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Delizia!

The Epic History of the Italians and Their Food

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Delizia!

By: John Dickie
Narrated by: Simon Vance
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About this listen

Buon appetito! Everyone loves Italian food. But how did the Italians come to eat so well?

The answer lies amid the vibrant beauty of Italy's historic cities. For a thousand years, they have been magnets for everything that makes for great eating: ingredients, talent, money, and power. Italian food is city food.

Delizia! is much more than a history of Italian food. It is a history of Italy told through the flavors and character of its cities.

A dynamic chronicle that is full of surprises, Delizia! draws back the curtain on much that was unknown about Italian food and exposes the long-held canards. It interprets the ancient Arabic map that tells of pasta's true origins, and shows that Marco Polo did not introduce spaghetti to the Italians, as is often thought, but did have a big influence on making pasta a part of the American diet. Most important, it explains the origins and growth of the world's greatest urban food culture.

With its delectable mix of vivid storytelling, groundbreaking research, and shrewd analysis, Delizia! is as appetizing as the dishes it describes.

©2008 John Dickie (P)2023 Tantor Cooking Food & Wine Gastronomy
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Interesting subject, well written and brilliantly narrated. I don’t usually leave reviews but couldn’t help myself with this one. Highly recommended.

Brilliant!

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Dickie is a rare combination of forensic historian and engaging raconteur, who weaves a compelling and often surprising account of Italy’s civilisation of the table. The narrator is also excellent and made the book very easy to digest in audio form.

A thoroughly researched story, expertly told

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