“Even though man can draw all he needs in the way of nourishment from a mere handful of seeds and fruit, he must not give up a proper meal.” — Enrico Alliata
A major re-discovery: an authentic and complete guide to vegetarian Italian cuisine …
First published in 1930, The Duke’s Table is a massive compendium of vegetarian recipes from Italy and throughout the Mediterranean.
The brainchild of Enrico Alliata, the Duke of Salaparuta, a utopian gourmand and winemaker, the book contains 1,030 recipes. Though much Italian fare is organically vegetarian, Alliata worked for decades to systematically re-imagine classic Italian dishes without using meat, creating a timeless encyclopedic reference work for vegetarians.
Alliata, who wrote against the “dietary orthodoxy of the day,” was a vocal advocate for a vegetarian diet, which he believed, much in advance of early dietitians, led to a longer, healthier life. Much like The Silver Spoon (first published in Italy in 1950, and in the U.S. in 2005), the book is unique in its scope and scale: its recipes are imaginative, playful and healthy—and all designed for family-style serving.
“A fascinating book for Italian food lovers.” —the Chicago Tribune
”The Duke was…[a] visionary… His ambitious book takes classic Italian dishes and translates them into meatless versions.” —Meg Wolitzer, selecting The Duke’s Table as one of 5 Hidden Gems of the summer on NPR
”Impressive in its variety and breadth.” —La Culcina Italiana
”[One of] ”this spring’s standout vegetable-inspired cookbooks…a fascinating and fresh spin on Italian food.” —Publisher’s Weekly