Yet for years, Italian cuisine has been reduced to merely pasta and pizza in the UK. Thankfully, this is beginning to change.
This particular style of Mediterranean food is enjoying something of a British renaissance so there is no better time to explore the culinary delight, and we have the cookbooks to guide you on your journey of food discovery.
It’s now easier than ever to cook authentic Italian food with brands such as Crosta & Mollica available in supermarkets Eataly’s 42,000 sq ft foodie theme park in the east end.
Of course, we couldn’t present a piece on Italian cuisine without mentioning aperitivo, a tradition of drinks and light snacks enjoyed socially pre-dinner. Whilst we all know and love an Aperol or Campari spritz, the aperitivo is so much more than that.
If you’re looking to make Italian cocktails to transport you to the Med, check out Amaro Santoni or Italicus, both delightful spirits that will elevate your summer drinking.
The delightful Italian cookbooks below range from simple home cooking to elaborate dishes that will impress your friends and family so you too will encourage bussare con i piedi.
Best Italian cookbooks at a glance
Best for Florentine cooking: Brutto: A (Simple) Florentine Cookbook – £24.97, Amazon Best for making pasta from scratch: Pasta Masterclass – £18.54, Amazon Best for exploring Italy’s islands: Bitter Honey: Recipes and Stories from the Island of Sardinia – £28, Waterstones Best for Venetian cooking: POLPO: A Venetian Cookbook (Of Sorts) – £22.02, Amazon Best for Tucci’s home cooking: The Tucci Table – £26, Waterstones Best for instagramable food: Big Mamma Cucina Popolare – £23.44, Amazon Best for the complete works of Italian cuisine: La Cucina: The Regional Cooking of Italy – £32.13, Amazon Best for regional cooking: Naples and the Amalfi Coast – £24.95, WaterstonesBest for seafood lovers: Sicilia: A love letter to the food of Sicily – £26.09, Amazon Best for easy pasta: Perfect Pasta at Home – £18.48, Amazon Best for Italian desserts: The Italian Bakery – £25.48, Amazon Best for pizza: Franco Manca: Artisan Pizza to Make Perfectly at Home – £15.23, Amazon Best for understanding Italian ingredients: The Italian Deli Cookbook – £20.67, Amazon Best for a history lesson in Italian food: Eataly: All About Pasta – £13.12, Amazon