Encyclopedia of Pasta
Spaghetti, gnocchi, tagliatellea, ravioli, vincisgrassi, strascinati—pasta in its myriad forms has been a staple of the Mediterranean diet longer than bread. This beautiful volume is the first book to provide a complete history of pasta in Italy, telling its long story via the extravagant variety of shapes it takes and the even greater abundance of names by which it is known. Food scholar Oretta Zanini De Vita traveled to every corner of her native Italy, recording oral histories, delving...
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"This is an amazing and deeply valuable work of culinary scholarship—an anthropology of Italian pasta that is also a major contribution to Italian cultural history. Maureen Fant's fine translation does complete justice to Oretta Zanini's scrupulously detailed and lovingly presented compendium. I defy anyone to read this book and not want immediately to board a plane for Italy."—Nancy Harmon Jenkins, author of Cucina del Sole and The Essential Mediterranean"This handsome book will be the authority for settling bets about the history of pasta. Every ambitious cook will covet these authentic and exciting entries."—Paul Levy, co-author of The Official Foodie Handbook and Out to Lunch"Zanini's singular achievement in this book has been to shine a light into every Italian kitchen where a different kind of pasta is made, entertaining us with pertinent historical anecdotes, instructing us with explicit details and techniques, and making us powerfully hungry."—Victor Hazan, author of Italian Wine Library Journal This is the first book to provide a complete history of pasta in Italy, showcasing more than 300 types of pasta—from bucatini and gnocchetti to tortellini and ziti. More than 100 lovely line illustrations and drawings bring the subject to life. Also included is a bibliography, a glossary of pasta names, and a general index. Each entry is nicely displayed in a box and includes an overview of each pasta type: the primary ingredients, preparation techniques, the different names for each kind of pasta, how it is served, the region where it is found, and the author's remarks. Besides its comprehensiveness, the great strength of this book is the research that went into compiling it. Zanini De Vita is a leading Italian food critic and author of The Food of Rome and Lazio: History, Folklore, and Recipes. Her passion for the subject shines through on every page. BOTTOM LINE This wonderful resource is destined to become the definitive book on pasta. It succeeds both as a scholarly achievement and as an entertaining and authentic overview of Italian history and geography. An excellent companion to the pasta recipe books and valuable for all serious collectors of cookbooks and Italian history.—Kathleen A. Welton, Chicago
Foreword, by Carol Field Preface to the English-Language Edition, by Oretta Zanini De Vita Translator's Preface, by Maureen B. Fant Voyage in the Pasta Universe: The Reasons for This Research, by Oretta Zanini De Vita Introduction to the First Italian Edition, by Corrado Barberis Traditional Italian Pasta Shapes A to Z Glossary Notes Bibliography Index
\ From the Publisher"This wonderful resource is destined to become the definitive book on pasta. " Starred Review—Library Journal\ "The world of pasta is bewilderingly huge, so we're thrilled with this new, authoritative work, by one of Italy's leading food scholars."—Saveur\ "We needed this book. . . Answers all the questions about pasta. . . Ad many more you never thought to ask."—Gambero Rosso\ \ \ \ \ \ Library JournalThis is the first book to provide a complete history of pasta in Italy, showcasing more than 300 types of pasta—from bucatini and gnocchetti to tortellini and ziti. More than 100 lovely line illustrations and drawings bring the subject to life. Also included is a bibliography, a glossary of pasta names, and a general index. Each entry is nicely displayed in a box and includes an overview of each pasta type: the primary ingredients, preparation techniques, the different names for each kind of pasta, how it is served, the region where it is found, and the author's remarks. Besides its comprehensiveness, the great strength of this book is the research that went into compiling it. Zanini De Vita is a leading Italian food critic and author of The Food of Rome and Lazio: History, Folklore, and Recipes. Her passion for the subject shines through on every page. BOTTOM LINE This wonderful resource is destined to become the definitive book on pasta. It succeeds both as a scholarly achievement and as an entertaining and authentic overview of Italian history and geography. An excellent companion to the pasta recipe books and valuable for all serious collectors of cookbooks and Italian history.—Kathleen A. Welton, Chicago\ \
