Garlic and Oil: Food and Politics in Italy

by Carol Helstosky

Pasta, cappuccino, olive oil Italian food culture is a prominent feature of Western society in our cafes, restaurants and homes. But what is the history of Italian cuisine? And where do we get our notions about Italian food? Garlic and Oil is the first comprehensive history of food habits in modern Italy. Chronicling the period from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, the author argues that politics dramatically affected the nature of Italian cuisine and food habits. Contrary to popular belief, the Italian diet was inadequate and unchanging for many decades. Drawing on the writings of scientific professionals, domestic economists, government officials, and consumers, the author shows how the miserable diet of so many Italians became the subject of political debate and eventually, the target of government intervention. As successive regimes liberal, fascist, democratic struggled with the question of how to improve peoples eating habits, their actions purposefully and inadvertently affected what and how much Italians ate, shaping not only the foundations of Italian cuisine, but also the nature of Italian identity. Garlic and Oil is a popular national food history that offers a new perspective on the history of consumerism and food studies by examining how political change affects food consumption habits.

Genres: Nonfiction, Food

256 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2004

Reviews

[echo]

lowkey I will be reading anything however I think the book is rather confused with its audience and this reflects on the organization of the paragraphs in which it frequently falls into repetition and so far I haven't seen in depth treatment of the subject matter. I would have preferred far more direct quotations but maybe that's just me

[Tara Brabazon · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book and a remarkable discovery. I have always adored books that take something small and read a huge historical narrative through it. Carol Helstosky has demonstrated the ability to read the historical arc of Italian history - which is complex and intricate in and of itself - through food and particularly food consumption.

This monograph offers a powerful discussion of the role, success and failure of state intervention in food consumption. There is attention to regionality, nationalism and - in the epilogue - the slow food 'movement.'

I found the entire book and project superb. It was well written, paced and structured. I note that there are two reviews on GoodReads that refer to this book as 'dry' and 'scholarly.' Dear dear me...

This is an intelligent, well shaped, well crafted and fascinating book. If scholarly means effectively paced and considered, then it is scholarly. But Garlic & Oil is scholarship at its best. Read it. It is excellent.

[Bruno de Maremma · Rating 1 out of 5]

Reads like a 1st year university textbook. Boring presentation. Skip it.