Pomp and Sustenance: Twenty-Five Centuries of Sicilian Food

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Description: Pomp and Sustenance is a celebration of one of the oldest, most varied, and best-loved cuisines of Europe, at once frugal and extravagant, robustly simple yet often handsomely ornate. For twenty-five centuries the people of Sicily have been creating what is perhaps the basic cuisine of Europe -- on the beautiful island in the heart of the Mediterranean, poised between West and East and between Europe and Africa, blessed with fertile soil and a beneficent climate. 

Mary Taylor Simeti surveys the bounty of the Sicilian table and of Sicilian history, weaving the two together in a wonderfully appetizing presentation not only of everyday Sicilian fare but also of the sweet and savory treats reserved for holidays and special occasions. 

Beginning with the oldest and most elemental components in the Sicilian diet, she gives us authoritative and appealing recipes as well as evocations of the dishes' origins: from the simple glories of vine, olive, and wheat to the culinary innovations of Arab and Norman invaders; from the plain but mouth-watering dishes prepared by peasants in the Middle Ages to the ritual luxuries of Sicily's aristocracy; from the succulent delicacies prepared in monasteries and convents for the lay public to the street-food pleasures that have become favorites all over the world. 

This is a book to cook from, a book to read, a book that delights the eye. 

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Condition: Good condition.