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A Short History of Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce (Hardback)
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A Short History of Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce (Hardback)

(author), (translator)
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£10.99
Hardback 128 Pages
Published: 23/09/2021
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THE MYTHS SURROUNDING THE WORLD’S FAVOURITE DISH, DEBUNKED

Did Marco Polo bring pasta back from China, or is that a myth?
How did the Neapolitan “macharoni” turn into the ubiquitous spaghetti?
Is it even an Italian dish? 

Hundreds of shapes and thousands of recipes give expression to the culture and products of the country’s regions. But spaghetti with tomato sauce remains Italy’s identity dish par excellence. 

Massimo Montanari goes in search of the dish’s true origins, tracing its history along the multiple, intricate routes taken by its raw ingredients to merge and become a distinctive element of culinary tradition.

It took almost two thousand years and input from the Far East, the Arabic world, and the Americas, for the dish to take centre stage. Its development is the result of chance encounters, unplanned exchanges, and unpredictable intersections. As we dig in search of spaghetti’s origins, we find its strands wrap right around the world.

“Learned and entertaining.”–Il Giornale

Publisher: Europa Editions (UK) Ltd
ISBN: 9781787703285
Number of pages: 128
Dimensions: 210 x 135 mm


MEDIA REVIEWS

“When I tell you that I would travel far for a good ragu, you’ll appreciate why I also devoured Massimo Montanari’s A Short History of Spaghetti With Tomato Sauce, an anatomy of a culture on a plate, and delicious with it." - The Guardian

“Disentangling the serpentine strands of the story can be complicated, like working your way through a mound of spaghetti, but Montanari provides a focused overview. Although compact, the book is stuffed with rich ideas.” - The TLS

"Food historian Montanari reflect[s] on the meaning of roots, identities, and origins in this illuminating examination of one of the world’s most famous culinary pairings. While this scholarly treatise may be better suited for those with big appetites for knowledge, it’s full of delicious details." - Publisher's Weekly

"A very entertaining account of the cultural significance and history of the Italian dish... a fun, knowledgeable and well written book." - NB Magazine

“Cultural historian Montanari has deconstructed pasta’s history and come up with some surprising data.... [His] research will delight readers and provide plenty of fodder for dinner-table discussion.” - Booklist

“Delightful….a brief and hugely entertaining read.” - Buzz Magazine

"An utterly fascinating discourse on food history." - The Daily Beast

"Montanari traces the unstoppable rise of what would become the most famous dish in the whole world." - Robinson

"A learned and entertaining volume." - Il Giornale

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“Fascinating look into the coming together of one of the world's favourite dishes”

My thanks to Europa Editions and NetGalley for a review copy of this book.

A Short History of Spaghetti and Tomato Sauce is a short, readable, interesting and well-researched account of how Italy’s most iconic dish,... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 7

“It is a quick and interesting read that never feels like a slog or an effort to get through.”

Thanks to Europa Compass for the advanced copy of this title in return for an honest review.

I love pasta - who doesn’t? I will eat it wherever I am, but nothing compares to eating proper Italian pasta on the... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 6

“A tasty little history lesson”

This concise book explores the much beloved dish of spaghetti with tomato sauce. Written by Massimo Montanari a food and cultural historian , this short tome takes the reader on a fascinating historical journey of the... More

Hardback edition
Helpful? Upvote 6

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