March's Book of the Month: Made in Italy

Giorgio Locatelli's Made in Italy: Food and Stories is March's book of the month and was chosen by Angie. I asked her what inspires her so much about the book.

"I often ask people; 'if something terrible happened and you had to leave England, where would you most want to be a refugee?' For me the answer has always been Italy. Locatelli sums up the reason in the first paragraph of the book: "la convivialita", the pleasure of sharing a meal with others. When I was growing up, if people came to our home they would never leave without sharing some some food with us, so the Italian way of life is very close to my heart."

The book is presented in the style of the traditional Italian meal (antipasti, zuppa, risotto, pasta, pesce, carne i dolci) and as well as recipes, Locatelli shares with us some excellent information, anecdotes and stories about ingredients, how to treat them, Italian life, history, culture and its varied regions. Interwoven between the courses are delightful personal stories that give the reader a great insight and understanding of how food, love and life are one and the same for Italians.