Elena Bertozzi has written a delicious book for both the mind and the palate in Appetite: A Hunger for Italy.  The book details the main character’s travel to Italy to explore food.  Replete with a picturesque narration, as well as several tasty recipes, the novel is truly a journey for the senses.  Few books can sensibly incorporate the sense of taste, but here Bertozzi has triumphed.  Bertozzi’s writing style clearly elicits images, writing with brushstrokes and providing a window that allows the reader to gaze into a narrative memory.

These two elements would be enough to warrant adding this one to your library or recipe collection, but the book also provides thoughtful points about cooking, culture, and food’s significance to family and friends.  A consideration of cuisine is long overdue in today’s swiftly-moving, health-conscious society.  What do we eat and why?  How can we enrich the eating experience?  Food can be so much more than sustenance.

I will not spoil the story for you, as you must try this book for yourself.  It is a must read! (and the recipes are must tries!)

You can buy copies at Lulu.com or in bulk at Ardea Arts (great as a gift for the chef or book-lover in your life!)