Gastronomy of Italy

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Couldn't be better - Rated
I was advised to read this by a chef, best piece of advice I have had for ages.
If there was a book like this for each area of interest, you wouldn't need many books!

Cook like you always wanted to... - Rated
The book is fantastic. Wonderful pictures, combined with background information about grapes, groceries, and geography make it not just an interesting read, but gets you out of the armchair cooking.

We're planning on moving to Italy, so we've already fallen in love with the culture, food, etc.. Never having been much good at cooking, we've already knocked up some delicious dishes thanks for the book. The recipies must be really simple and reliable for us to follow.

Just ordered my second copy which I'm struggling to choose who to give it to at Christmas.

The way a cook book should be! - Rated
This is a heavy book in weight and price, but definitely not in content.
Written in an easy-flowing style, the recipes are clear, concise and uncluttered - the Author obviously loves the food and the country - it includes a potted history of cooking in the Italian peninsula, detailing the influences from France, Arabia, Germany and the New World. There are numerous references to the formative cookery writers of the past, many of whose recipes remain unchanged to this day!

This is the only book I've seen with such a comprehensive list of ingredients (apart from specialist ingredients books) - almost everything available is described in detail.
This list takes up nearly half the book, but is an integral part of it, as it gives one a deeper insight to each ingredient and hence the importance of its use in the recipes.

The recipes themselves range from the classic & regional to the obscure & parochial and many are accompanied by delicious photographs that just beg you to try out the recipes.

This is the way cookery books should be ... gets my five stars.

Does not live up to expectations - Rated
Anna del Conte's The Classic Food of Northern Italy is one of the best cook books out and I awaited the publication of Gastronomy of Italy with great hopes.

In what sense was I disappointed? Gastronomy of Italy does not share the same erudition as Classic Food of Northern Italy. The recipe collection is eclectic and it is difficult to use the book to assemble whole, coherent menus. Most of the recipes are quite elaborate but not really gastronomic. The glossary at the back taught me quite a lot but I still felt I needed more information: on cuts of meat, on seasonality of vegetables.

My all time favourite Italian cook books remain Classic Food of Northern Italy, Marcella Hazan's Classic Italian Cooking - and the excellent, comprehensive and straightforward River Café books.

One of the best Italian cookery books available - Rated
Anna del Conte's 'Gastronomy of Italy' must be the definitive Italian cookery book. The recipes are easy to follow, authentic and the results perfect every time. The colour illustrations are sumptuous and you want to try every recipe. The book is clearly laid out with a comprehensive Index and you can find many interesting regional variations on the same dish.
This is not a coffee table book but a book to be referred to and used on a daily basis. I cannot recommend it too highly.