Product 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 Meditteranean.

Beginning with the oldest and most elementary components in the Sicilian diet, Mary Taylor Simeti surveys the bounty of the Sicilian table and Sicilian history. Simeti provides authentic 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 aritocracy; from the succulent delicacies made in monasteries and covents to the street-food pleasures that have become favorites all over the world.

With more than 100 photographs and illustrations, this comprehensive volume is a book to cook from, a book to read, and a book to treasure as a testament to one of the finest cuisines in the world.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #125854 in Books
• Published on: 1989-09-09
• Released on: 1989-09-09
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 336 pages

From Publishers Weekly
While restoring her husband's family farmhouse in Sicily during the 1970s, American-born longtime Sicily resident Simeti ( On Persephone's Island ) discovered the "very ancient past"--specifically, culinary--of peasant culture in a maritime land. "Bookish browsing" led her "far afield" to an "eccentric vision of food" unveiled in this chronicle of the island's rich heritage, bequeathed by invaders, exacted by the hunger of the poor and marked by the aristocracy's "ability to transform the extraordinary" and make it their own. In a lighter tone, the expatriate celebrates street food, convent confections and ice cream--adored by Sicilians and descended from a sort of ur-sherbet ("sarbat") made by the Saracens. Simeti writes exquisitely of the foods of Odysseus and the cult of Aphrodite, of capers "trailing long sprays of coin-shaped leaves." Cups and tablespoons may appear foreign at such moments, but classic recipes are presented as meticulously as historical data. Readers may be moved to follow the example of Alexis of Tarentum, who in the fourth century B.C. "learnt to cook so well in Sicily" that he caused "banqueters to bite . . . the plates for joy." Illustrated.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal
From the author of On Persephone's Island (Knopf, 1986), this is a delightful mix of culinary and social history, with mouth-watering Sicilian recipes included as an added bonus. Simeti begins with the classical era (with Odysseus himself, and a recipe for fava bean soup) and concludes with a chapter on Sicily's special ice creams and gelati; her wit and pleasing style make her observations on food, eating habits, and culture as addictive as some of the dishes she describes. Unusual, and strongly recommended.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review
Ms. Simeti's study of 25 centuries of Sicilian cooking is one of the finest of its kind; an enthusiastic cook's cookbook and then far more. -- The Economist, 24 October 1998

[T]he best of many fine works on Sicilian cooking is Mary Taylor Simeti's "Pomp and Sustenance"....Simeti knows how to give culinary history a human face....A wealth of black and white pictures (including dozens of beautiful historical engravings and drawings) lights up these somberly handsome pages. -- Anne Mendelson, Gourmet, September 1998

Customer Reviews

A Sicilian Treasure
As the Daughter of Sicilian Imigrants, I am naturally cautious of books that claim to be about a culture I know well and the land I think of as my second home. This book is wonderful! It has the rich history of Sicily interspersed with Recipies that are as my own mother made them. The real thing! It is written with great fondness of the Island and of its people. My father, of 88 enjoyed the book also.. saying that much of the history is how he remembers it from tales told to him by my great and great great grandparents. My advise is .. If you love Sicily, the history culture and food.. this book is a must have. It is a joyous work that Simeti has crafted well! My thanks to her!

Don't read this on an empty stomach!
I bought this book after reading Julia Child's glowing review of it... Ms. Simeti's narrative is engaging and witty, and most recipes are easy enough for a beginner to follow with great success. My favorite is the recipe for Caponata (Sweet & Sour Eggplant). The narrative is beautifully complemented by the prints and artwork used throughout and it is truly difficult to set this book down without first becoming ravenous.

A true Treasure
I found this book years ago in a vendor book sale...At the time I never imagined what a real treasure I had found. Being of Sicilian heritage I found that many of the recipes handed down to me came from way back into the 11th century. That along with all of the wonderful stories made me realize that my grandmothers left me with such a rich treasure. All the stories blended to gether with the history in the book. It made me so proud to be of Sicilian heritage...
My grandmothers left me the richest treasure of all...Love, Great Food and a wonderful sense of worth.