Bite-Sized History of Italy

Danielle Callegari is an associate professor of Italian at Dartmouth College, where she specializes in medieval Italian literature and transhistorical food and beverage studies. Since 2022 she has been a writer at large for Wine Enthusiast, where she reviews the wines of Tuscany and southern Italy. She is also the Communications Director for the Dante Society of America and co-host of Gola, a podcast dedicated to Italian food and beverage culture. In addition to her many contributions to academic and trade publications, she is the author of Dante’s Gluttons (Amsterdam University Press) and A Bite-Sized History of Italy (The New Press). She resides between Hanover, New Hampshire, and Rome, Italy.

Praise for A Bite-Sized History of Italy:“Combining thorough history with evocative food writing, Callegari delivers an informative and energetic exploration of cuisine as a cipher for both tradition and change. Italophiles will devour this.”—Publishers Weekly“A Bite-Sized History of Italy turns the peninsula’s culinary mythology inside out, revealing the messy, hilarious, and profound ways Italians have used food to explain themselves for millennia. Callegari’s storytelling is sharp, generous, and unafraid to pry open the past to show how culture is cooked into every bite.”—Katie Parla, New York Times bestselling author and author of Rome: A Culinary History, Cookbook, and Field Guide to the Flavors that Built a City“A Bite-Sized History of Italy is as engaging as it is erudite, and it returns Italian cooking squarely to where it belongs, as an integral, even foundational part of Italy’s rich and unique culture.”—David Wondrich, James Beard Award–winning cocktail historian and author “Think you know Italian food? Think again. With the wit and wisdom that defines Dr. Callegari’s lectures and writing, the professor gives a master class in these pages, bringing a freshness rivaled only by a recently filled cannolo to Italy’s well-traveled food stories. She orients readers with historical and cultural context for the creation of beloved dishes (and some that are lesser known, too), and dazzles by delivering gems of humanity and humor along the way. This book is a delight that bridges ancient traditions with today’s tables, and satisfies not just a hunger for history and nuggets of wisdom, but connection and community.”—Stef Ferrari, award-winning and James Beard Award–nominated producer and author of Stuzzichini “Danielle Callegari reminds us that Italian identity and Italian cuisine are inseparable, and that to understand one we must understand the other. This book wanders through the stories of writers, cooks, princes, and popes to trace that bond. At its core lies a simple truth: Food is never just food, but memory, myth, and the thread that ties one generation to the next. The only way to read this book is with appetite, curiosity, and gratitude.”—Fabrizia Lanza, director of Anna Tasca Lanza Cooking School and author of The Food of Sicily “Brava Danielle, may our food always be with us and may its history make us aware of the richness we have.”—Dario Cecchini, world-renowned butcher and owner of Cecchini “Ranging from the Roman Empire to the present, this book is divided into twenty short chapters, savory ‘bites’ of fascinating stories about Italian food creations, scandals, and obsessions. Marvelous, and painlessly informative.”—Paul Freedman, professor, historian, and author of Ten Restaurants That Changed America“In A Bite-Sized History of Italy, Danielle Callegari serves up a brilliant and delectable narrative in which culinary pleasure meets rigorous scholarship, revealing how the making of Italy has always unfolded at the table—through empire, faith, conflict, and the irresistible power of pasta.”—Simone Cinotto, professor of modern history, Università di Scienze Gastronomiche, and author of Soft Soil, Black Grapes“Callegari serves up staples of Italian cuisine and so much more in this delightful journey through the peninsula’s food history.”—Kirkus Reviews“A riveting and fascinating book that traces Italian history through its cuisine.”—Library Journal