Puglia: A Culinary Memoir by Maria Pignatelli Ferrante skillfully weaves regional history and personal anecdotes together with 265 classic Puglian recipes that follow an Italian meal from primi piatti to dolci. Signora Ferrante captures the essence of the long heel of Italy’s boot with culinary roots as old as Magna Grecia—a land of olive trees and wheat fields, the world-famous bread of Altamura, the miracle of cucina povera, the mystery of Alberobello’s trulli. Puglian recipes will surprise and delight cooks of all persuasions as they savor classic orecchiette, lampascioni, local lamb and pork specialties, pettole and taralli, holiday sweets, and a wonderful array of marmalades and liqueurs. In what is promised as the first in a series of regional cookbooks originally published by Franco Muzzio Editore, publisher Oronzo brings to America Ferrante' s tour of Puglia, nestled in the heel of Italy's boot. Emphasizing traditional vegetable-based dishes and preparations some may characterize as peasant food, Ferrante does an exemplary job illustrating how Puglians make the most out of regional ingredients with dishes like a simple potato and artichoke gratin, stuffed zucchini and salt cod in a basic tomato sauce. Carnivores may be disappointed with the emphasis on vegetables; only a handful of chicken, pork and lamb dishes are included, though recipes for rabbit illustrate savvy use of inexpensive protein. Interspersed with stories about everything from weekly routines and evening pastimes to the glory of olives, readers will be hungering for a simple, traditional Puglian meal before they've finished a chapter. --Publishers Weekly, October 8, 2008 Known as Italy s California, Apulia (Puglia in Italian) is the region forming the heel of the Italian boot. Its cuisine is rooted in its farming communities and their historic struggle against poverty. What that means for us is the discovery of a rich world of evocative food as told through the personal cooking of the author Maria Pignatelli Ferrante. She has provided us delicious recipes that are not only a window into the soul of the local people but miraculously food we can cook in our American homes. The food of Puglia is simple food, heavy on vegetables, with stunning flavor. Make her tiella di riso e cozze (Mussels and Rice Casserole) and you will return again and again to this luscious cookbook. --Clifford A. Wright, James Beard/Kitchen Aid Cookbook of the Year award winning author of A Mediterranean Feast and author of 10 other cookbooks Part of a popular culinary edition in Italy, Puglia: A Culinary Memoir, is now available in English. The book weaves the region's history with more than 250 recipes that take advantage of the area's famous bread, olive trees and treats like lampascioni. --La Cucina Italiana magazine Puglia A Culinary Memoir Here are the recipes and rituals of a culture that celebrates the seasonal riches of the earth. Known as Italy s California, Apulia (Puglia in Italian) is the region forming the heel of the Italian boot. Its cuisine is rooted in its farming communities and their historic struggle against poverty. What that means for us is the discovery of a rich world of evocative food as told through the personal cooking of the author Maria Pignatelli Ferrante. She has provided us delicious recipes that are not only a window into the soul of the local people but miraculously food we can cook in our American homes. The food of Puglia is simple food, heavy on vegetables, with stunning flavor. Make her tiella di riso e cozze (Mussels and Rice Casserole) and you will return again and again to this luscious cookbook. Clifford A. Wright, James Beard/Kitchen Aid Cookbook of the Year award winning author of A Mediterranean Feast and author of 10 other cookbooks Maria Pignatelli Ferrante experienced firsthand the sweeping economic and social transformations that took place in southern Italy after World War II—the dislocation and decline of a centuries-old landowner/tenant farming system and Puglia’s subsequent rebirth as a prosperous and independent region. Marco Guarnaschelli Gotti, Italy’s famed gastronome and editor of the original Italian series, sought her out to document her comprehensive knowledge of Puglian regional farming culture.