The food of Rome and its region, Lazio, is redolent of herbs, olive oil, ricotta, lamb, and pork. It is the food of ordinary, frugal people, yet it is a very modern cuisine in that it gives pride of place to the essential flavors of its ingredients. In this only English-language book to encompass the entire region, the award-winning author of Encyclopedia of Pasta, Oretta Zanini De Vita, offers a substantial and complex social history of Rome and Lazio through the story of its food. Including more than 250 authentic, easy-to-follow recipes, the author leads readers on an exhilarating journey from antiquity through the Middle Ages to the mid-twentieth century.

Foreword by Ernesto Di Renzo Translator's Preface by Maureen B. Fant Acknowledgments Introduction The Agrarian Landscape of the Campagna Romana The Tiber and Fish in Popular Cooking Water and Aqueducts Mills on the Tiber: Bread and Pasta in Rome Rome and Its Gardens Sheep, Shepherds, and the Pastoral Kitchen Roads and Taverns Fairs and Markets Roman Carnival The Jewish Kitchen of the Roman Ghetto The Papal Table Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli, Poet of the Roman Kitchen Hollywood on the Tiber Traditional Sweets Olives Etruscan Lands: Viterbo and Tuscia Sabina, Land of Olive Trees and Hill Towns From the Castelli to the Ciociaria Buffalo Country: The Pontine Marshes Coastal Lazio and the Sea RecipesThoughts on the Interpretation of Italian Recipes Primi piatti . First Courses Secondi piatti . Main Dishes Verdure e legumi . Vegetables and Legumes Sfizi . Savories Condimenti . Sauces and Condiments Dolci . Sweets Glossary of Terms and Ingredients Notes General Index Recipe Index