Tuckahoe author discusses hHistory of Italian food(1)

TUCKAHOE, N.Y.  -- Pizza really was invented in Italy, Marco Polo did not bring macaroni back from his travels to China and there was not so much as a single tomato plant in Italy until the 17th century.

These are just a few of the facts author John Mariani has in his book  “How Italian Food Conquered the World.”

Mariani, who has lived on Henry Street in Tuckahoe since 1979, visited the Tuckahoe Library Monday morning to discuss his research. 

In addition to having published four books, Mariani has worked as a food and wine critic for Esquire magazine and as a wine critic for Bloomberg News.

His latest book traces the evolution of Italian food and how you can find a high-end Italian restaurant almost anywhere in the world, including India, China and Japan.

Italian Americans who live in Tuckahoe would barely recognize the Italian food from long ago.

“The Romans ate sort of a gruel, some lentils, water, bread, very little meat and a small amount of vegetables,” Mariani said.

Mariani described Italy as a “plate of soup surrounded by too many spoons,” noting that the many conquerors of Italy influenced what the people ate.

“There is some evidence that macaroni comes from a Northern African dish,” Mariani said.

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