ITALIOPHILES will be drawn to this memoir/ eating guide/family saga written by David Dale and lived by Sydney-based restaurateur Lucio Galletto.
Every Italian cook has a soffritto – the starter kit of olive oil, garlic and herbs from which a great dish is built. Galletto was in search of the soffritto of his life. He had grown up between the tables of a restaurant built by the family on a beach in north-west Italy, later moving to Australia for love and launching two successful restaurants. Returning to his birthplace, he is reintroduced to the true great recipe starters – the fishermen, farmers, cooks, winemakers, shepherds, hunters, waiters and scholars that gave the world pesto, parmesan, white truffles and balsamic vinegar.
Galletto sums up his journey succinctly: “The rich masters who once ruled the region have gone… what remains is the traditional cooking of the poor, passed orally from generation to generation”.
It’s a succulent mix of recipes, anecdotes, history and memories that tantalise the tastebuds and awaken the travel bug.
