Polenta? But then it was made from wheat, not corn.

[🐴 🍖]

read over multiple months exclusively on sunday mornings which this was basically the ideal book for. lot more raisins in play than i woulda guessed

[Hubert · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tour-de-force. I wouldn't recommend anyone read it the way I did, which is over seven years, cover to cover. Chapters are organized by region or province, so you start with the more central regions, move to the more mountainous in the north, and then end up circling back around to the islands of Sicily and Sardinia.

Each chapter contains some historical information, then more info about geography, flora and fauna; and then moving onto the dishes of the region, and then the wines of the region. The best writing includes some anecdote or legend or story (usually some linguistic transformation is involved as well).

It's not the easiest reading and is more of a prosaic encyclopedia of Italian foods, but it's otherwise an thorough document of Italian foods of all types. Definitely a classic for food and culture afficionados.

[Chris Cangiano · Rating 4 out of 5]

An in-depth looking at Italian food, wine and cooking from a historical, cultural and regional perspective. Well written, though I might suggest that some of his opinions seem a bit dated, still well worth a read if you want some perspective on what gets eaten in different areas of Italy and why it gets eaten the way that it does.

[Rebecca Wilkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well researched. More than you ever want to know about food in Italy. A great bedtime read.

[Jerome Baladad · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is kinda long read, actually, especially if you're not fond of, nor familiar with technical aspects of cooking. But really, I learned a lot from it (particularly about sausages, hams, cheeses, wines). It's a great introduction to Italian history and culture, more than anything else.

[Mark · Rating 5 out of 5]

always reading and re-reading. never stopping. never wanting to.

[Tomixaroma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very well written and as interesting as his book about eating in France. Although a few things he got wrong, but that's ok for an American writing about such a difficult topic...