Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty-Five Centuries of Sicilian Food

by Mary Taylor Simeti

Overview

This gem is more than just a cookbook. Walk through history with Pomp and Sustenance author Mary Taylor Simeti as she shares the secrets and eccentricities of Sicilian cuisine. Straddling the East and West, Christian and Muslim, land and sea, this Mediterranean island is a place of unique convergence. Nowhere is cultural convergence more evident than in Sicily's regional culinary traditions and food culture. Simeti narrates this centuries-long journey, with wit and humor, making this historical cookbook a joy to own and use.
More than just history, Pomp and Sustenance is filled with wonderful recipes. impressive in their style, scope, and authenticity. There are chapters dedicated to street food, convent food, and the peasant's food, giving the reader a taste of the diversity of ingredients and cooking methods found on the Island. Sure to be a favorite for anyone who truly savors Sicilian food, culture, and history.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781635617658
Publisher:	Echo Point Books & Media
Publication date:	01/17/2019
Edition description:	Reprint ed.
Pages:	350
Sales rank:	924,159
Product dimensions:	6.14(w) x 9.21(h) x 0.78(d)

Table of Contents

Preface

ONE: Of Ancient Abundance, Epic Appetites

TWO: The Gardens of Paradise

THREE: The Staff of Life . . .

FOUR: . . . And the Stuff of Dreams

FIVE: Princes, Priests, and Not So Humble Friars

SIX: Virgins’ Breasts, Chancellor’s Buttocks, and Other Convent Delicacies

SEVEN: Street Fare

EIGHT: I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream for Ice Cream

Appendix: A Few Suggestions About Eating in Sicily Today

Bibliography

Index

Editorial Reviews

"In the noble traditions of food writing established by Elizabeth David combining an accurate understanding of history, a deep sensitivity to foreign cultures, and an unerring and almost instinctive sense of what makes good food and what makes good food and what makes food good." --The New York Times
"An enchantingly erudite gastronomical explanation of Sicily's fraught history . . . Simeti will not only give you food for thought but will tell you how to make it. . . . She is a very natural writer and an indefatigable history busybody with a spectacular eye for revelatory and confirmative quotations. . . . A wonderful book." --Gourmet Magazine
"There are recipes here at all levels of culinary commitment, from a quick, summary pasta with swordfish and mint to an elaborate Sicilian lasagna." --Newsday

From the Publisher

Sicily's rich peasant heritage is celebrated in culinary terms; street foods, convent confections and ice cream are among the delectables surveyed. ``Simeti writes exquisitely of the foods of Odysseus and the cult of Aphrodite, of capers `trailing long sprays of coin-shaped leaves,' '' said PW. ``Classic recipes are presented as meticulously as historical data.'' Illustrated. (May)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

From the author of On Persephone's Island (Knopf, 1986), this is a delightful mix of culinary and social history, with mouth-watering Sicilian recipes included as an added bonus. Simeti begins with the classical era (with Odysseus himself, and a recipe for fava bean soup) and concludes with a chapter on Sicily's special ice creams and gelati; her wit and pleasing style make her observations on food, eating habits, and culture as addictive as some of the dishes she describes. Unusual, and strongly recommended.

Library Journal