9781422277447

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Introduction

king—food was the very center of life. Centuries after theRenaissance, when Italians began moving away from the country looking for better opportunities, they took a few lira , some changes of clothes, andmaybe

a jar of tomatoes or a bottle of olive oil carefully packed among their belongings. They could not take all of Italy with them, but they could take a taste that would bring them back to its sunny fields, no matter where they landed.