Why Italians Love to Talk about Food February 9, 2010

The Italian Cultural Institute of San Francisco is proud to present Elena Kostioukovitch’s award-winning "Why Italians Love to Talk about Food". With a preface by Umberto Eco, the book is a fascinating mix of history, culture, language and cuisine.

To illustrate the synergy of these elements, “Why Italians…” presents chapters on each of Italy’s 20 very diverse regions, alternating with chapters on general themes such as olive oil, Slow Food, the Mediterranean diet, etc.

This is not a recipe book, but a kind of gastronomic-cultural guide: moving from north to south down the peninsula, Kostioukovitch shows how each region’s traditional cuisine and local specialties have been informed by its culture and history, its exposure to foreign influences, its geography and landscape, its topography and climate, its social customs and attitudes, its religious canons, its politics and economy, and more.

As the author puts it, food is a common language which crosses the most diverse social and economic strata. In the end it is Kostioukovitch’s love for Italy itself, even more so than its food, that is her muse and inspiration. Lively and entertaining in its approach, the book’s extensive bibliography shows the range of research – culinary, historical, literary, and so on – on which it soundly rests.

The book will be presented by the author. Opening remarks by Carol Field and Anne Milano Appel (translator).