These new italian cookbooks will whisk you away to italy!
I bet we all have our favorite classic Italian cookbooks, from The Silver Spoon to Marcella Hazan’s The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking. However, in the past couple of years, there has been a flurry of new Italian cookbooks that deserve our attention.
For starters, food photography has never been better! The images in these cookbooks conjure up the feeling of being in Italy, while also providing us with a visual and inspirational guide.
The storytelling element also sets these cookbooks apart. In some cases, they are the stories of the author, in others, they are those of the Italian nonna, the locals who have kept traditional dishes alive, or a historic figure that shaped Italy’s culinary traditions. Either way, we are given the opportunity to meet the people behind the food we love so much.
Finally, the research that has gone into these cookbooks—whether academic or more practical—reveals fascinating contextual information that connects us even more to the recipes in their pages.
With those things in mind, here are nine new Italian Cookbooks that will bring you closer to Italy until you can get there in person! (And when travel is possible again, please do check out my Wine + Culture Tours to Italy!)
9 New Italian Cookbooks for your Kitchen
1. Food of the Italian South: Recipes for Classic, Disappearing, and Lost Dishes
By Katie Parla
Following the success of her cookbook Tasting Rome, award-winning food journalist Katie Parla heads further south to explore the gastronomical history and traditions of Campania, Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia and Molise. 85 recipes of some of the most iconic “Italian” dishes are accompanied by 100 beautiful photographs capturing the dishes, ingredients, people and land of Italy’s stunning South.
Check out La Dolce Vigna’s Puglia - Basilicata Wine + Culture Tour!
2. Piatti: Plates and Platters for Sharing, Inspired by Italy
By Stacy Adimando
Executive editor of SAVEUR magazine, Stacy Adimando, compiles these 75 recipes of small bites, appetizers and sharing platters inspired by her Italian heritage and love of Italy’s antipasto tradition. Piatti is divided by season to help you get the most flavor out of seasonal produce, plus it offers ideas for plating and presenting your abundant spreads. When hosting large groups is possible again, you’ll want Piatti in your stable of cookbooks!
3. Friuli Food and Wine: Frasca Cooking from Northern Italy's Mountains, Vineyards, and Seaside
By Bobby Stuckey, Lachlan Mackinnon-Patterson, Meredith Erickson
Part cookbook, travelogue and wine guide, Friuli Food and Wine delves into the region that inspired the James Beard-winning Frasca Restaurant in Boulder, Colorado. The 80 recipes with wine pairings by master sommelier Bobby Stuckey are divided into Land, Sea and Mountain, reflecting the geography of Friuli Venezia Giulia, which extends from the Alps to the Adriatic Sea. Winery and restaurant suggestions round out this detailed love letter to Friuli.
4. The Sicily Cookbook: Authentic Recipes from a Mediterranean Island
By Cettina Vicenzino
This cookbook by Sicilian chef, writer and photographer Cettina Vicenzino celebrates the melting pot of the Mediterranean: Sicily. With a complex history of cultures that landed on its shores, Sicily’s cuisine stands apart from mainland Italy. These 70+ recipes highlight the island’s uniqueness. Cettina breaks up the recipes into three categories: Cucina Povera (peasant food), Cibo di Strada (street food), and Cucina dei Monsù (sophisticated food). She also highlights local chefs and artisanal producers of Sicily’s famous food products.
Check out La Dolce Vigna’s Sicily Wine + Culture Tour!
5. Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from Sardinia
By Letitia Clark
In this conversational cookbook by Sardinia-based British chef Letitia Clark, we get a window into Sardinian living and its rich gastronomy. Though very different from Sicily, Sardinia also has a history of various foreign powers conquering it (or most of it)—notably the Spanish, who ruled Sardinia for several centuries. Clark’s recipes encapsulate these influences while featuring the two main culinary categories: the cuisine of coast and that of thee rustic interior regions. Bitter Honey is a beautiful and heartfelt tribute to enigmatic Sardinia.
6. Venetian Republic: Recipes from the Veneto, Adriatic Croatia, and the Greek islands
By Nino Zoccali
For a thousand years, the Venetian Republic was a world power, dominating the salt, silk and spice trade routes. Italian food writer and restaurateur Nino Zoccali presents 80 recipes from the lands that once were part of the Venetian Republic: Venice and its lagoon islands, the Veneto, of which Venice is the capital, the Croatian coast and the Greek Islands formerly under Venetian rule. While offering a wonderful glimpse at the history of this maritime power, Zoccali also weaves in personal touches from his heritage and that of his Greek wife. A must-have for lovers of Mediterranean cuisine!
Check out La Dolce Vigna’s Veneto Wine + Culture Tour!
7. Pasta Grannies: The Official Cookbook: The Secrets of Italy's Best Home Cooks
By Vicki Bennison
Inspired by the beloved Youtube channel, Pasta Grannies brings together the know-how and wisdom of grandmothers (nonne) from all over Italy to teach you how to make regional pasta specialties from the heart. Each recipe is attributed to the nonna who shares it (Monica’s Pasta Baskets with Ricotta and Lemon, Pasqualina’s Tagliatelle with Tomato and Anchovy Sauce, etc.), and there is even a section, Meet the Nonne, where you get to read their captivating stories.
8. Old World Italian: Recipes and Secrets from Our Travels in Italy
By Mimi Thorisson
Mimi Thorisson and her family split their time between Southern France and the Piedmont region of Italy, though they travel extensively, in part, due to the work of Mimi’s husband, photographer Oddur Thorisson. This elegant cookbook is a compilation of 100 recipes culled from their years of travels throughout taly, sharing classic recipes, stories, techniques, and histories alongside sumptuous scenes captured by Oddur.
Check out La Dolce Viga’s Piedmont Wine + Culture Tour!
9. The Italian Table: Creating festive meals for family and friends
By Elizabeth Minchilli
From the award-winning food blogger and author Elizabeth Minchilli comes this curated cookbook and guide to how to create idyllic Italian meals that will enchant your friends and family. Her recipes are organized by thematic menus (Eating in the Market in Florence, A Sunday Lunch in Emilia-Romagna, A Table by the Sea in Positano, etc.) with useful notes on the ingredients, serving suggestions, wine and drink pairings, and even how to time the preparation. The photography and description will transport you to Italy until your next trip!
I hope this list will serve you well, Italian food lovers!
Please let me know what you think in the comments below.
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