Cucina Di Calabria: Treasured Recipes and Family Traditions from Southern Italy [Hardcover]

Mary A. Palmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 30, 1997

The recipes are interwoven with anecdotes about Calabrian culture and history (as multi-layered as one of the region's signature dishes, Sagne Chjine, a special lasagna), traditions, festivals, and folklore, and of course, the primary role that food plays in all aspects of Italian life.

From the best-kept secrets of her mother's kitchen to Calabrain family, friends, and local chefs, first-generation Italian American Mary Amabile Palmer has collected the best the region has to offer, thus preserving the past for generations of future cooks.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

For centuries, one of Italy's best-kept culinary secrets has been the cooking of Calabria, that region occupying the toe of the Italian boot. But in Cucina di Calabria, Mary Amabile Palmer boldly breaks the silence and introduces an exciting new cuisine to the world. Located just across the Mediterranean from North Africa--not far from Greece and Asia Minor--Calabria has long been the target of invasion and occupation; whatever the political fallout of such incursions, Calabrian cooking is all the richer for the introduction of foreign cuisine and ingredients (olives from the Greeks; eggplants and pine nuts from the Arabs)--that contribute a succulent and daring mélange of taste and texture.

In addition to the recipes themselves, Mary Amabile Palmer, a first- generation Italian American, includes anecdotes about Calabrian culture, history, traditions, and festivals, as well as recollections from her childhood. These delightful snippets provide context to the more than 200 Calabrian dishes detailed in Cucina di Calabria, making the book as much fun to read as it is to cook from.

About the Author

Mary Amabile Palmer is a freelance food writer, recipe developer, and restaurant consultant. She traveled extensively throughout Calabria while researching this book. She lives in Florida, where she is co-social director of the Gulf Coast Italian Cultural Society and a member of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs. While living in the Boston area, she was the program chair of the Culinary Guild of New England and a member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals and the Culinary Historians of Boston. --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber (October 30, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0571199186
• ISBN-13: 978-0571199181
• Product Dimensions: 10.2 x 8.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,544,454 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

35 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious and, best of all, authentic, November 27, 2005

By 

Donna Di Giacomo (Philadelphia, PA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cucina Di Calabria: Treasured Recipes and Family Traditions from Southern Italy (Cookbooks) (Paperback)

Even with the knowledge that the author is a first-generation Italian-American (or, more accurately, Calabrian-American), I'm used to these cookbooks proclaiming to contain authentic recipes and they turn out to be nothing more than Italian cuisine that's been completely Americanized (Giada De Laurentiis is one example).

Not so with "Cucina di Calabria."

I was very happy that the author took the time to authenticate American Italian recipes (which, unfortunately but not surprisingly, have been completely Americanized in many cases) and that she tasted and tested the recipes she got from the always gracious people of Calabria. Her efforts paid off in the final product and I'm proud that, finally, a cookbook of the wonderful cuisine that is Calabria's is available to the cooking public in the English language.

While Palmer did an outstanding job with this book, it's important to know that there is no such thing as *the* definitive Italian cookbook. Many people (sadly, American Italians most of all) don't realize that Italy has never been a truly united country since Roman times (and even then it was splintered). The North has a heavy French, Slavic, and German influence (among others) that's prevalent in their cooking (polenta, butter, cream, lard, and the like are staples of Northern Italian cooking) while the South has a heavy Greek, Albanian, and Middle Eastern influence in their cooking style (olive oil, peppers, spaghetti, pizza, etc.). Despite all that, though, the author did one hell of a job in compiling a cookbook that, as it stands now, is the bible for Calabrese cooking.

It also helps to take the time to read the detailed history of Calabria she included in the beginning of the book. I'm grateful for the fact that she didn't overlook the Greek and Albanian influences that are prevalent in Calabria to this day and also included the fact that there is a strong Middle Eastern influence in Calabrian food. And I'm glad someone had the nerve to call it like it is with the prejudice that Northern Italians have against their own people in Southern Italy. Not a lot of people would admit to that but it's very true.

I couldn't have said it any better when Palmer said that Calabrian cuisine took the best of the people who invaded the land over the centuries and made it their own. (And an enthusiastic thumbs up for including two recipes she got from one of my ancestors' towns - Luzzi, in the province of Cosenza!).

I highly recommend this book for its authenticity and downright delicious and easy to prepare food that will result.

31 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not a bad recipe in the book., July 13, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Pennsylvania, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Cucina Di Calabria: Treasured Recipes and Family Traditions from Southern Italy (Hardcover)

This book was added to our collection about 2 months ago and it has rapidly become our favorite cook book. The recipes are very easy to follow and the ingredients readily available. It has been like dining at a Trattoria with every meal. Even the addition of a side dish complements other main courses. I strongly recommend this as part of your library or as a gift.

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Childhood memories drifted me to Mama's Calabrian kitchen., January 19, 1999

By 

Mary J. Berger (West Orange, New Jersey) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Cucina Di Calabria: Treasured Recipes and Family Traditions from Southern Italy (Hardcover)

I can still see my mother rolling the dough out on the specially covered tabletop. I knew that whatever she was creating it would be delicious! This book brought back to life the recipes that my mother used for our daily as well as festive meals, ala Calabrese. Here are the recipes that seem to be the basics for Calabrian food preparations. They follow the simple rules for maintenance of nutrition, satisfaction of anyone's hunger pangs, and easy to follow preparation directions. Ms. Palmer's recipe for 'Petrali' brought back so many warm memories of Easter, Christmas, and New Year celebrations that took place in our home. The 'Bistecca alla Pizzaiola' recipe was one of our family favorites. We always skillfully sopped up the flavorful tomato sauce as we ate the fork tender meat, always leaving a clean plate. This cook book is not only recipes, but a history of the Calabrian people. A story of who they are, where they came from, who influenced them to become what they are today, a wonderfully resourceful people from the toe of the Italian boot.