Angelo Pellegrini (1904–1991) was an American writer and professor of English Literature at the

University of Washington The University of Washington (UW and informally U-Dub or U Dub) is a public research university in Seattle, Washington, United States. Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is one of the oldest universities on the West Coast of the Uni ...

. His books are about the pleasures of growing and making your own food and wine, and about the Italian immigrant experience. Pellegrini's family immigrated in 1913 from

Tuscany Tuscany ( ; ) is a Regions of Italy, region in central Italy with an area of about and a population of 3,660,834 inhabitants as of 2025. The capital city is Florence. Tuscany is known for its landscapes, history, artistic legacy, and its in ...

McCleary, Washington McCleary () is a city in Grays Harbor County, Washington, United States. The population was 1,997 at the 2020 census. History Henry McCleary came to the land in 1897, building two sawmills and a door manufacturing company. He sold the land ...

, where his father worked for a sawmill. His first book was titled ''Argumentation and Public Discussion'', written in 1936 with Brents Stirling. In 1948, he wrote ''The Unprejudiced Palate'', an important work in the history of food literature that remains in print. In 1946, ''

Sunset Sunset (or sundown) is the disappearance of the Sun at the end of the Sun path, below the horizon of the Earth (or any other astronomical object in the Solar System) due to its Earth's rotation, rotation. As viewed from everywhere on Earth, it ...

'' published Pellegrini's recipe for

pesto Pesto (), also known as ''pesto alla genovese'' () or ''pesto genovese'', is an Italian paste made with basil leaves, crushed garlic, pine nuts, olive oil, salt, and grated hard cheese such as Parmesan or '' pecorino sardo''. It originated ...

, likely the first major publication of a pesto recipe in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

; but pesto only became widely known until 1980s.

Books

*''Argumentation and Public Discussion'' (1936, with Brents Sterling) *''The Unprejudiced Palate'' (1948) *''Immigrant's Return'' (1951) *''Americans By Choice'' (1956) *''Wine and the Good Life'' (1965) *''Washington: Profile of a State'' (1967) *''The Food Lover's Garden'' (1970) *''Lean Years, Happy Years'' (1983) *''American Dream: An Immigrant's Quest'' (1986) *''Vintage Pellegrini: the collected wisdom of an American Buongustaio'' (1990)

References

Italian food writers 1904 births 1991 deaths Italian emigrants to the United States University of Washington faculty People from Grays Harbor County, Washington {{Washington-bio-stub