Gusto: The Very Best of Italian Food and Cuisine

The first encyclopedia of Italian cuisine. Illustrated with 4,000 stunning photographs and featuring more than 140 recipes.Italian cooking now has a book worthy of its place at the head of the culinary table. A gorgeous and comprehensive reference guide and cookbook dedicated to Italian food and drink, Gusto beautifully illustrates the ingredients and cooking methods used in kitchens from Parma to Tuscany and beyond. The dazzling photos of ingredients, cooking methods, and recipes form a breathtaking array of the components that make up dishes from the classic to the unfamiliar.Imagine every cut of beef, all varieties of mushrooms, fourteen different species of crustacean, twelve kinds of prosciutto, all vividly displayed and carefully explained in ravishing detail. Each chapter--on pasta, rice, fish, meat, bread, and yes, pizza, cheese, salami, vegetables, fruit and nuts, herbs and condiments, desserts, cookies and pastry, gelato, chocolate, coffee, and, of course, wine--describes essential ingredients and food preparation methods as well as presenting superb recipes from Italian kitchens.Equally at home on the coffee table or on the countertop, Gusto will surprise the sophisticated connoisseur and amaze the lover of all things Italian. “Gusto” is a gorgeous eight-pound, 368-page tour of the Italian table. First published in Italy in 2011, it has now been translated into English with a foreword by Cesare Casella, the chef and dean of Italian Studies at the International Culinary Center in New York. This encyclopedic book starts by describing the cuisines of Italy’s regions. It then covers the various categories of food, starting with pasta. Scores of pasta shapes, a dozen kinds of prosciutto, various cuts of meat, all sorts of fish and crustaceans, and a panoply of mushrooms, vegetables, fruits, condiments, breads, pastries, salamis, nuts, confections, coffee and wine are covered. The history of ingredients and dishes, their sources and preparations, with occasional recipes, are given for most foods. Some 4,000 arresting color photographs enhance the learning curve and certainly whet the appetite. -- Florence Fabricant, The New York Times Plump figs and earthy truffles, creamy gelato and crusty focaccia, marbled beef and glistening fish — you are not human if you are not hungry after perusing the 4,000-plus full-colour photos in this comprehensive guide. The focus is on ingredients — and Italian cuisine is all about ingredients. Organised by types of food, lovingly detailed entries delve into each item’s history and explain how to recognise quality and freshness. An opening section profiles Italy’s distinctive regions and their gastronomic specialties; recipes throughout are accompanied by step-by-step photos. -- Sotheby's Magazine

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