Toscano's Family Table

Australians are fortunate enough to have easy access to an abundance of fabulous fresh fruit and vegetables, but as a nation we weren't always so lucky -- or adventurous -- when it came to the variety on offer. Opened by Italian immigrants who came to Australia in search of a better life, Toscano's greengrocers has been a Melbourne institution since the 1950s. The family has witnessed the ways in which the tastes and cooking styles of Australians have evolved over the years -- thanks...
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Australians are fortunate enough to have easy access to an abundance of fabulous fresh fruit and vegetables, but as a nation we weren't always so lucky -- or adventurous -- when it came to the variety on offer. Opened by Italian immigrants who came to Australia in search of a better life, Toscano's greengrocers has been a Melbourne institution since the 1950s. The family has witnessed the ways in which the tastes and cooking styles of Australians have evolved over the years -- thanks largely to the multicultural influence of immigrants like themselves. In the Toscano's Family Table, Joanne Toscano shares three generations' worth of expert tips and tricks when it comes to selecting and preparing fresh produce, as well as some of the favourite recipes of her food-loving family. She also gives readers a delightful history of her family, from her grandparents' poverty-stricken childhoods back in Italy, to the time they emigrated and established their iconic fruit and vegetable shop in Kew, Melbourne, right up to the present day. Toscano's includes a series of fascinating individual histories of the fruits and vegetables sold in their shop, explaining the different varieties and explaining how they came to be embraced -- sometimes reluctantly -- by the Australian people.