Delizia! (The Hungry Student) - Tapa dura

'Wide-ranging ... Dickie writes interestingly about the twists and contradictions of Italian food' -- Times Literary Supplement 'Full of fascinating detail' -- Independent 'Much profitable reading is in store. A clever and provoking account of Italy's history ... informs as well as enlightens' -- Guardian 'Important' -- Observer 'Lots of books are written with passion about Italian food, precious few backed up with the deep historical background here presented in allegro con brio style by a clear-headed historian who rubbishes some too persistent myths and replaces them factual narratives no less fascinating.' -- The Times 'Mouthwatering ... like lunch in the green hills above Lake Como or dinner at the horseshoe bays of Sardinia, his book is sheer pleasure' -- Financial Times 'great entertainment' -- Scotsman

Everyone loves Italian food. But how did the Italians come to eat so well? The advertising industry tells us the answer lies in the vineyards and olive groves of Tuscany - among sun-weathered peasants, and mammas serving pasta under the pergola Yet this nostalgic fantasy has little to do with the real history of Italian cuisine. Because Italian food is city food. And telling its story means telling the story of the Italians as a people of city dwellers. For a thousand years, Italy's cities have been magnets for everything that makes for great eating: ingredients, talent, money, and power. In DELIZIA! the author of the acclaimed COSA NOSTRA takes a revelatory historical journey through the flavours of Italy's cities. From the bustle of Medieval Milan, to the bombast of Fascist Rome; from the pleasure gardens of Renaissance Ferrara, to the putrid alleyways of nineteenth-century Naples. In rich slices of urban life, DELIZIA! shows how violence and intrigue, as well as taste and creativity, went to make the world's favourite cuisine. With its mix of vivid story-telling, ground-breaking research and shrewd analysis, John Dickie's DELIZIA! is as appetising as the dishes it describes.