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One of the best Italian cookbooks to
mix history with modern recipes is The Splendid Table Recipes from
Emilia-Romagna, the Heartland of Northern Italian Food by Lynne
R. Kasper ($37.50 ISBN 0688089631). This is a cookbook you will
not want to put down. It holds you like a good pot-boiler. A very
hefty book, weighing in at 544 pages and over 200 recipes, it has
something that most cookbooks do not have but should a bibliography.
It is also filled with great recipes from the 16th century “Rosewater
Maccheroni Romanesca”, to the 18th century “Cardinal's
favorite baked penne” and many modern recipes such as Veal
Parmigiano with Tomato Marsala Sauce, a Country Dish of Braised
Lentils with Ribbons of Pappardelle and Crisp Nubbins of Pancetta,
Tortellini of Artichokes and Mascarpone and Fresh Tuna Adriatic
Style. If you listen to National Public Radio I am sure you will
enjoy Lynn’s weekly program of the same name. |
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Another wonderful book on Italy and other cuisines
from the Mediterranean region is
A Mediterranean
Feast: The Story of the Birth of the Celebrated Cuisines
of the Mediterranean from the Merchants of Venice to the Barbary
Corsairs by Clifford A. Wright. This book is an epic running 840
pages and with over 500 recipes. But you will enjoy every page
of it and every recipe. Clifford Wright explains how the complex
influences between the fall of the Ancient Roman Empire, the Renaissance
and the Age of Reason in the 17th century all created one of the
world’s most recognizable cuisines. His research is impeccable
and he can often be read in some of the more esoteric food history
publications. |
