Regional Italian Cuisine

There is no Italian cookbook that comes close to this one. This is authentic Italian Cuisine from every region in Italy. I am Italian and have been cooking for 50 years and I have many Italian cookbooks and some supposedly Italian cookbooks. When I got this one, I gave away most of my other Italian cookbooks. This covers every main dish from each region with specific instructions on how to make it. The price is very reasonable also for the ONLY Italian cookbook you will ever need.

this cookbook is by far my favorite in my collection, from di medici to hazan and all in between. i love it.tho i love their recipies too. i am so pleased with this book. try the osso bucco,mmmmm! even the biscotti was great.now i am italian so i always add my "extra" stuff but you do not have to.when people say "i wish there were more picture's in my cookbook" well there all here! and pics of italy as well of coarse.buy it ,try it,and enjoy it.it will be your main reference cookbook!

I adore this coobook because it appeals to so many levels of cook. Just when you think you have a handle on Italian cuisine, this book reveals little known facts about each region that will surprise even the most experienced cook. Consequently, it provide the "best of the region" recipes that are not as intimidating as you might think (if the recipe won't get you to try them, the photgraphs will!). It really opens up culinary doors by exposing the novice cook to Italian cuisine beyond pizza and spaghetti by giving the reader a hand-held walk through every region.I consider myself a knowledgeable cook, but by no means a chef, and nearly every recipe screams "Make me!!!". I particularly enjoy the comprehensive approach to revealing the culture behind the cuisine of each reason.

This book is an excellent way to learn about the regions of Italy and the styles of cooking done in those regions. There are maps, essays, recipes and pictures to teach you about the cuisines from the various regions. The author divides Italy not by political boundaries, but more by culture and geography. For instance several political regions (Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna) are covered in the section on cuisine from the Po River valley. Though Lombardy appears again in the section on the Mountain region (Lombardy, Piedmont, Trentino, etc.) cuisine. Though a bit "contrived," this scheme divides cuisine styles into cohesive groups. A map shows the authors "regions" overlaid onto the map of the political regions.There are not as many recipes as in some other Italian cookbooks (Hazan, Bugialli, etc.), but the ones that are present are fairly representative of the region being covered. And there are color photos of every recipe! Most of the recipes give you a sense of the essence of that "region's" cuisine. Plus each "region" has an introductory essay describing its chief culinary products and styles.It has taken me years to get a clue about the essences of cooking from various regions of Italy. I have gained bits here and there from cookbooks, articles, maps, travel guides, etc. (And I have collected a lot of material over the years.) This book confirmed much that I had already learned "the hard way," and it taught me more. Granted all of the information about Italy and the over 60 Italian cookbooks I own cannot be distilled into one volume, but this book does an excellent job of introducing you to the complex and somewhat confusing array of "Italian" cooking. If you are new to Italian cooking this is a great book to help you understand that there is no national "Italian" cooking style, but a variety of regional styles.Most of the recipes will be relatively easy for the USA cook, though there are a few with ingredients that will require a visit to a specialty store or butcher. Many traditional techniques are simplified to make the recipe easier without sacrificing much in the way of authentic taste.You will need to know some general cooking techniques that are not completely explained in this book. However, most recipes are fairly straight-forward.This is THE BEST intro to Italian cooking I know of. When you graduate from here you will have a good foundation of understanding to take you on to Hazan, Bugialli, Bastianich, etc. If you DON'T care about understanding the regions and their cuisine styles, then skip this book.

I first used this book in its original German edition. Every recipe I cooked was superb. I rushed to buy the English edition. There are slight variations (the editors short changed American food markets a little I think)and I am disappointed that the very handy "metric" measure was changed to English measures. The editors could have at least included both, in the manner of Lorenza di Medici's books. Still, with this book, its very orderly instructions and gorgeously elegant illustrations, you can begin your mastery of fine Italian cuisine from your very own stovetop.Buy this one.