Product Description
"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
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.
From the Back Cover
"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
About the Author
ANNE BIANCHI is a New York City—based food writer of Italian heritage who spends half of each year in her ancestral home in Tuscany. She is the author of several Italian cookbooks, including From the Tables of Tuscan Women, Zuppa!, and The Book of Tuscan Desserts. Together with her Italian cousin, Bianchi also owns and operates a cooking school for Americans located in the Tuscan province of Lucca.
