Garlic and Oil : Politics and Food in Italy

"Pasta, cappuccino, olive oil Italian food culture is a prominent feature of Western society in our cafes, restaurants and homes. But what is the history of Italian cuisine? And where do we get our notions about Italian food? Garlic and Oil is the first comprehensive history of food habits in modern Italy. Chronicling the period from the mid-nineteenth century to the present day, the author argues that politics dramatically affected the nature of Italian cuisine and food habits. Contrary to popular belief, the Italian diet was inadequate and unchanging for many decades. Drawing on the writings of scientific professionals, domestic economists, government officials, and consumers, the author shows how the miserable diet of so many Italians became the subject of political debate and eventually, the target of government intervention. As successive regimes liberal, fascist, democratic struggled with the question of how to improve peoples eating habits, their actions purposefully and inadvertently affected what and how much Italians ate, shaping not only the foundations of Italian cuisine, but also the nature of Italian identity. Garlic and Oil is a popular national food history that offers a new perspective on the history of consumerism and food studies by examining how political change affects food consumption habits."--Bloomsbury Publishing.
Pasta, cappuccino, olive oil--Italian food is a favorite in our cafes, restaurants and homes. But what is the history of Italian cuisine? And where do we get our notions about Italian food? Contrary to popular belief, the Italian diet was inadequate and unchanging for many decades. Successive political regimes--liberal, fascist, democratic--struggled to improve eating habits, shaping not only Italian cuisine but Italian identity. This book reveals the harsh reality behind the myths surrounding this highly-romanticized cuisine.
Contents Acknowledgements Introduction 1 Unification through Monotony, Italy 1861–1914 2 The Great War and the Rise of State Intervention, Italy 1915–1922 3 The Cooking of Consent, Italy 1922–1935 4 Austerity and Decline, Italy 1935–1945 5 The Challenge of Abundance, Italy 1945–1960 Conclusion: A Cuisine of Scarcity Epilogue: Food in Italy Today Notes Bibliography Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Z