A pretty academic little book that manages to be full of interesting information anyway. I enjoyed learning about the development of pasta consumption in historic Italy, and the busting of myths, such as Marco Polo supposedly introducing pasta from China (spoiler alert. You can't introduce something that's already in use.)

Definitely not a lively book. Don't read it unless you're sure you can focus and won't fall asleep. But if you do pay attention, you'll be rewarded with some interesting gastronomic history.

Thank you to #NetGalley and Europa for an advance copy of #AShortHistoryofSpaghettiwithTomatoSauce

Massimo Montanari's "A Short History of Spaghetti with Tomato Sauce" transcends the boundaries of a simple culinary tale. In this intellectually stimulating essay, Montanari skillfully dismantles the myth of origins, asserting that true understanding emerges from the dynamic interplay of encounters and exchanges over time.

The author's ability to turn a seemingly narrow investigation into a broader reflection on identity is nothing short of brilliant. He masterfully weaves together the threads of history, taking readers on a journey from Asia to America, from Africa to Europe, and from the dawn of agriculture to the 20th century. Through the lens of spaghetti, Montanari illuminates how our identities are intricately connected to diverse cultures, peoples, and traditions.

Thank you to the publishers and NetGalley for the opportunity to review a temporary digital ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found the subject matter really interesting. The book was well written and easy to understand. I highly recommend this book.

The title is very alluring, but perhaps misleading. Most readers picking this up will not be satisfied by the content that follows (too academic for most)

I thought I would enjoy this book more than I did. It was very text heavy with minimal illustrations. I would recommend this to anyone that really likes history and nonfiction, but not to people who are fans of cooking books.

[Review of uncorrected page proofs]
This would have been a one-sitting read had I not been interrupted (pesky work). It truly is a "short history"-roughly 76 pages of text and 8 pages of end notes. Yes, end notes. But, fear not, dear reader! When Montanari began by using words like roots, origins, and identity, I thought the humble noodle was having an existential crisis. Nope! This delightful little book was fascinating, illuminating, enlightening, and it made me want to cook (2-hour pasta layered with grated cheese, sugar, and cinnamon just for kicks). I was reminded of things I'd forgotten (tomatoes aren't indigenous to Europe) and learned things I didn't know (some Italians had never eaten pasta until they emigrated to the U.S.). If you care even a tiny bit about maccheroni and cheese (we're spelling it that way from now on), you need to give this a read. I find myself astonished to be purchasing a book with end notes as a light-hearted Christmas gift and yet, here I am! I love this book like I love lasagna!

I love pasta. Like, could (and sometimes do) eat it every day kind of love. So, this book was right up my alley. It’s a quick read, but manages to trace this history of the classic Italian dinner across centuries - from humble beginnings as an overcooked side dish to an iconic meal that defines an entire country and cuisine.

I found Montanari’s investigation fascinating, especially his focus on the social and economic context in which this dish was created. I love learning the origins of things, but love even more when those origins are complicated.
With the holiday season right around the corner, I think this would make the perfect gift for the chefs and/or the pasta lovers in your life!

Word of warning: it will make you desperately crave a bowl of pasta.

This short book contains some of the history behind Italy's staple dish of spaghetti with tomato sauce. It also contains a brief overview of Basil, cheese used in the dish, garlic, onion and chili powder. I feel like it was a very sophisticated piece of writing and I had to reread some of it to retain the meaning. It was a challenging read, but fascinating.
I enjoyed learning how pasta got to Italy and some of the mythology behind how it came to be. Some think Marco Polo brought it over, some think it was made by sailors because it could be preserved during travel, some think it was a Chinese export to Italy. I found this part to be riveting.
I liked how this was organized and how it briefly went into the ingredients for the pasta dish. I didn't know that Italy mostly had white sauce in the Medieval Ages and it evolved to red sauce. For other fun facts about pasta, Italy and this signature dish, pick up this slim book of history!

Quite an interesting and informative read! This begins with a deep discussion on the origin of food, the influence of time, ingredients available, recipes and culture. Then granular details on how each ingredient contributes to the underlying recipe.

It moves on to the origin and evolution of pasta, which interestingly, is similar to bread, with comments about the European and Mediterranean influences, and comparisons to China with similar but divergent processes.

The author goes through great detail into the start of noodles, likely lasagna, with its Mediterranean roots and Islamic influence. By the 12th century, pasta evolved into dried pasta being sold in the market, with conflicting origins, though Sicily and Sardinia contributing greatly in their own right.

The subsoil and culture allowed growth of pasta throughout Italy, with filled pasta being the next common. This had Spanish influence, tortelli and tortellini coming from torte (dinner pastry). Then discussion on the beginnings of macaroni, and ultimately spaghetti.

Long discussion is made on how the historical sauce is white, from cheese, oils and spices. As Spanish conquerors brought tomatoes from South America to the Mediterranean region, tomatoes made themselves known in the Italian world and tomato sauce evolved to what it is known today.

This was quite an interesting read, with a great blend of history, culture, gastronomy and food history. I learned a lot about pasta, Italy, Mediterranean cultures and other influences of the times. I highly recommend.

The cover of this book, coupled with the interesting title, is delightful. Based on this and the summary provided, I was under the impression the content would be a bit different. As I imagined it, this book would have been a bit less academic in the sense of its depth and detailed nature. I wasn't really gripped from the get go, so it was a difficult choice to continue the read. I think however despite this opinion, the book was well researched and has an interesting premise. I do not discount the book's contents due to my interest level in them.

This is an interesting little book filled with a lot of historical details regarding pasta. And while it was interesting to read, it felt more like I was reading someone’s thesis on food or language history than reading a book.

I was hoping it would be a little more fun. Instead it was a bunch of very dry, very short chapters. Too choppy.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.

So this really was a short history of spaghetti and tomato sauce, and some various things that go along with such a dish. I wouldn't call this "light" reading, despite being short though. In fact, I'd say this was written more to an academic standard (which makes sense, the author is a professor), than for a casual reader.

With that tone in mind, the book delves into various parts and histories of the makeup of a plate of spaghetti and tomato sauce. The shaping of the ingredients; ancient noodle making, cooking methods for those noodles, the advent of dropping it into salted water. It touches on the utensils used to eat the dish (very brief telling of the origin of the fork). And of course the evolution from what used to be put on noodles, to how tomatoes became the ingredient of choice.

It was interesting, albeit brief, and that academic spin did make it a bit more intense to read than some of the other food histories I've read out there. But because of that briefness it was approachable from that regard. Care was given to the histories and the ingredients and my favorite part was learning about lasagna and some of the origins that overlapped there.

If you're deep into the studies of food history, this is one you're not going to want to miss!

Review by M. Reynard 2021

I always enjoy learning about the origins of food and drinks that are usually taken for granted. In my childhood, spaghetti and tomato sauce was served once a week, without fail. It was one of those 'budget stretcher' dinners that most mid-century American middle-class families relied on. To this day, it's a comfort meal that I enjoy very much. My knowledge of the origins of this dish were limited to "Marco Polo discovered pasta" and "People thought tomatoes were poisonous until some brave person ate one and then everyone did."

This book debunks both those notions, and many more. They are replaced with an elegantly told, richly embellished, thoroughly researched history lesson that will open your eyes about the origins of pasta, and how tomatoes finally lost their bad reputation.

Don't be put off when I say that author Massimo Montanari untangles the strands of spaghetti's history in an academic research paper style, complete with the required abundance of footnotes. Hard-core history buffs will appreciate that he's cited his references, but the more casual, curious reader shouldn't feel compelled to scrutinize them. Just read, and enjoy all the historical details and trivia bits as they reveal themselves. Plus, there's the bonus of knowing there will be no final exam when you're done!

My thanks to author Massimo Montanari, Europa Editions, and NetGalley for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

Montanari has crafted a clear and frankly quite fun encapsulation of how identities do not occur in a vacuum, and rather are the results of usually a complex blend of different origination points and influences. However, if such wider discussions aren’t at all up one’s alley, then you need not fear. I admittedly often forgot about the author's wider point unless he explicitly mentioned it because I was honestly just so happily caught up in learning about the history of a pasta dish that today is often thought of as one of the most quintessential and purely Italian of foods, but wouldn't even be were it not for a wide assortment of complex cross-cultural exchanges and international connections.

This was a fun read, once it got going! It's not an exact origin story of Spaghetti with tomato sauce, but an interesting tale none the less, It traces the history of the ingredients, more than the actual meal itself, which I found amusing as it went along. Foodie will enjoy this book,