In a nutshell
Following their heralded collections of Amalfitan and Tuscan recipes, the Caldesis turn their attention to the sinking city and its sparkling, edible heritage.
What does it cover?
Simple recipes, both medieval and modern, organised in chapters that mirror how you might eat your way through the place itself – at the bar, at the market, at the spice merchant …
What’s so special?
How the anecdotes and ingredients alike bring Venice right to your kitchen table with gusto.
Venice: Recipes Lost and Found by Katie and Giancarlo Caldesi Photograph: Guardian
Who would like it?
Any bon vivant who likes to relive old memories or raise a glass with a plate of something good.
Who wouldn’t like it?
The overall impression is one of an abundance of pasta, meat and seafood dishes, leaving veggies and other free-from eaters a little more restricted in their choices.
Best recipe?
All those pasta, meat and seafood dishes! From the cocoa spelt tagliatelle with parmesan cream to the chicken with ginger, saffron and dates, temptations abound.
Anything else?
Who knew almond milk wasn’t the preserve of clean-eating food bloggers? It’s been used in Venetian cooking since medieval times, and there’s a recipe for it here on page 222.
We say
The recent Clooney-Alamuddin nuptials only sprinkled more magic on an already glamorous food destination, so in anticipation of the end-of-year feasts ahead, you could do a lot worse than indulge in this.
To order Venice: Recipes Lost and Found for £20 (RRP £25) visit theguardian.com/bookshop or call 0330 333 6846.
Dining and Cooking