How Italian Food Conquered the World by John Mariani
Have you ever wondered how the world ended up with so many “Italian” restaurants with red-and-white-checkered tablecloths and a spaghetti and meatballs special when that snapshot simply doesn’t exist in Italy? Then this is the book for you.
Alternatively, even if you’ve never really thought about that question before but are now interested in the answer, I also recommend this book for you.
In How Italian Food Conquered the World, Esquire magazine food and wine critic John Mariani takes us from Venetian trade routes for spices to peasant kitchens to Michelin restaurants as he traces the journey Itailan food has made over the past several centuries. Mariani meticulously covers the historical, sociological, political, and Hollywood-themed factors that have shaped what the world has come to know as Italian cuisine.
Note that although the title refers to “the world,” the focus is most definitely on the United States with only brief mentions of other places around the world. Staying true to his food critic roots, Mariani focuses heavily on the Italian (upscale) restaurant scene in the United States, and in New York City and California in particular. While I understand the significance of documenting changes in Italian cuisine in such restaurants, I personally would have loved to learn more about how ordinary people and more “mom and pop” restaurants through the United States are also going back to Italian cuisine’s peasant roots — thanks in no small part to cooking websites, magazines, and television shows.
On that note, I especially enjoyed the first half of the book, which discussed the earliest origins of Italian food dating back to Greek, Arabic, and other influences as well as Italian immigrants’ contributions. Overall, Mariani’s research is thorough, his presentation engaging, and I’d highly recommend this book to anyone curious about the history and evolution of what “Italian food” has come to mean outside of Italy.
One criticism not for the author but for the publishing house: as seems to be the theme with books about Italy or Italian food published outside Italy, there were quite a few misspelled Italian words. If you’ve read my reviews in the past, you know this is a pet peeve of mine, and I’m sorry I had to bring it up yet again, but there you have it. In case any publishing houses are reading this, please find a native Italian speaker with a good eye for detail to proofread — or short of that, someone anal like me who also happens to speak Italian.
For more on this book and the author’s experiences in writing it, be sure to check out his interview on the Eye on Italy podcast, which I co-host.
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3 Beans of Wisdom to “How Italian Food Conquered the World by John Mariani”
Recipes
oooh, the Italish again! the book sounded good until i read about that part. I get irritated when i hear ‘a panini’ so maybe i’ll have to give this book a pass.
I don’t think the mistakes actually outweigh the value of the book — one that I remember was “insalata di caprese” instead of simply “insalata caprese,” so it’s really just little things…but since once I see one, I’m then looking for them, I see more and more, you know? Anyway, I still recommend the book 🙂
Good review, Michelle. And, yes, I agree on Italian speaking editors!
One other criticism of this book is that it feels as though it was put together quickly, that is to say, the content doesn’t have any flow and the reader gets the sense that the author was just trying to cram in as many “fun facts”, as possible. Our review is here: http://www.scordo.com/2012/02/how-italian-food-conquered-the-world-john-mariani.html
michelle Reply:
March 26th, 2012 at 6:34 pm
Thanks for sharing, Vince!