Guiliano Bugialli's Food of Naples and Campania [Hardcover]

Giuliano Bugialli (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 18, 2003

In the tradition of Giuliano Bugialli's Foods of Italy and Foods of Tuscany (more than 250,000 copies combined sales), Foods of Naples presents the authentic dishes of Naples and the surrounding Campania region in a historical and cultural context. Through more than 100 brilliant photographs of featured dishes, with the city's markets, street life, and landscapes as backdrop, this handsome book communicates the flavor of life in Naples. Bugialli presents more than 175 impeccably researched and tested recipes, all easy to prepare for everyday meals and arranged in the manner of traditional Neapolitan courses. This substantial volume is sure to become the definitive book on one of America's favorite cuisines.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Bugialli provides a broad overview of the foods of Naples and the surrounding Campania region in this uneven effort. An initial chapter with recipes for basics creates strange bedfellows: Mixed Vegetables Preserved in Wine Vinegar, Homemade Tomato Paste, Candied Orange Peel and the local lemon liqueur Limoncello stand side by side. Campania is famous for its San Marzano tomatoes, and in a chapter awkwardly named Naples: The Home of Dried Pasta and Tomatoes Like No Others in the World, Bugialli provides workable recipes for Classic Neapolitan Tomato Sauce; Garlic Tomato Sauce, Salerno Style; Tomato Sauce, Salerno Style; Vermicelli with Neapolitan Tomato Sauce; and so on. Confusingly, some recipes are just for sauce, while others include pasta preparation. Another Neapolitan classic is pizza, and the chapter on Neapolitan Pizza and other savory breads like a Brioche Ring served with vegetables in the center and Taralli with Fennel Seeds, which, like bagels, are parboiled before being baked, is one of the strongest. In another chapter titled Il Gran Fritto alla Napoletana, Bugialli instructs readers on how to fry Potato Croquettes and celery. A chapter on fish and seafood includes CanapEs, Neapolitan Style with mozzarella and anchovies, first courses like Spaghetti or Vermicelli in Clam Sauce and second courses such as Fish Baked in a Paper Bag, Neapolitan Style, which calls for parchment paper and not a paper bag after all. The photography is quite attractive, and full-page layouts like the one demonstrating the creation of Sfogliatelle are an informative addition even if seeing two professionals preparing these complex, flaky pastries in a bakery only drives home what a challenge they are for the home cook.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"If only there were more Giuliano Bugialli's writing cookbooks." -- The Wall Street Journal

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Stewart, Tabori and Chang (March 18, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584792116
• ISBN-13: 978-1584792116
• Product Dimensions: 12.4 x 9.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,062,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A good read..., February 19, 2007

By 

P. K. Fierro - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Guiliano Bugialli's Food of Naples and Campania (Hardcover)

Being a native, I was able to compare the recipes to what I was raised to expect from Neapolitan food, and I was pleased to find the recipes accurate. I would like to see a wider coverage of the food of the region and not just Naples, and as a previous reviewer noted, there are a few mistakes (there always seem to be little flubs in Bugialli's books), but I think it covers the feel of the region much better than Schwartz's book. His handling of such sacred topics as the sfogliatella make for good reading. All in all, like all of his books to date, I'm glad to own it.

13 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Nice travelogue but poor as a cook book., July 30, 2003

By 

Michael DAgostino "Dagman" (West Orange, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Guiliano Bugialli's Food of Naples and Campania (Hardcover)

Lots of beautiful photos of Naples and Campania.
Poorly edited with many errors on Neapolitan language. Obviously written by a non-Neapolitan.
Few photos of foods. Makes me wonder if the recipes were ever tested.
Better choice is Naples at Table by Arthur Schwartz.
Buy this for the pretty pictures of the Amalfi coast, because as a cook book, I think it's a dud.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The definitive Neapolitan cookbook in english....., March 7, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Guiliano Bugialli's Food of Naples and Campania (Hardcover)

Bugialli has again generated a well researched, technically precise and stunningly beautiful book. Bugialli is the only non-Neapolitan that could not only write the recipes down with uncanny accuracy, but capture and convey the uniquely Neapolitan aura that permeates all things that happen in the "real" city by the bay. A must buy for any cook's library!