Why Italy

Is there an Italian equivalent to "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Juila Childs?

I know that this book is the ultimate guide to French cooking. I'd love to find an equally comprehensive book for Italian/Mediterranian cuisine

Public Comments

1. i am italian, and have every italian cookbook that's out there, and believe it or not, the best by far is the first Sopranos cook book. from the HBO series. It's called the Sopranos Family Cookbook as compiled by Artie Bucco. Don't confuse with the second book, entertaining with the sopranos. My family goes back to very traditional cooking and the first recipe in the book is for Sunday Gravy (spaghetti sauce, for all the non italians..LOL) and it exact to my grandmothers. It even has how to make homemade Manicotti....with the rolled crepes, not the store bought ones. You really should try it. It has interesting "stories" as if the sopranos were a real family. i thought it would be cheesy, but the recipes are dead on straight from italy. Mangia!
2. My son got me a new one for mothers day. and it is the best I have seen in a long time. Very informative and easy to understand. It is call "The Silver Spoon"" It was just recently translated from a very old Italian cookbook. It is the kind of stuff that you would find if you went to dinner at someones house in Italy. Not the junk you find in restaurants.. Check it out.
3. 2 books by anna del conte, ITALIAN KITCHEN & SECRETS FROM AN ITALIAN KITCHEN. Both books are a must read for any aspiring italian cook
4. Molto Italiano by Mario Batali is an excellent example. It features 327 authentic Italian recipes (not americanized versions). It splits the different types of dishes up by course (antipasti, soups, vegetable dishes, fish, pasta, meat, poultry, shellfish, side dishes, desserts) so that you can quickly find a recipe you are looking for. It also has about 1-2 paragraphs on each recipe describing the dish and giving tips on how to prepare it and sometimes regional variations. I have made several of the dishes in it and can tell you they were all amazing.