World Book Day, Uber Eats & Book Tasting

Uber Eats introduces ‘Taste of Books’ initiative

What would the greats of Italian literature have ordered as fast food? Between Saba meatballs, Rodari bread, and Focaccia Dellaida, Uber Eats dedicates this brief review of the deep connection between food and culture in a world of flavour: Italy.

On the occasion of World Book and Copyright Day, on Saturday, April 23, Uber Eats presents The Taste of Books, an initiative dedicated to the world of food and literature. Reading and eating have always been pleasures side by side, at the table as well as between the pages of books, stories and children’s songs. Uber Eats invited more than 7,000 restaurants on its app to dedicate a dish to the initiative, tying it to an impressive signature of Italian literature.

“Where it comes from, who makes it, the ingredients, the recipes. Food is a story by definition, because it has its own history, which is always unique. For this reason, we like to celebrate this special day, dedicated to the books and experiences that conjure up every page browsed, as well as every bite.” It is that food that we strive to get Italian homes every day,” commented David Tronzano, General Manager of Uber Eats Italia.

Food is a cornerstone of Italian culture and literature, in its most diverse forms and meanings, including metaphors, culinary obsessions, and the joys of life. In this regard, we asked ourselves what fast foods would the big names in Italian literature rank for?

During dinner out time…

Would Giacomo Leopardi have been satisfied with any dessert without finding chocolate on the table? Whereas, Giovanni Pascoli probably insisted on “risotto romagna” with saffron, mushrooms, liver and tomato sauce. At that point, the latter may have opted for Umberto Saba, and ordered the beloved meatballs with tomato sauce. Somewhat avant-garde list? Filippo Tommaso Marinetti, with his manifesto of the future kitchen in his hands, still forbade pasta, forks and knives.

Manzoni, rice loaves with herbs and bark

Among the elements that made Alessandro Manzoni I Promessi Sposi famous, food plays an important role. A close relationship, deep and related to life, from a food that was not so easy to come by in this context. When mankind is hungry, it strives and, as Manzoni describes it, anchors itself among improbable recipes based on rice loaves mixed with barley and rye, with bitter meadow herbs, tree bark, and the addition of water and salt.

Tomasi de Lampedusa, Triumph of the Bell

The “cake-like pasta bell” described at Il Gattopardo by Giuseppe Tomasi di Lampedusa, represents a different reality, delighting the Sicilian nobility with the joys of gastronomy. This brown color of dough that surrounds the abundant filling of the bell, carefully served by Donnafugata in Salina’s home, to awaken the senses…a triumph.

Guido Guzzano, The Noodles of Sin

Sweet rhymes by Guido Gozzano in artwork dedicated to 19th-century sweets were a celebration of the sins of gluttony. Those violent temptations suppressed by the pseudo-respect of an age when taking off the gauntlet to try pretzels or pralines could be easy stimulation.

Gianni Rodari, bread and fish

Gianni Rodari loved bread, what it represented, and how much he could feed him; “Bread is bigger than the sun” for a whole day without hunger, the most beautiful thing in history. Fish also played an important role in his stories, in children’s songs dedicated to this food and in the life imagination of a fisherman.

Grazia Dalda, Focaccia in abundance

The narrative described by Grazia Deledda is filled with local scenes, where food is the most important form of gathering and socialization, as well as a sense of belonging to one’s own land. On the occasion of the feast of St. Anastasio, all the families of the village, regardless of their economic status, prepared an enormous and plentiful table, filled with focaccia and dishes of meat, cheese, wine and honey. Everything was provided for everyone, because the food is shared.

Italo Calvino, what a good cheese

Italo Calvino in his book Palomar tells of a cheese museum in a Parisian department store. A long reflection on its tastes, diversity, different shapes and qualities. A celebration of this centuries-old product that evokes images of pastures, meadows and enchanting places.

Andrea Camilleri, long live Caponatina

Important lunches, and unmissable dinners, all at the table of Inspector Montalbano, the character created by Andrea Camilleri. In the dishes prepared by Adelina, a devoted waitress, or by the trusted restaurateur Enzo, the inspector enjoys the ritual of the sacred meal. In religious silence, among the thousands of thoughts in his investigations, arancini and eggplant caponatina.

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