Red Sauce

How Italian Food Became American

By: Ian MacAllen

Narrated by: Paul Bellantoni

Length: 7 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

In Red Sauce, Ian MacAllen traces the evolution of traditional Italian-American cuisine, often referred to as "red sauce Italian," from its origins in Italy to its transformation in America into a new, distinct cuisine. It is a fascinating social and culinary history exploring the integration of red sauce food into mainstream America alongside the blending of Italian immigrant otherness into a national American identity. The story follows the small parlor restaurants immigrants launched from their homes to large, popular destinations, and eventually to commodified fast food and casual dining restaurants.

Drawing on inspiration from Southern Italian cuisine, early Italian immigrants to America developed new recipes and modified old ones. Ethnic Italians invented dishes like lobster fra Diavolo, spaghetti and meatballs, and veal parmigiana, and popularized foods like pizza and baked lasagna that had once been seen as foreign. Eventually, the classic red-checkered-table-cloth Italian restaurant would be replaced by a new idea of what it means for food to be Italian, even as "red sauce" became entrenched in American culture. This book looks at how and why these foods became part of the national American diet, and focuses on the stories, myths, and facts behind classic (and some not so classic) dishes within Italian-American cuisine.

©2022 Ian MacAllen (P)2022 Tantor

Appreciate the narrators dedication

I really appreciated the narrator’s dedication to pronunciation. It’s an important detail that gets overlooked.

Interesting book and great performance

I have been getting into more non-fiction titles lately, especially about cooking and food. This book tells the story of how red sauce Italian and Italian-American cuisine has evolved from the original wave of immigrants to the US all the way to the “authentic’ chain restaurants. I grew up on the famous little Italy style spaghetti, lasagna, pizza, and eggplant parm, so I found the story fascinating. The narrator has an engaging voice and pronounces the Italian names and terms like a native. This was a very enjoyable audiobook all around.