Mama Mia Italian Cookbook: The Home Book of Italian Cooking

This is an excellent cookbook on traditional Italian Cuisine. The receipies are are simple and straight forward. If you are going to have any cookbook on traditional Italian cooking on your bookshelf this is it. It contains many receipes that my grandmother brought over from Italy...from antipastos to desserts (my favorite in Mrs. Bongiorno's Cannoli receipe). I've seen many Italian cookbooks on the market, but far and away this is the best of the bunch.

My grand mother had this cook book and used it every day i thought she was the best cook around. She then gave a copy to my mother, i was so happy that she could now cook like my grand mother did. My sister and i looked for a copy of this cookbook for years with no luck. Untill someone told us to check out the net for used books. I'm so glade i did now i have a copy of my own. This book to me is the best of the best in home cooking that you'll every find!

My mother used this cookbook and she was Italian. She taught me how to cook and this was one of her tools. I had been given a copy of this book about 20 years ago. Mine is now missing the front part of the cover. I need to replace it so I can hand it down to my son. The recipes are so easy to use and very authentic. I lived in Europe for a few years. Some of my close friends are 100% Italian and I managed to get them copies of the book. My kitchen wouldn't be the same if I didn't have it.

I have used this book for years, as did my mother who was a first generation American. The recipes are the kind of food that Southern and Northern Italians cook at home. There is no pretense to gourmandise. The book is divided sensibly into chapters that correspond to the courses of a meal. There is an excellent glossary of terms and spices at the beginning of the book - again unpretentious. The recipes for holidays are identified such as St. Joseph's Cream Puffs (Sfinge di San Giuseppe) and Christmas Eve Cake (Torta Vigilia di Natale).The Italian name is given for may of the recipes along with the name in English and both are indexed. When I use this cookbook I can "play with " the recipes if I wish because they are so much like Italian home cooking. I have always referred to this as down home Italian -not California influenced or Chicage style or Little Italy style but Italian. The Mama Mia Italian Cookbook has been reprinted as The Home Book of Italian Cooking. Use it, you will love it. Go for the eggplant dishes - thatsa nice !