Pizzapedia: An Illustrated Guide to Everyone's Favorite Food

by Dan Bransfield

Pizzapedia celebrates all there is to fixate about: the stories behind its origin (we have the ancient Greeks to thank before the Italians); the ingredients, from San Marzano tomatoes to buffalo mozzarella; the failed and the famous inventions (like "the pizza saver," the piece of plastic that prevents a pizza delivery box top from drooping into the pie); the merits of Sicilian vs. New York vs. Chicago vs. new (Detroit?!) styles; and much more. Like the universally beloved food, this art-driven book of miscellany is inviting, colorful, and a delicious gift to give and get.

Genres: Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Graphic Novels, Food Writing

128 pages, Hardcover

Published April 3, 2018

Reviews

[Allison Riding Larsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delish and delightful

[Ryan Fohl · Rating 4 out of 5]

A little table book with some info, but its main focus is the delicious water colors of the pizza world. The art work is pretty stellar. Some of it is funny too. This book whets one’s appetite for more culinary history and for pizza. I’m considering a trip to Old Forge Pennsylvania just to try the pizza.

What I learned: Chicago style dough has cornmeal and lard or butter in it. The dough can be any thickness. “Pepperoni” is an American term. Italy does not make that much beef sausage. And in Italian “pepperoni” is the plural for bell pepper. “Marinara” is Italian for “in the style of the sailors”. “Pesto” is about crushing and is etymologically related to the word “pestle.” Xavier university got America’s first pizza vending machine in 2016.

[Aasinathena · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pizza is everyone's favorite ! or its a must at some point in anyone's life ! And after this I have found next coffee table book dedicated to pizza ! Such a small book and epic-ly illustrated,this is the story(history+everything pizza-associated) of a pizza in 122 pages !

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast and fun read. Makes you hungry while teaching you some fun, interesting facts about the food we all love

[Jeanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything you’ve always wanted to know about pizza with beautiful watercolor illustrations.

[Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

A delightful and quirky book that is what it says on the cover: An illustrated guide to everyone's favorite food. Author Bransfield takes us on a journey of art and fun pizza facts.

He starts off with a personal anecdote and then looks at pizza. The history, the ingredients, the different styles in the United States, the role it has played in some pop culture such as the concept of pizza parlors and how it has changed over the years. We also look at the toppings plus some anecdotes involving pizza, such as when a delivery crew may have saved a regular customer's life because they hadn't heard from him in several days.

That's pretty much it. The book doesn't pretend to be anything more or less. It's not an academic treatise or in-depth history book (but he cites his sources if one is interested). There are also no recipes as it's not a cookbook. I enjoyed the colorful art and illustrations, though.

Ideally I would have preferred this had been available at my library since it's $16 but I didn't mind getting it as a bargain book. I wouldn't purchase it to keep but for the right person it could certainly be a good gift for fun.

[Sonia Schoenfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

A look at the history of pizza and its many varieties. A quick read, and fun to have sitting around for a quick skim through a few pages at a time. I was impressed by the graphics, that the author could paint a few squiggles and make them look so much like pizza. By the end of this book, I was ready to order out.

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even better than I expected, this has so much more information about pizza than I realized existed! Be warned: reading this really makes you hungry.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This could totally be the pizza withdrawal this month but... this book was adorable. I loved the illustrations! I loved that I had connections to a lot of the places in here! I mean... it’s pizza... what’s not to love? ❤️🍕

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful illustrations and a fun read. One question, though - who includes baking soda in their pizza dough?

[wildct2003 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Entertaining history of and facts about pizza.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun illustrated (not with photos) guide to pizza and its history. Touches of humor in the text and illustrations. Even mentions Chuck E. Cheese!

[Cook Memorial Public Library · Rating 4 out of 5]

Recommended by Sonia. Check our catalog: https://encore.cooklib.org/iii/encore...

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating. And now I need pizza.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! From start to finish, this was a delightfully informative read with a generous helping of fun.

[Jon Hewelt · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations make me want to bump this up to 4 stars, but I wish the contents of the book were more substantial.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yum! I want Pizza now.

[Kbg503 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful watercolor.

[Paige Etheridge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pizza in the morning

[James Bowman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little book all about pizza. Not a lot of substance, but a useful overview with pretty pictures. Be warned, though, you may crave a slice or two before you're done... (B)