McIver sets her culinary history in the late-medieval period and concludes in the 1600s. The author explores the roles and duties of cook, steward, under cook, and apprentice. She takes readers through upper- and middle-class kitchens, pantries, wine cellars, and dining spaces. McIver cites historical documents to highlight how favored foods were prepared and served. . . .McIver’s research is impressive. She does a does a good job recounting culinary changes across time, such as how, in the 16th century, a festive meal’s 'sweet pastries, candied fruit, confectioneries, and sweet wines' were replaced by a cold salad course; her descriptions of wedding feasts and banquets are also remarkable, especially the one held in honor of Emperor Charles V in 1536.

Publishers Weekly

As the title suggests, this book is a general overview of the habits of cooking and eating in Renaissance Italy. McIver includes useful citations to letters, menus, inventories, and other historical documents from the period. The authorial style is unusual in that sections are frequently introduced with questions such as 'How did the cooks at Castel Gandolfo or at the Palazzo del Te come up with their menus?' Then selected citations from historical documents are used to answer and expand on the topics raised in the questions. . . .the examples are compelling. . . .The details about the eating habits of well-known historical figures (such as the Duke of Urbino) and menus for significant events are interesting and accompanied by black-and-white illustrations. . . .The book also contains many details about methods of serving and the relative cleanliness of plates. . . .Summing Up: Recommended. . . .General readers.

Choice Reviews

Cooking and Eating in Renaissance Italy From Kitchen to Table is a culinary history recommended for college-level collections strong in food studies and Renaissance times, and traces how food was cultivated and moved from garden to table. It isn't so much a recipe collection (other medieval recipe collections are on the market) as it is a discussion of how food in this period was prepared and how it evolved, surveying everything from medieval shopping lists and methods to how servants pictured in the preparation process, how recipes evolved, and how ingredient availability lent to innovation (or not). From medieval communal eating to food etiquette, this is a solid survey that uses a range of resources to reconstruct the history and evolution of not just Italian food, but Italian traditions.

Midwest Book Review

This avid researcher gives us menus and recipes and a tour of extravagance.

Bibliotheque D'humanisme Et Renaissance

Katherine McIver’s book, a magisterial and delightful history of food habits and the organization of the meal in Medieval and Renaissance Italy, looks at both from a novel perspective: that of the people for whom those meals were prepared. Private letters and household inventories reveal the fascinating details of the social and ritual practice of eating, ranging from the banquets of the Este family to the working class kitchens. The reader invited to their tables in this book will enjoy a stimulating and satisfying cultural feast in our gastronomic past.

Laura Giannetti, professor of Modern Languages and Literatures, University of Miami

With zest and intelligence Katherine McIver chronicles the history of people in all classes of society who organized, cooked, and dined in Renaissance Italy. Her deep familiarity with archival and printed sources enriches our knowledge of their world. It is a pleasure to read.

Barbara Ketcham Wheaton, Honorary Curator, Schlesinger Library, Harvard University