The Oxford Companion to Italian Food

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.

Gillian Riley

Gillian Riley's interest in Italian food and culture began when she was working as a freelance photographer making frequent trips to Italy. Since becoming a food historian she has written many books on food in art such as Renaissance Recipes (1993), and Impressionistic Picnics (1993) and is the author of A Feast for the Eyes, the National Gallery Cookbook. Gillian contributes regularly to the Oxford Food Symposium.

"A compelling reference book." - Taste Italia.

"Get cozy on the sofa with the new 'Oxford Companion to Italian Food'." - The London Paper. Gillian Riley.

"The research meticulous, the scholarship exacting, and the writing pure pleasure....There's a wealth of information here and it's easy to spend hours browsing the entries...This book is for those who like their facts peppered with wit, and their knowledge seasoned with good humour." - Time Out.

"Riley is a food historian, photographer, amateur of art history, frighteningly knowledgable and charmingly opinionated." - Paul Levy, Observer

"a grand buffet of curious delights... essential browsing for the serious Italo-foodie." - John Dickie, The Guardian

"solid, erudite and carefully constructed... reliable but entertaining and often humorous" - Regina Sexton, Irish Examiner

"A stupendous addition to the literature of the table... quirky, opinionated, fresh-thinking, but deeply scholarly." - Elisabeth Luard, The Scotsman

"Devotees of the best cuisine in the world should snap up The Oxford Companion to Italian Food." - Christopher Hirst, The Independent

"Erudite, witty and stuffed with gems... reading matter comes no better." - Daily Telegraph

"Erudite, engaging and captivating: an indispensable guide for Italophiles, food lovers and the greedily curious." - Nigella Lawson

"This is an awe-inspiring, wide-ranging and fascinating scholarly work that has been written with love and wit. It must be the definitive reference book about Italian food." - Claudia Roden

"a lively new addition to the family begat by Alan Davidson...a compendium that managed to pack, miraculously, all essential information into a single volume." - Elisabeth Luard, Literary Review

"A fascinating and addictive read." - Heston Blumenthal

"Handsome, inspirational and indispensable." - Paul Levy

"Depth of research and the editor's original mind make this confident A-Z as entertaining as it is erudite. And witty too: fun to read on a cold day at the start of a northern winter. Don't wait for the paperback: this is a book to treasure between hard covers." - Elisabeth Luard, Literary review