the Italian equivalent of the French à la as an indicator of the style in which a dish has been prepared, has been used with relative restraint. Most alla phrases are topographical; those referring to a person, or to an ingredient or utensil or general concept (alla casalinga, in the style of home cookery), are rare.
This is a difference between Italian practice and that of France. Another difference, although only of degree, is that in Italy the meaning of phrases such as alla romana/milanese/fiorentina/napoletana will almost certainly vary according to what it is that is being cooked, whereas in France such variations, although they occur, are somewhat less common.
As with the French term, alla is really an abbreviation, for all'usanza di, meaning ‘in the manner or style of’.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
