Appetite by Philip Kazan

If a book can make a recipe for tripe sound appetising then that is a testament to the author’s skill as a writer. 

To my knowledge I’ve never eaten tripe. However I’ve found a compelling argument that it tastes wonderful, especially, according to Philip Kazan, if you scrub it “diligently”, cook it with “a handful of fresh sage leaves” and finally add secret intangible Florentine ingredient…

I decided to try Appetite upon the strength of many reviews declaring it is like Patrick Süskind’s Perfume.

I loved Patrick Sukind’s sensory and descriptive delve into the world of scent, and as I love food it seemed Appetite and me would be the perfect match. 

Unfortunately the comparison to Perfume lost all meaning as the book went on.

In Appetite Philip Kazan has created a novel with little gems to add to your cookbook, but the plot gets tangled up in a drawn-out love story, and on occasion loses its taste.

Nino Latini, a young butcher’s son, has a talent in the kitchen and his ambition/idiocy in the pursuit of love takes him far and wide across the Italian landscape.

Appetite would be the perfect companion if you are visiting Florence or Rome. It has all the elements of a historical-fiction novel; real-life characters, plenty of Piazza’s, Churches and rioting in the cobbled streets. However if you are looking out for a follow up to Perfume, dismiss all of earlier comparisons to it as well… a load of tripe.