The Food Taster
The Food Taster by Peter Elbling, published by Plume in 2003, is a historical fiction novel that combines humor with family life. The story follows Ugo DiFonte and his teenage daughter Miranda, who are unexpectedly taken from their farm to Duke Federico Basillione DiVincelli’s estate. Ugo’s situation worsens as he is forced to become the royal food taster, a role fraught with danger due to the threats posed by the duke’s enemies and their deadly poisons.
Readers will find a narrative rich in the sights, sounds, and tastes of 16th century Italy, as Ugo navigates the complexities of court life while trying to protect Miranda from unwanted suitors and their ambitions. The novel explores themes of survival and familial bonds against a backdrop of gastronomical delight and wit. With 272 pages, this edition offers an engaging glimpse into a unique historical setting, showcasing the extraordinary challenges faced by a peasant thrust into a perilous position.
Official synopsis Publisher
When Ugo DiFonte and his teenaged daughter Miranda are snatched from their farm and spirited away to Duke Federico Basillione DiVincelli’s estate, Ugo thinks life can’t get any worse…until he is forced to replace the recently de-tongued royal food taster. Now Ugo must stay alive–a difficult prospect considering the prince’s myriad of enemies and their poisons–to protect Miranda from her suitors and desires, and somehow hold the unruly court together. A bestseller in ten countries, in this novel of gastronomical delight and brilliant wit Peter Elbling remarkably captures the sights, sounds, and tastes of 16th century ltaly with the story of a peasant rising to extraordinary and death-defying acts of grace.
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