Customer Reviews

Food and Memories of Abruzzo: Italy's Pastoral Land

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was really excited to finally see somebody focus a cookbook solely towards the wonderful cuisine of the Abruzzo region of Italy. It is a region of Italy shrouded in mystery and mystique and one of the least tourized regions in Italy. The cuisine is peasant in nature and very simple to prepare. This book is well written and the recipes are very user friendly. I do have two minor complaints though. Other than a few family photos, there aren't any pictures. I would've thought with a region as captivating as Abruzzo that the author would've included at least a few pictures. Even without pictures, it's still an amazing book. My only other complaint would be that there are a few recipes that don't belong, including recipes for Neapolitan pizza, hamburgers, an Americanized version of fried calamari, and a Bolognese sauce. Even with the two complaints I still rate it 5 stars. If you're into authentic Italian food as I am, this is a must in anyones collection. It's a one of a kind book. Congratulations to Mrs. Callen on a superb publication.

This book is well written and deserves high praises for its aunthenticity. The recipes are very much the same as I remember them from my Mother's and Grandmother's cooking. Many of the recipes are almost exact duplicates. I come from a family that emigrated from Abruzzo. We were all born there and practiced many of the same recipes. One must keep in mind when reading the recipes that each small town in the region had its own cuisine and food traditions. The auther has done a fine job depicting many of these differences within the region. I was so much impressed with the contents of this cookbook that I decided to purchase additional (4) copies for my children and family.

My family is from the Abruzzo region and I just recently visited. I love that each recipe has a story related to it. Many recipes are similar to what my grandma had made. I first bought one for a gift, and read it before I gave it to my mom. So I had to buy one for myself.

I bought this book for my husband, who is the son of an Abruzzi native. He loves the book (and to cook), but I've found it absolutely captivating and can't put it down! I've made several of the recipes in it, that are very simple and fairly easy to prepare, and loved all of them. Though even throughout the region, each individual village may have their own spin or variation of these recipes, they are turning out to be quite authentic. I have several friends from the south-western region of Abruzzo. I have made them many of the dishes in this book (a brave feat indeed - cooking Italian food for Italians), and they asked where I learned how to cook like this, that it is just like the dishes they eat and prepare at home (Italy)! I've shared the book with one special friend who also cooks incessantly for her family. She travels back to Abruzzi twice annually and she found recipes in it that her mother used to make! She was so excited, she kept the book to write down a few recipes, but I'm going to buy her her own copy. Thank you Anna-Marie Callen!

Please don't count complaints about delivery time in reviews of books like this one. I think it is a terrific book. Shame on you, Delivery Person!

I am so pleased with the Food and Memories of Abruzzo, the recipes are just like the ones my mother has made since she arrived from Abbruzzo Italy 60 years ago. No pictures, but that's OK, it's the recipes that count!

Quite simply one of the best researched, best written, authentic cookbooks we own (and we're in the category of those who collect cookbooks until our shelves are groaning from the weight). How good is this book? My father, who's mother was born in Abbruzzo, lit up when I showed it to him. He immediately began looking up -- and finding -- recipes his mother had made in the early 1900s before she came to America. I promptly began photocopying them for him so he could try them at home, and he's been immensely satisfied. My Dad was born in 1934, in a true Italian neighborhood (back when immigrants actually cared about assimilating, striving for U.S. citizenship with pride and fortitude ... and good food, of course). He fondly recalls the marathon cooking and eating sessions that were a normal part of his home life. With this book, you can re-create that family-centered atmosphere, with aplomb and abbondanza!.

This is not a compilation of authentic native recipes. In fact, it is more a mini-memoir of the author's childhood. For authenticity, see Italian Regional Cooking by Ada Boni.