Proteins, Pathologies and Politics presents an international and historical approach to dietary change and health, contrasting current concerns with how issues such as diabetes, cancer, vitamins, sugar and fat, and food allergies were perceived in the 19th and 20th centuries. Though what we eat and what we shouldn't eat has become a topic of increased scrutiny in the current century, the link between dietary innovation and health/disease is not a new one. From new fads in foodstuf...

A chronicle of the beloved base ingredient, from its origins, agricultural riches, and controversy to the passion, pride, and nostalgia it inspires today.Over time, the tomato has embodied a range of values and meanings. From its domestication in Central America, it has traveled back and forth across the Atlantic, powering a story of aspiration and growth, agriculture and industry, class and identity, and global transition. In this entertaining, organic history, Da...

Italy, like the rest of Europe, owes a lot to the 'Columbian exchange'. As a result of this process, in addition to potatoes, Europe acquired maize, tomatoes and most types of beans. All are basic elements of European diet and cookery today. The international importance of the potato today as the world's most cultivated vegetable highlights its place in the Columbian exchange.While the history of the potato in the United States, Ireland, Britain and other parts of northern Europe i...

This open access book explores the history of pellagra, a vitamin deficiency disease brought about by a shift in agriculture to maize, and which was first identified in Italy in the 1760s. With a focus on the insanity that was caused by the disease, the authors examine how thousands of patients were treated in Italian psychiatric asylums, shedding light on the sufferer’s point of view. Setting pellagrous insanity in a wider context of man-made or societal (anthropogenic) disease, where pov...

The village of Campodimele in the Aurunci Mountains has been called'the village of eternity' by World Health Organisation scientists,after a study revealed the astonishing longevity of its inhabitants.The average life expectancy of Campodimelani men is 90, compared to theEuropean average of 74, while women live to an average age of 86compared to their European counterparts' 80.Notonly do the villagers live to an extraordinary age, they also...

Italy’s tumultuous history can be traced through its food. In an epic scooter trip from the Ionian Sea to the far north, distiguished food writer Matthew Fort explores the local gastronomy and culinary culture of a country where regional differences are vibrantly alive.In no other country is food so much a part of everyday life as it is in Italy. Matthew Fort's plan is a simple one: to travel by scooter from Melito di Porto Salvo – the southernmost town in Italy and where Garibaldi...

From one of America's most beloved chefs and authors, a road trip into the heart of Italian American cooking today—from Chicago deep-dish pizza to the Bronx's eggplant parm—celebrating the communities that redefined what we know as Italian food.As she explores this utterly delectable and distinctive cuisine, Lidia shows us that every kitchen is different, every Italian community distinct, and little clues are buried in each dish: the Sicilian-style semolina bread a...

Featuring 140 mouthwatering new recipes, a gastronomic journey of the Italian regions that have inspired and informed Lidia Bastianich's legendary cooking.For the home cook and the armchair traveler alike, Lidia's Italy offers a short introduction to ten regions of Italy—from Piemonte to Puglia—with commentary on nearby cultural treasures by Lidia's daughter Tanya, an art historian.· In Istria, now part of Croatia, where Lidia grew up, she forages ...

"Italian Cibaria" contains a brief history of Italy, common Italian dishes, food by region, typical courses in an Italian meal, pasta types, ravioli, wine and cheese, pizza history, traditions, authentic Italian recipes, slang and food terms, and resources for further study. "Italian Cibaria" is Book #21 in Food Fare's Culinary Collection. Recipes in "Italian Cibaria" are also freely available at the Food Fare web site.DID YOU KNOW? The term "Cibaria" is defined as "to feed" or "to...

**Winner of the International Association of Culinary Association (IACP) AwardThe indispensable cookbook for genuine Italian sauces and the traditional pasta shapes that go with them.**Pasta is so universally popular in the United States that it can justifiably be called an American food. This book makes the case for keeping it Italian with recipes for sauces and soups as cooked in Italian homes today. There are authentic versions of such favorites as carbonara, bolognese, ...

First published in 1891, Pellegrino Artusi's La scienza in cucina e l'arte di mangier bene has come to be recognized as the most significant Italian cookbook of modern times. It was reprinted thirteen times and had sold more than 52,000 copies in the years before Artusi's death in 1910, with the number of recipes growing from 475 to 790. And while this figure has not changed, the book has consistently remained in print.Although Artusi was himself of the upper classes and i...

Several years ago, on a break between theatrical gigs in Alabama, Mark traveled to Italy and fell in love with the people, food and culture. Armed with just enough courage, minimal Italian language skills, and a certain proficiency in the kitchen, he enrolled in a full-immersion cooking and language program. He would travel to Viterbo, Italy and live with an Italian family.His teachers were beyond his wildest dreams-he learned to cook from the grandmother, or Nonna, of the family, ...