The popularity of Italian food all over the world is ever increasing. Unhampered by any sense of superiority, and unburdened by the weight of a great classical tradition, Italians cook and eat in the ways they have known and trusted for generations, absorbing new influences while cultivating and maintaining a distinct and esteemed gastronomic tradition. Lovers of Italy, the Italian people, and their cuisine, from the general ravioli revering public to those with specialist skills and interests, will welcome this new A-Z reference. The Companion consists of a short introduction followed by entries covering a range of topics such as the universal appeal of Italian gastronomy, influences from outside Italy, dishes, ingredients, delicacies, obscure terms, cooking methods and implements, regional specialties, personalities, books and writers, and history. This is an inspirational work providing an even blend of history, practical information, quotation, and anecdote.

Reviews

Widely praised by leading Italian chefs and including a foreword by Mario Batali, this A-to-Z guide to Italian food and culture includes more than 900 articles on everything from medieval cookbooks and Italian food in Renaissance painting to the latest cooking methods and regional delicacies. The content is engaging and appetizing and is equally enthralling whether discussing history or flavor, as it provides answers to questions great and small about all things Italian. The book is organized alphabetically, but its content is also accessible by subject, which include art and culture; baked goods; biographies; cheese and milk products; culinary terms; drinks and beverages; fish and seafood; fruits, vegetables, and nuts; herbs, spices, and condiments; history and society; meat and meat products; pasta and rice; prepared food and dishes; preparing, serving, and eating; regional cuisine; and sweets and confectionary. While photos are scattered throughout, more care could have been given to the book's visual presentation with the inclusion of additional images as well as sidebars, favorite recipes, and perhaps a color insert. Nevertheless, the book will delight readers and meets its goal of providing browsing pleasure. The author clearly shares her passion for food, having written many books on food and art, including Renaissance Recipes and A Feast for the Eyes. BOTTOM LINE The first in Oxford's new "Regional Food Companion" series, this title makes an excellent companion to Italian cookbooks such as Everyday Italian or Molto Italiano. Recommended for all libraries with specialties in Italian culture and cooking. [Available electronically through Oxford Digital Reference Shelf.]--Kathleen A. Welton, Chicago Copyright 2008 Reed Business Information.

"Italian Food shouldn't remain on the shelf; instead, it should be savored."--Chicago Tribune
"Exhaustive."--Saveur Top Ten Reads
"Italian food buffs on your list may welcome a mini-encyclopedia that turns out to be almost an anti-encyclopedia: Gillian Riley's determinedly personal, quirky, wide-ranging The Oxford Companion to Italian Food."--Anne Mendelson, The New York Times
"Food historian and gastronome Gillian Riley's witty, expansive compendium deftly deconstructs everything from antipasto ("benign titillation of the palate with only a few delicacies") to zeppole ("overkill can be achieved with a filling of custard")."--Bon Appetit
"A magisterial (recipe-less) book that anyone even mildly interested in the subject must own....encourages you to read entry after entry for the pleasure of learning marvelous oddments about the obscure and the familiar."--The Atlantic
"[Riley is] a good, spunky writer who really knows what she's talking about...a master of the pithy