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Claudia Roden's the Food of Italy: Region by Region
CONTAINING MORE THAN three hundred recipes, Claudia Roden’s timeless and enchanting book is set against a backdrop of the story of Italy and its people and is the most authoritative and approachable guide to one of the world’s best-loved cuisines by one of the great food writers of our time.
For an entire year Roden traveled up and down Italy, through every region, taking in city and countryside, to discover the local specialties on their home ground. She visited the kitchens of both professional and private cooks, watching them at work and listening to their stories. From simple and rustic to grand bravura, the recipes collected here represent traditional regional dishes as they are cooked today in Italy, and as they can now be cooked with ease and delight in our own kitchens. The Sunday Telegraph has called The Food of Italy, “Excellent . . . a collection of delicious recipes chosen on the basis of strong flavors and ease of preparation.” “A glorious feast of a book, a splendid history, geography and cooking lesson rolled into one,” says the Financial Times.
“Claudia Roden is no more a simple cookbook writer than Marcel Proust was a biscuit baker. She is, rather, a memorialist, historian, ethnographer, anthropologist, essayist, poet.”-- Simon Schama
“Claudia Roden’s The Food of Italy is one of the most used and loved books on our bookshelf. Her knowledge and understanding of the regions and their food and culture makes this one of the most authentic of all Italian cookbooks.”-- Ruth Rogers And Rose Gray, The River Café
For an entire year Roden traveled up and down Italy, through every region, taking in city and countryside, to discover the local specialties on their home ground. She visited the kitchens of both professional and private cooks, watching them at work and listening to their stories. From simple and rustic to grand bravura, the recipes collected here represent traditional regional dishes as they are cooked today in Italy, and as they can now be cooked with ease and delight in our own kitchens. The Sunday Telegraph has called The Food of Italy, “Excellent . . . a collection of delicious recipes chosen on the basis of strong flavors and ease of preparation.” “A glorious feast of a book, a splendid history, geography and cooking lesson rolled into one,” says the Financial Times.
“Claudia Roden is no more a simple cookbook writer than Marcel Proust was a biscuit baker. She is, rather, a memorialist, historian, ethnographer, anthropologist, essayist, poet.”-- Simon Schama
“Claudia Roden’s The Food of Italy is one of the most used and loved books on our bookshelf. Her knowledge and understanding of the regions and their food and culture makes this one of the most authentic of all Italian cookbooks.”-- Ruth Rogers And Rose Gray, The River Café
256 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
11 people are currently reading
330 people want to read
About the author
Claudia Roden
58 books121 followersClaudia Roden was brought up in Cairo. She finished her education in Paris and later studied art in London. Starting as a painter she was drawn to the subject of food partly through a desire to evoke a lost heritage - one of the pleasures of a happy life in Egypt.
With her bestselling classic, A Book of Middle Eastern Food, first published in 1968, Roden revolutionized Western attitudes to the cuisine of the Middle East. Her intensely personal approach and her passionate appreciation of the dishes delighted readers, while she introduced them to a new world of foods, both exotic and wholesome. The book received great critical acclaim.
Mrs Roden continued to write about food with a special interest in the social and historical background of cooking.
Then came the BBC television series, Mediterranean Cookery with Claudia Roden and the accompanying book entitled Claudia Roden's Mediterranean Cookery.
In 1992, she won the Glenfiddich Trophy, the top prize in the Glenfiddich Awards.
With her bestselling classic, A Book of Middle Eastern Food, first published in 1968, Roden revolutionized Western attitudes to the cuisine of the Middle East. Her intensely personal approach and her passionate appreciation of the dishes delighted readers, while she introduced them to a new world of foods, both exotic and wholesome. The book received great critical acclaim.
Mrs Roden continued to write about food with a special interest in the social and historical background of cooking.
Then came the BBC television series, Mediterranean Cookery with Claudia Roden and the accompanying book entitled Claudia Roden's Mediterranean Cookery.
In 1992, she won the Glenfiddich Trophy, the top prize in the Glenfiddich Awards.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
June 10, 2012
This book was presented to me by my sister who ran a successful restaurant, serving Italian food, in Italy for 16 years.
Claudia Roden is along with Elizabeth David, Ken Hom, Arto Haroutunianand Nigel Slater, one of my favourite cooking writers.
The recipes are arranged by region and are easy to follow.
Buon apetito!
Claudia Roden is along with Elizabeth David, Ken Hom, Arto Haroutunianand Nigel Slater, one of my favourite cooking writers.
The recipes are arranged by region and are easy to follow.
Buon apetito!
July 10, 2024
I found this super fascinating, especially the discussions on the cultural connections to food. I earmarked a bunch of recipes too!
Read
January 27, 2016This is one to buy.
January 8, 2008
Claudia Roden is famous for her ability to immerse herself in the gastronomic culture of a region and a people, and then translate her experiences and tastes into a format that the English-speaking world can readily appreciate, if not always decipher. Her recipes are allegedly "authentic" (a word I use with the utmost sense of caution, though I mean her no disrespect), and promise to fill your own kitchen with the smells and tastes of the cucina of a genuine Calabrese nonna.
This regional cookbook for Italy is engaging and sensual, if not entirely useful to the would-be Italian cook. She moves across the Italian landscape in search of the best ingredients Italy's different regions have to offer, as well as recipes to show them off. After having read through her book, I was tempted to sample foods I might not otherwise have tried, like cinghiale (wild boar), tripa (tripe), and the rich tartuffi (black truffles) of Umbria. Her book works best as a travel guide for the palate; read it, mark your favorites, and then plan your trip to Italy accordingly.
Her book does not work terribly well, however, for an American cook. Not only are the measurements in those pesky grams and ounces (why oh why do Americans cling to a system of measurement that apparently no one else in the world uses - even the British who made it up in the first place?), but the instructions are in narrative form, and presume a baseline of culinary knowledge that I didn't always have. I will say again, then, that this book is more of a travel guide than a cookbook. If you are an adventurous cook with a reasonable amount of experience, you might find Roden's recipes to be great starting points for your own masterpieces. But if you are like me, and you need slightly more complete instructions to make dishes you've never even had in a restaurant, this might not be the cookbook for you.
This regional cookbook for Italy is engaging and sensual, if not entirely useful to the would-be Italian cook. She moves across the Italian landscape in search of the best ingredients Italy's different regions have to offer, as well as recipes to show them off. After having read through her book, I was tempted to sample foods I might not otherwise have tried, like cinghiale (wild boar), tripa (tripe), and the rich tartuffi (black truffles) of Umbria. Her book works best as a travel guide for the palate; read it, mark your favorites, and then plan your trip to Italy accordingly.
Her book does not work terribly well, however, for an American cook. Not only are the measurements in those pesky grams and ounces (why oh why do Americans cling to a system of measurement that apparently no one else in the world uses - even the British who made it up in the first place?), but the instructions are in narrative form, and presume a baseline of culinary knowledge that I didn't always have. I will say again, then, that this book is more of a travel guide than a cookbook. If you are an adventurous cook with a reasonable amount of experience, you might find Roden's recipes to be great starting points for your own masterpieces. But if you are like me, and you need slightly more complete instructions to make dishes you've never even had in a restaurant, this might not be the cookbook for you.
March 17, 2010
Claudia Roden has ruled my life for 40 years. Her The New Book of Middle Eastern Food has been with me for so long that I have worn out at least 4 editions as the pages fell out and accumulated so much fingered smudges that I had to invest in a new edition. That book has fed me and maybe thousands of others as I have used her recipes to cook for so many large dinners. En route I've become a Mezze afficionado.
This book is not nearly so good but how do you top a classic? In the Middle East, Roden's enrichment of the recipes -- their context, meaning and 'spirit' -- is truly cultural and anthropological, but here the narrative is not so rich and so deep The mix and match of recipes are all taken from what is very much common people cuisine and thoughtfully chosen as reflective of each region. So you get a POV that is not necessarily accessible from what are standard Italian cookbooks with a generic approach to the whole of Italy. It's not the best Italian cookbook by any means -- Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking byMarcella Hazen is the best I've used -- but this is an exciting exploration of a wide range of dishes that will keep you experimenting in the kitchen for some time while you familarize yourself with the indigenous take region by region..
This is much more useful that her book(s) on Mediterranean food which is rather eclectic and tends to superficially sample local cuisine. So if you want to move away from the standard Italian fare you'll be offered in many other cookbooks -- such as pasts and more pasta -- this collection is very handy to have so you can expand your menu.
This book is not nearly so good but how do you top a classic? In the Middle East, Roden's enrichment of the recipes -- their context, meaning and 'spirit' -- is truly cultural and anthropological, but here the narrative is not so rich and so deep The mix and match of recipes are all taken from what is very much common people cuisine and thoughtfully chosen as reflective of each region. So you get a POV that is not necessarily accessible from what are standard Italian cookbooks with a generic approach to the whole of Italy. It's not the best Italian cookbook by any means -- Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking byMarcella Hazen is the best I've used -- but this is an exciting exploration of a wide range of dishes that will keep you experimenting in the kitchen for some time while you familarize yourself with the indigenous take region by region..
This is much more useful that her book(s) on Mediterranean food which is rather eclectic and tends to superficially sample local cuisine. So if you want to move away from the standard Italian fare you'll be offered in many other cookbooks -- such as pasts and more pasta -- this collection is very handy to have so you can expand your menu.
January 22, 2019
I have so much time for food writers and cooks who use food as a kind of social history, and Claudia Roden is the source book queen of the genre.
I especially rate that she went around and spent time in the homes of all of the women whose intergenerational recipes she respectfully features and uses in the book. Dream job, what!
Recommendation from the excellent Kelda Hains who shared her with me way back in 2015. And thanks, universe for serving me up a copy in the Kawau Island yacht club book exchange. I promise to leave two books next time
I especially rate that she went around and spent time in the homes of all of the women whose intergenerational recipes she respectfully features and uses in the book. Dream job, what!
Recommendation from the excellent Kelda Hains who shared her with me way back in 2015. And thanks, universe for serving me up a copy in the Kawau Island yacht club book exchange. I promise to leave two books next time
September 24, 2015
Downright encyclopedic in terms of how comprehensive it is, this book is a beautiful addition to a cookbook collection. Some of the recipes are fairly labour-intensive, but Roden's style makes the aspiring cook feel up to task. Rounded out with beautiful descriptions of Italy region by region, this is a pleasure to read.
March 30, 2011
This was a fantastic cookbook. It's absolutely filled to the brim with amazing recipes and you're sure to find something even the pickiest of eaters will adore.
July 11, 2025
Besides recipes, you'll find fascinating introductions to each region explaining the historical and topographical and cultural influences on the dishes traditionally served there. Even if you don't plan to cook, you'll enjoy the insight into Italy from Rosen's experiences therre.
September 16, 2018
Probably one of the best Italian cooking books I have together with the Silver Spoon.
March 4, 2015
Ms. Roden's books are always great. This no exception.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews