Al Dente: The Adventures of a Gastronome in Italy

William Black (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Like Anthony Bourdain's A Cook's Tour, Black's travel memoir shows its author following his stomach from one place to another in search of tasty adventures and exceptional foods. Black-who works in England as a food purveyor and cookbook co-author with his wife, Sophie Grigson (Organic: A New Way of Eating)-journeys to Italy in search of further gastronomic enlightenment. He eats his way through its small towns and fishing villages, visiting Turin and Stromboli, Pisa and Naples, and many points in between. In Canale, for instance, Black joins truffle expert Stefano Grosso and his truffle hound, Toby, in a hunt for the elusive fungus. In Comacchio, he gazes at the impressive selection of eels-"grilled eels, smoked eels, marinated eels, fat eels, eels long and short"-that appear to be "beckoning voluptuously from their tins and jars." In Rome, he eats zucchini flowers stuffed with breadcrumbs and anchovies, and in Sicily he encounters penne served in a creamy pistachio sauce. Unlike Bourdain, however, whose swashbuckling observations and experiences reflect his American sensibilities, Black is decidedly British. His humor oscillates between incongruous juxtaposition and dry wit. Describing Toby the truffle dog, for example, he remarks that "unlike me he had a fine tail and wagged a lot." In another chapter he declares that the notoriously reserved British "have only fairly recently managed to get into the idea of social kissing and handshaking and saying good morning." Black's prose also has a certain formality, a stiffness in tone, that takes some getting used to. Anglophiles may enjoy these traits, however, and others may overlook them in favor of the author's engaging culinary travelogue, and the book's inclusion of many odd and unusual recipes.
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Review

“An engaging culinary travelogue with many odd and unusual recipes.” -- Publishers Weekly

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Product Details

• Paperback: 289 pages
• Publisher: Transworld Publishers (July 4, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0552999989
• ISBN-13: 978-0552999984
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 4.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,595,358 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nice, nice book!, December 31, 2004

By	Sabad One - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Al Dente (Paperback)

I purchased this book while spending half a day at Gatwick airport, on my way back to Italy, after losing my connection... This is a lovely book, and I think the editorial review posted on Amazon's web site is a bit ungenerous. It is truly a very "English" book, but I don't see why that's supposed to be a problem. It is interesting and witty, and, more importantly, the author really understands Italians, and their attitude towards food. I am Italian, and it's not so common to find someone who can deal with our love for food in a joking but at the same time very very respectful way. We may be a "bit" obsessed with food, but just see (better, taste) what the results of this obsession are! Black knows about food and cooking, and for his attitude towards them he definitely deserves an honorary Italian citizenship.
Part of the book also deals with Italian history, and it does so in a interesting way. Indeed, one important thread of the book is the author's search for information on Mazzini and the Rosselli brothers, as before starting his journey he discovered to be related to the Rossellis (on his mother's side).
If you plan to visit Italy, and if you love food, you should read this book first, especially if you are going to visit some of the places toured by Black. Just consider that, unfortunately but understandably, not all of Italy is covered here, and there are some important "culinary places" that you will not find in this book, notably most of Tuscany and Emilia Romagna. You will find, instead, Piemonte (Turin, and Alba and her Truffles), Sicily, Sardinia, a small bit of Rome, Comacchio (a small small plsce hidden in the fog, famous for the eel), Amalfi and Naples, Livorno and Genoa, and a few other places that I don't remember. Anyway, I highly recommend this book, and I am surprised it's didn't have any success in the US!