It might be a weird comparison, but if you loved the vibe of Stanley Tucci's CNN series 'Searching for Italy', you're probably going to like this book.

Being very Italy-centric (it's translated from Italian) 'Serendipity' dedicates chapter upon chapter to food and drink that were created by serendipity, or in layman's terms, a happy accident. Whether it's chocolate ganache (created because cream was accidentally poured into chocolate) or Worcestershire sauce (abandoned for months then rediscovered by two chemists), each item has been carefully researched and is intertwined with interviews and stories from chefs, sommeliers, waiters, food historians and business owners.

I enjoyed this book largely for all of the crazy stories - you're going to be well-armed with facts at your next pub quiz, let me tell you that. The format gets a bit repetitive after a while, but the charm of the author's writing will keep you engaged.

would have been a four star rating if it weren’t for the weird proselytizing against young people at the end.

Serendipity catalogs an expansive set of foods created or popularized through historical accidents. Cakes, cutlets, and corn are overcooked, then altered into a new, palatable dish. Grapes are left on the vine to freeze or develop fungal growths, and the resulting wine provides new and exciting flavors. Oscar Farinetti, author and founder of Eataly, quickly runs through 50 examples like these, spending just a few pages on each. The style is overly conversational, reading like a direct transcript of an off-the-cuff conversation between himself and a topic expert. In some cases, he barely describes the foodstuff, leaving the reader at arm’s length from sharing his fascination and enjoyment. Many chapters have a fun point of trivia or two, like Napoleon’s role in the popularization of balsamic vinegar, or Italian becoming the language of coffee due to Venice’s role in its initial European imports. Worse is the sometimes banal commentary: “People like gorgonzola because if it's well made it's really very good”. The brief time spent on each chapter means that topics barely get a surface level skim. My personal preference would tilt the balance towards more time spent on fewer topics, and I thought specifically about my enjoyment of a similar read that took that approach: “A History of the World in 6 Glasses” by Tom Standage.

The closing chapter extends the examination of serendipity to the universe, noting that all of cosmic history and the evolution of life on earth is built on one serendipitous event after another. I suppose this is the author’s attempt to reinforce the idea that food is both a critical aspect and mirror of life itself, but it feels out of place and forced.

This book is a very easy read, and anyone interested in food will get something out of it. However, I found it to be inconsistent and ultimately not very satisfying. I could imagine the content working better on TV, with fantastic visuals of food and their place of origin, or perhaps as the foundation of a chef-led tasting experience. In written form, the content could be further thinned to serve as display placards on the shelves of Eataly.