The Food of Italy

To read this book is not just to learn the proper preparation for lasagna and risotto, but also to encounter the Medicis, to witness an opulent banquet for two, and to learn the fables surrounding the origin of tortellini.

The Food of Italy is the book to get if you're traveling there. You know about the Coliseum, you've heard about the canals of Venice, but what should you order? Waverly Root supplies the answers in this travelogue focusing on the foods of various regions in Italy. Root, who made his living as a foreign correspondent and has written several volumes on his penchant for food, is an excellent guide whose descriptions will convince globetrotters that there's much more to travel than sightseeing. Along with The Food of France, this book won the 1990 James Beard Cookbook Award.