Guiliano Bugialli's Food of Naples and Campania

Of all of Bugialli's large format books, this one may be the best yet. Why? Well, he covers the food and recipes the average American is most likely to find in Italo-Italian restaurants. That doesn't mean it's the best that Italy has to offer...what I'm saying is, if you go out to eat and want to replicate that food at home, he explains how to do it correctly with authentic ingredients. Giuliano is teacher and food historian first and foremost...not a restautant chef. His Limoncello recipe and method in this book is fantastic....I've made it and shared it many times. The pictures are spectacular.

The book has a good choice of recipes. The author has clearly done his research. The recipes seems genuine and not dumbed down. The book has a lot of pictures of scenery and ingredients. I suppose it would have been more useful to have photos of the finished dishes.

Being a native, I was able to compare the recipes to what I was raised to expect from Neapolitan food, and I was pleased to find the recipes accurate. I would like to see a wider coverage of the food of the region and not just Naples, and as a previous reviewer noted, there are a few mistakes (there always seem to be little flubs in Bugialli's books), but I think it covers the feel of the region much better than Schwartz's book. His handling of such sacred topics as the sfogliatella make for good reading. All in all, like all of his books to date, I'm glad to own it.

Bugialli has again generated a well researched, technically precise and stunningly beautiful book. Bugialli is the only non-Neapolitan that could not only write the recipes down with uncanny accuracy, but capture and convey the uniquely Neapolitan aura that permeates all things that happen in the "real" city by the bay. A must buy for any cook's library!

For any one who has ever been there, eating and cooking Italian is an adventure in living. No fuss no complications, just living life for the fun of it (that is the Italian way to enjoy being here) I have visited this wonderful country several times and this book takes me back whenever I feel the need to be in touch again. It is a must for any one who wants to feel what life in that great country is all about. For the beginner it will take you to one of the most enjoyable food fests anywhere. Try this book and you will be booking your next vacation in the land of wine, food, sun, music and love.