Best of Italian Cooking

Waverley Lewis Root (1903-1982) , was an American journalist and writer and was well-known in Europe as the food columnist for the Paris Herald-Tribune. . Root became widely known for his writings on food. In this book Waverley Root has written an easy-to-follow book on Italian cooking which will become the basic reference work every novice and gourmet cook will want to own. Sparkling with Witty and informative commentary thought, THE BEST OF ITALIAN COOKING by Waverley Root presents a thorough and intimate knowledge not only of Italian cuisine but also of its humble beginnings and slow rise to world fame. The many mouth-watering recipes and the brilliant full-color photographs, the culinary hints and a shopping guide, all serve to spice the equally graphic text. Mr. Root describes the origins and differences of such very well-known cheeses as Parmesan, Gorgonzola, Bel Paese, mozzarella, the creamy ricotta and the hard pecorino. And it is Italy, say Mr. Root, where the greatest proportion of bread is home-made. The varieties are as numerous as the regions of the country; for example, Sardinians make "music-paper bread" without yeast (the circles of bread are paper thin) ; while Neapolitans glaze theirs with egg-white and decorate it; in the Valle d'Aosta their black bread is made of mixed barley and hard wheat flours; while in the province of Modena its people continue to make tigella, a fried bread dating back to prehistoric times. Sausage, an important item in the Italian larder, varies in content from province to city to town to hamlet - if not to every family. Probably the most famous of Italy's hams is that of Parma, known for the delicate flavor of its air-cured meat (prosciutto) . However, the hams of San Daniele di Friuli, of Abruzzi similar to the Spanish jamon serrano) , and one of Sardinia, all also cured in mountain air, deserve honorable mention. Thus, with these and many6, many more fascinating illustrations, the author shows us how a basically simple coun