The handy and practical Slow Food Dictionary of Regional Italian Cooking by the editors at Slow Food International tells you everything you ever wanted to know about Italian regional cooking as prepared in homes, osterias, and restaurants. Packed with information about dishes and ingredients, tools and techniques, origins and trends, the book (which contains forty color illustrations) is aimed primarily at food lovers but will also be of interest to anyone curious to find out more about Italy in general, its people, its language, its history, and its culture.

This celebration of the simple, hospitable cooking of Italy’s small regional restaurants is unmatched in both authenticity and scope. Slow Food, the international defender of local food traditions, scoured the countryside of every region of Italy to collect and share the best traditional recipes from osterie, the humble local taverns that preserve the heritage of true Italian cooking. This cookbook is the culmination of that research—1,000 compelling recipes that highlight ingenuity with rustic ingredients and the generous hospitality of these off-the-beaten-track gems where we all dream of dining. Within the book, these homegrown chefs share their knowledge of local ingredients worth searching out, cooking techniques that vary from region to region (and even from town to town), and charming culinary customs. From cornmeal pizza with chicory and zucchini parmesan to pork ribs with cabbage and mushrooms, this is eminently cookable Italian food, perfect for everyday family meals and feasts alike. Each recipe is labeled with its region of origin, and indexes by both region and principal ingredient are provided. Osteria is an essential resource for every cook (and armchair traveler) who wants the secrets of Italian cooking straight from the source.

The book begins with an overview of the Italian meal and a full description of the primary ingredients used in Italian cooking. More than two hundred classic recipes follow, beginning with a mouthwatering array of antipasti and culminating in a spectacular variety of desserts. Chapters on cheese-making, stocks and basic sauces, rustic soups, pasta, risotto, pizza and breads, meats, fish and shellfish, and vegetables offer all manner of primo and secondo courses in between. The final section of the book is a compendium of professional techniques, with a detailed discussion of each technique and a description of how it is taught at The International Culinary Center. These “lessons” are illustrated with hundreds of step-by-step photographs, and also include information about restaurant organization and practices. This section may be used in conjunction with the recipes in the book, as an aid when cooking from other cookbooks, or on its own, as inspiration.

The Kitchenary is a unique combination of Italian cooking terms and attitudes regarding cuisine presented in Italian and English. University Italian instructor Brook Nestor brings 18 years of insight to the impassioned cook, traveler and language buff. Discover little-known facts about staples in the Italian diet: was pasta imported from China? Learn language subtleties like the difference between salami and salumi or tavola and tavolo. Want to be a welcome guest? Find out how to eat, speak and act at an Italian table. Italians have a great sense of pride regarding their culinary history, particularly for their regional dishes. However, their traditions are being threatened by modern industry and the encroachment of corporate interests in the food sector. This has led to the establishment of such organizations as Slow Food, dedicated to preserving all aspects of culinary tradition, including the sacrosanct activity of consuming a meal at an Italian table. Enjoy familiarizing yourself with these terms and becoming proficient in Italian kitchenese. Cooking speaks to all the senses at the same time, so whether you watch, participate or simply follow your nose to the table, these words will be meaningful to you: Buon appetito

From the origins of gnocchi to a short history of restaurants in Italy. Notes regional variations on specific dishes. Differs in detail to Laroosse Gastronomiquet offers more historical detail and such things as a complete listing of the rules for a true Neapolitan Pizza.

The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Italian Cuisine is a comprehensive guide to traditional Italian cooking. The book teaches the skills necessary to master both the art and the science of classic Italian cuisine, as presented by The International Culinary Center’s School of Italian Studies. With more than 200 recipes, detailed instructions on the professional techniques required to prepare them, and hundreds of photographs, this one-of-a-kind cookbook will appeal to both home cooks and working chefs. The book begins with “Flavors of Italy,” an overview of the primary ingredients used in Italian cooking. The recipes that compose the core of the book are organized in 20 chapters, from antipasti, stocks, sauces, and soups to pasta, risotto, pizza, fish, meats, vegetables, and a spectacular array of desserts. The final section is an encyclopedic glossary of Italian cooking techniques, each illustrated with precise step-by-step photographs. Praise for The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Italian Cuisine: “Wow. This cookbook. . . . Wow. Let’s just say if you love pasta above all else and strive for risotto perfection . . . then this is most definitely the cookbook for you!” —TheKitchn.com