November 2008 Cookbook Reviews

Food Festivals of Italy

by James Fraioli, Leonardo Curti

Gibbs Smith
Hardcover
ISBN# 978-1-4236-0332-0
Suggested Retail Price: $35.00 or as low as $16.80 from Amazon.com!

This luscious coffee-table book celebrates the pageant of food festivals that are held throughout Italy. As the authors note, it is part cookbook and part travel guide, as the authors describe 50 of Italy's most famous food fairs. In addition to describing the colors, tastes, and aromas they encountered at each festival, the authors include recipes from each one so that you can bring authentic Italian cuisine into your kitchen. Amateur and professional cooks alike will delight in the lavish photographs of the charming people, the romantic and picturesque settings, and of course, the food that they found. Nearly half the book is comprised of bold full-page photographs of these tantalizing recipes. The table of contents alone will make you want to book a trip to Italy so that you can see fairs like the National White Truffle Fair or the Traditional Chestnut Hunt. What a treat!