The Art of Eating Well: An Italian Cookbook (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

The name Pellegrino Artusi (1820^-1910) means little to the average American cook, but to the late-nineteenth-century Italian housewife, Artusi's La Scienza in Cucina e l'Arte di Mangiar Bene (The Science of Cookery and the Art of Eating Well), was The Joy of Cooking. Artusi rebelled against the ascendancy of French cooking over Italian in its homeland, but he did so at the cost of imposing a Tuscan-Romagnan standard over all Italian cuisine. So profound became his influence over Italian home cooking that regional differences dived underground until reaction only recently set in. The true value of this book, helpfully and affectionately annotated, lies in its precise limning of a turning point in Italian cultural history, when the political unification of a nation also produced a standardization of middle-class household cooking throughout the peninsula. Mark Knoblauch

Product Description

The great-grandfather of all Italian cookbooks, in print continuously in Italy since 1894, is finally available in a splendid English translation. Artusi was a passionate cook, a noted raconteur, and a celebrated host, and he knew many of the leading figures of his day. From soups, pasts, roasts, and stew to desserts, preserves, liqueurs, and specialty dishes, this is a book that no lover of Italian cooking should be without. Line drawings throughout.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 512 pages
• Publisher: Random House; 1 edition (October 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679430563
• ISBN-13: 978-0679430568
• Product Dimensions: 9.6 x 8 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #590,508 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for an Italian cookbook library, April 18, 2006

By	Amalfi Coast Girl (Mid-Atlantic, USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)

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 10 years.

This book is targeted to anyone that wants to learn the history of Italian cooking. This book is full of both information and recipes. This was one of my first Italian cookbooks, and is still one of my favorites. This book is an authentic Italian cookbook not the Italian-American type that we are accustomed to in the USA. If you want a good comprehensive book on authentic Italian food this is one of the books that I would recommend.

However, if you are a beginner Italian cook, this is not the book for you. The directions are written for someone that is familiar with the Italian kitchen. The author assumes you have a basic knowledge of the Italian kitchen and typical recipes.

One complaint, and it is minor, is the lack of glossy photographs that I have become so accustomed to in cookbooks. The recipes in this book more than make up for the lack of photographs.

Overall this book is highly recommended for those that are serious about Italian cooking.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous and interesting!, August 8, 2005

By	Valerie Schneider "thetravelchick" (New Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is the quintessential Italian cookbook, still loved and used all over Italy. Artusi's wit and comments make this book an interesting read, and the recipes make it a valuable resource. Kyle Phillips' translated the book and offers helpful margin notes to explain things the modern reader may not understand or give clarification. Excellent!

27 of 34 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Book That United Italy, August 19, 1999

By A Customer

Excellent historical reference. Before Artusi, there was no national Italian cuisine. Shortly before Artusi, only 5% of Italians spoke Italian. As a cookbook, this is of marginal value as recipes are usually non-specific as to quantity. For those interested in the art of cooking, it is well worth the time.