This was a fun read about the history of Italian food in America and how it truly differs from Italian food in Italy. I enjoyed the author's lighthearted tone which made this easy and quick to read. I did find myself wishing it went deeper into historical trends or stories. Perhaps a sequel will be forthcoming!

An interesting microhistory about the ubiquitous "red sauce" of Italian American cuisine. MacAllen has written a thoroughly researched and entertaining book about one of the most popular styles of food in the US, and why it is so far from actual Italian fare. He examines everything from the (in)authenticity of the Olive Garden to the phenomenon of pizza, through the lens of the Italian immigrant experience over the last two centuries. An appendix includes some recipe comparisons from early Italian to contemporary American.

This book will appeal to home cooks, history lovers, and anyone who enjoys a good nonfiction microhistory.

First of all, I loved the cover!
If you like Italian food and red-checked tablecloths you will be interested in reading about the Italian immigrants and the dishes that became so well known in America.

I love a good food history! It really traced how the dishes we think of as “Italian” in the US are really Italian American and how they became that well. An food story and a story of immigrants. Well researched but still engaging.

A tasty little history of the evolution of red sauce and its companion pasta told through recipes, and the stories of Italians as they spread over the world and how Italians that came to America changed their gravy and returned to their ancestral homeland and the rest of the world to help flavour some of our favourite dishes.

I knew a very kind, smart, salt of the earth type guy who once told me a story of how he went to Italy and left hungry because the food was so different than expected and he found he didn’t like any of it. Turns out that while he thought Italian food was his favorite, so much so that it inspired his trip, his actual favorite wasn’t Italian food at all, but Italian American food. He told me he went chasing authentic spaghetti and meatballs and veal parmigiana, not realizing that those dishes are authentically American. As such, he could’ve found the authenticity he was seeking in his local Italian joint complete with red gingham tablecloths and straw wrapped Chianti, decor of which also doesn’t exist in Italy.

If only this book had been around back then, he could’ve read it and been more prepared. Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American by Ian MacAllen offers an informative and entertaining Tour of Italy, a playful yet thoughtful, well-researched examination of the culinary and social history of Italian American food and culture. Sometimes nonfiction can be a little dry, but I found that I didn’t want to put this book down. Not only was it interesting, which I expected, but I also felt warm feelings of nostalgia, which I didn’t expect. I’m not Italian or Italian American, but I did grow up in the 90s when sit-down, casual Italian American restaurants were in their heyday, and when me and my middle-class family used to consider them a fancy night out. Many a birthday dinner was spent at the Olive Garden. Nothing compares to those breadsticks, which, I’ve recently learned, aren’t even especially Italian.

In Red Sauce, MacAllen has delivered an impressive, nuanced history of Italian American cuisine, written with tenderness, wit, and joy. I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned with friends over some eggplant parmigiana or lobster fra diavolo, and highly recommend this book for people who are interested in approachable and engaging nonfiction.

Red Sauce is an incredibly informative and comprehensive account of Italians immigrating to America and the cuisine that has evolved significantly to the point of becoming nearly unrecognizable. It's a blend of cultural history and food history that leans a tad dry at points (totally unavoidable!) but never fails to be fascinating and memorable. MacAllen meticulously breaks down notable elements of Italian cuisine - red sauce, pasta's long history, etc - as well as beloved dishes both old and invented.

It's an intriguing, educational read if you love learning about cultures and food history!

For those that think Olive Garden is close to authentic Italian food, read this, listen to the audiobook, tape it to the inside of your eyelids. You won't think ever about that monstrosity again after reading this.

This is an extensively deep dive into the history of Italian red sauce- its origins, how the making has changed, the different types and spices used. It's also a history of pasta in the same vein. Highly recommended for Italian foodies and cooks.

Red sauce joints - we’ve all been there. Imagine oversized portions of pasta, red and white checked tablecloths, bottles of wine wrapped in straw or twine, and carafes of house red on every table. You’re smiling. You already know what I’m talking about. An Irish immigrant who was raised on potatoes, I looked forward to the ‘once in a blue moon’ opportunity for a family dinner at The Spaghetti Factory downtown. You don’t need to have eaten here to know exactly what it was like. Every town has its own version of a red sauce restaurant. What made them so popular? Why are they still in existence today?

I married into an Italian family who, in addition to making their own pasta, frequently referred to “spaghetti sauce” as “red sauce” or “red gravy.” I’ve always been curious about the reason behind their word choice and was thankful for an opportunity to read Ian MacAllen’s story. Before I even started reading, the eye-catching cover evoked memories of my childhood dining experiences.

MacAllen shares that red sauce refers to the tomato-based cuisine developed in the USA by immigrants who drew on the cooking traditions of southern Italy. He tells about Italian food arriving in the USA with the Italian immigrant and how our favourite red sauce recipes evolved into American staples. He clearly emphasizes that American red sauce cuisine is influenced by the traditions of Italian immigrants, but it is not Italian food.

I was interested in learning:
1. Why the Olive Garden doesn’t salt thier pasta water
2. How Chef Ettore Boiardi became famous
3. Why pasta water is added to tomato sauce
4. How an orphan working in the Cardinal’s kitchen was an inventor of tomato sauce
5. How the tomato is such a large part of Italian cuisine despite it not being cultivated there until recently

I was fascinated with the stories, myths and facts behind the classic dishes we find in our Italian-American cuisine and how the author believes the pandemic will affect the ‘red sauce cuisine.’ The information flows like a conversation, it's clearly well-researched, and every fact is backed up in an extensive endnote list.

Italians and foodies will appreciate the in-depth knowledge the author shares about pasta and tomato sauce.

I was gifted this advance copy by Ian Mac Allen, Rowman & Littlefield, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.