Karima Moyer-Nocchi

Karima Moyer-Nocchi, a culinary historian and professor at the University of Siena, traces macaroni and cheese from ancient Rome to modern America. She explores medieval pasta mobility, Renaissance baked recipes, religious fasting adaptations, the 18th-century macaroni fashion, industrial democratization, Kraft’s innovations, and overlooked Black culinary contributions. Short, surprising turns in food and culture emerge throughout.

Dr. Karima Moyer-Nocchi, a culinary historian and University of Siena professor, traces macaroni and cheese from ancient Rome to modern America. She explores medieval recipes, Renaissance baked pastas, and how mobility, religion, and elites shaped pasta’s meaning. She also traces its transformation through industrialization, processed cheese, and Black cooks’ central yet overlooked role in making it an American staple.

Karima Moyer-Nocchi, culinary historian and professor at the University of Siena, traces macaroni and cheese from ancient Roman tables to modern America. She explores Italian roots, medieval and Renaissance recipes, religious and social meanings, the dish’s rise through industrialization, and how Black cooks and mass producers shaped its American identity.