Italian Festival Food: Recipes and Traditions from Italy's Regional Country Food Fairs [Hardcover]

Anne Bianchi (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 18, 1999

"Bianchi's words are as delicious and simple as the food they celebrate, and clearly describe the exquisite detail so much a part of traditional food in all Italian towns. This book is a treasure for both the novice and the professional cook!" Mario Batali, Host of Molto Mario on TVFN

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Italy is a land of feste--religious and secular festivals featuring wonderful food. Whether held in honor of a patron saint or dedicated to food itself (the town of Piediluco celebrates fish, for example; Massarosa, the crab; Bozzello, chestnuts), these events take local bounty to great culinary heights.

Italian food writer and cooking teacher Anne Bianchi has visited Italy's 18 regions and returned with over 200 festival recipes. These are not only uniquely good, but illuminate vital culinary traditions. Lovers of authentic Italian cooking and food culture will find Italian Festival Food a treasure.

The recipes, which are organized by course, from appetizers to desserts, remind one constantly of the great integrity of Italian home cooking: its commitment to impeccable ingredients treated as simply as possible to achieve the most pleasurable result. Irresistible examples of this wisdom include Lazio's Walnut, Mozzarella, and Prosciutto Sandwiches; Baked Rice Casserole with Zucchini and Potatoes from Calabria; the Veneto's Spaghetti Tubes with Duck Sauce; Swordfish Steaks Baked with Tomatoes, Raisins, and Olives from Sicily; and Butternut Squash Bread from Friuli--one of many mouthwatering recipes included in a chapter devoted to soups, breads, focaccias, and pizzas. Bianchi also provides a level-of-difficulty notation for all of the recipes, most of which rate--and truly are--"easy." Recipe headnotes offer relevant celebration profiles, while photos depict the events themselves. Not the least of the book's pleasures are nine adroit essays, woven throughout, that explore the people of the feste--remarkable culinary legacies, skillfully shared. --Arthur Boehm

From the Inside Flap

Italian Festival Food Italy is a nation that likes nothing as much as an extravagant party with wonderful food. Throughout its twenty regions, people celebrate with feste patronale, religious festivals, as well as sagre, which are secular events paying tribute to specific foods. The region of Gubbio boasts of a festival dedicated to the enjoyment of truffles. The festival in Piediluco takes the local bounty of fish to new culinary heights. The many other festivals celebrate everything from crabs to chestnuts to soups—as well as popular Italian favorites like risotto and polenta. Anne Bianchi's Italian Festival Food is a celebration of the foods from these wonderful gatherings. The foods of the sagre and the feste patronale are prepared by village residents who are known for their excellent home cooking. Collected here are over 200 recipes celebrating the best of these festivals, with chapters organized by course, from appetizers and salads to desserts. Sixty-two black and white photos of the festivals are included throughout, showing everything from the preparation of food to the atmosphere of the gatherings themselves. The book also features nine insightful and fascinating essays, highlighting specific festivals and the people involved in their success. Engaging, festive, and authentically Italian in every way, Italian Festival Food celebrates the best of Italy's culinary heritage.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (June 18, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0028623320
• ISBN-13: 978-0028623320
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.4 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,519,774 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

44 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A superb read accompanied by wonderful recipes., August 3, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Italian Festival Food: Recipes and Traditions from Italy's Regional Country Food Fairs (Hardcover)

I enjoyed every page of this book. When I finished it, I wanted to know more, not only about festivals, food and other traditions but about the author. I felt like I should know her, like we should be friends.

The recipes are well research and well written, and include notations on the difficulty of preparation, making it a tool for novices and experts alike. When I finished reading this book I wanted to cook my way through it.

This one I will keep in the kitchen.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book on authentic Italian cooking, April 18, 2006

By 

Amalfi Coast Girl (Mid-Atlantic, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Italian Festival Food: Recipes and Traditions from Italy's Regional Country Food Fairs (Hardcover)

This review is written from the perspective of a serious home cook that has been studying cooking for 25 years, and concentrating on Italian cooking for the last ten.

This book is a wonderful addition to any Italian cookbook library. The author does a magnificent job of painting a picture of the Italian festival culture. I was surprised by the emphasis on food and festivals during my first trip to Italy. It now seems second nature to me. If you have ever been fortunate enough to eat any of the wonderful festival food in Italy you know what a gift this book is to the culinary community.

The recipe for baked Gnocchi with Asparagus, Taleggio and Asiago is simply amazing. If you have either a Wegmans or Whole Foods in your area you should have a source for Taleggio. It is worth the effort to find this specialty cheese; it is a fantastic product that is almost addicting. The Sauteed Chicken with Poached Shrimp and Fried Eggs is also to die for. I have been pleased with every dish from this book. Some are more work than others, but all worth the effort.

The author also does a nice job of explaining the regional aspects of the dishes. This book is part cookbook, and part regional cooking history. I highly recommend this book for anyone that is seriously interested in Italian cooking.