My Dad, an excellent cook, rarely relied on cookbooks. He learned how to cook from his mother, who immigrated to the US from Italy when she was a young girl. I can't recall if he bought this or someone gave it to him, but it's a great book. He sometimes used it as a guide, or for inspiration. I have it now. It's really a great cookbook.
This doesn't strike me as a useful cookbook, but as a daydreaming about travel and thinking of new things to experiment with book, it is outright delightful.
Beautiful book about Italian food and culture, detailing and describing the specialities of each region. Great photography and recipes included as well. A book one could browse for hours, although it leads to great pangs of longing!!
This is my favorite set of cookbooks. These are like travel guides. Each region is carefully explained, and the food that region is known for is detailed. The pictures are exquisite. The books are so heavy that I have to get them down off the shelf for my mom and put her at the dining room table (as she's too little to hold these in her lap)! I have not made many of the recipes out of them, but I have made some homemade pasta out Italy. It turned out very well, although I would not say that for the effort that it was that much better than fresh store-bought. I have much better places for recipes. These are places for ideas. For looking at food and being consumed with the culture behind it.
Absolutely stunning! An enlightening journey into Italian food, cooking, culture, and history. You read about each Italian region, learning its specific traditions and customs, understanding how the regions differ. And what a journey it is!
I enjoyed this book the most when focusing on individual regions: read the chapter, tried the recipes, watched some documentaries, read some books about that particular region. (I highly recommend "Italy Unpacked" BBC series with Giorgio Locatelli!)
A beautiful and stunning book! Highly recommended to anyone interested in Italian food, cooking, culture and/or history!
Italy's culture is a favorite of specialty publisher H. F. Ullman. They have wonderful, fully illustrated, affordable books on Italian cooking and Italian art history. Culinaria Italia is their Italian culture and food edition. I have a copy of the book, and it is a resource I return to over and over again for advice on meals, wines, travel, and just for dreaming.
I am huge fan of the Culinaria series. I think they are not only great cook books but also great sources of cultural information. The pictures are fantastic and the background information about the different regions and the history of the dishes and people that cook them makes this book a delight to read. There are so many wonderful recipes from the northern regions of Italy to the South. Fantastic.
love love this cooking book as it is just a little more as just cooking...this book will take you on a trip to Italy, you learn about the land, the history, the culture and how to make the food right...yes, this are original recipes, not Americanized ones!!!