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Southern Italian Desserts: Rediscovering the Sweet Traditions of Calabria, Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, and Sicily [A Baking Book]
An authentic guide to the festive, mouthwatering sweets of Southern Italy, including regional specialties that are virtually unknown in the US, as well as variations on more popular desserts such as cannoli, biscotti, and gelato.
As a follow-up to her acclaimed My Calabria , Rosetta Costantino collects 75 favorite desserts from her Southern Italian homeland, including the regions of Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia, and Sicily. These areas have a history of rich traditions and tasty, beautiful desserts, many of them tied to holidays and festivals. For example, in the Cosenza region of Calabria, Christmas means plates piled with grispelle (warm fritters drizzled with local honey) and pitta 'mpigliata (pastries filled with walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon). For the feast of Carnevale , Southern Italians celebrate with bugie ("liars"), sweet fried dough dusted in powdered sugar, meant to tattle on those who sneak off with them by leaving a wispy trail of sugar.
With fail-proof recipes and information on the desserts' cultural origins and context, Costantino illuminates the previously unexplored confectionary traditions of this enchanting region.
As a follow-up to her acclaimed My Calabria , Rosetta Costantino collects 75 favorite desserts from her Southern Italian homeland, including the regions of Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Puglia, and Sicily. These areas have a history of rich traditions and tasty, beautiful desserts, many of them tied to holidays and festivals. For example, in the Cosenza region of Calabria, Christmas means plates piled with grispelle (warm fritters drizzled with local honey) and pitta 'mpigliata (pastries filled with walnuts, raisins, and cinnamon). For the feast of Carnevale , Southern Italians celebrate with bugie ("liars"), sweet fried dough dusted in powdered sugar, meant to tattle on those who sneak off with them by leaving a wispy trail of sugar.
With fail-proof recipes and information on the desserts' cultural origins and context, Costantino illuminates the previously unexplored confectionary traditions of this enchanting region.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
112 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Rosetta Costantino
2 books3 followersBorn and raised in Verbicaro, Calabria, Rosetta Costantino teaches cooking classes and lives in Oakland, California.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 3, 2013
Bakers aficionados: please stand up. Here's the book you have been waiting for: a delicious discovery that will make you shine among your friends.
I can easily explain the reasons why. This cookbook showcases recipes that are difficult to find. And I know damn well, as I've been looking for them for a long time, as they are mine own :)
When one thinks about an Italian restaurant or an Italian recipe one likes, many forget an important point: an "Italian" cookbook doesn't really exist. What there is, it's a great variety of regional cookbooks and those with a Southern flavor aren't that common.
Many of the names and recipes here remind me of my youth and my family kitchen. Of my mom and my mother's friends around my godmother's stove while preparing huge amounts of pignolata (cicerchiata, struffoli choose your local name) for Christmas. (It took us hours...and I can't forget the bickering between mom and my godmother on the right size for the tiny/not-so-tiny-please balls that make it...)
While talking about a cookbook, I usually point what recipes intrigued me. This time I'll point what I'll suggest you try (many are in my family cookbook too).
-Pasticcini di mandorla, ohgod,ohgod,ohgod....
-Torta di pistacchio (I love pistachios, I judge a gelateria by its pistachio ice-cream)
-Torta Caprese (I had to give a pound of flesh to get my own recipe from a Neapolitan friend...you basically get it for free)
-Pastiera (same as above...)
-Sfogliatelle (the only recipe that has picture showing a step-by-step approach. This lack is the only downfall I've found)
-Bocconotti (sorry, I'll go traditional: lard, rather than butter, and grape jam filling)
-Ciambella all'arancia (my SO's mother does it the same way Ms Costantino does: it's great)
-Intorchiate (cookies): I buy this from a specialty shop. Yummy. And now I have the recipe!!! AH!
-Cartellate (but without the mosto). Once a year my friend Alberto does them. Glorious.
This cookbook has only one (not so small) problem: if you're a beginner, the recipes aren't for you. It's not because they are difficult (some are). Simply this book has beautiful pics, unfortunately, very few of them show you how to make the dishes.
A note to the editor: cannolo is not an Italian word for faucet. The 6-volume De Mauro dictionary gives no other meaning to cannolo except as a sweet (or rarer a synonym for a small cannon...). Nor you can say that Naples and Palermo have been Italian capital cities, simply because there was no Italy prior to 1860. They were capitals, but to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (as it was called).
ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley
I can easily explain the reasons why. This cookbook showcases recipes that are difficult to find. And I know damn well, as I've been looking for them for a long time, as they are mine own :)
When one thinks about an Italian restaurant or an Italian recipe one likes, many forget an important point: an "Italian" cookbook doesn't really exist. What there is, it's a great variety of regional cookbooks and those with a Southern flavor aren't that common.
Many of the names and recipes here remind me of my youth and my family kitchen. Of my mom and my mother's friends around my godmother's stove while preparing huge amounts of pignolata (cicerchiata, struffoli choose your local name) for Christmas. (It took us hours...and I can't forget the bickering between mom and my godmother on the right size for the tiny/not-so-tiny-please balls that make it...)
While talking about a cookbook, I usually point what recipes intrigued me. This time I'll point what I'll suggest you try (many are in my family cookbook too).
-Pasticcini di mandorla, ohgod,ohgod,ohgod....
-Torta di pistacchio (I love pistachios, I judge a gelateria by its pistachio ice-cream)
-Torta Caprese (I had to give a pound of flesh to get my own recipe from a Neapolitan friend...you basically get it for free)
-Pastiera (same as above...)
-Sfogliatelle (the only recipe that has picture showing a step-by-step approach. This lack is the only downfall I've found)
-Bocconotti (sorry, I'll go traditional: lard, rather than butter, and grape jam filling)
-Ciambella all'arancia (my SO's mother does it the same way Ms Costantino does: it's great)
-Intorchiate (cookies): I buy this from a specialty shop. Yummy. And now I have the recipe!!! AH!
-Cartellate (but without the mosto). Once a year my friend Alberto does them. Glorious.
This cookbook has only one (not so small) problem: if you're a beginner, the recipes aren't for you. It's not because they are difficult (some are). Simply this book has beautiful pics, unfortunately, very few of them show you how to make the dishes.
A note to the editor: cannolo is not an Italian word for faucet. The 6-volume De Mauro dictionary gives no other meaning to cannolo except as a sweet (or rarer a synonym for a small cannon...). Nor you can say that Naples and Palermo have been Italian capital cities, simply because there was no Italy prior to 1860. They were capitals, but to the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies (as it was called).
ARC courtesy of publisher via Netgalley
April 13, 2014
Southern Italian Desserts: Rediscovering the Sweet Traditions of Calabria, Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, and Sicily by Rosetta Costantino with Jennie Schacht is, quite simply, a delicious book that belongs on the shelf of any Italophile and/or foodie.
Rosetta is a native of Calabria, and you can’t do better than learning how to make southern Italian desserts from the recipes she has compiled, many of which are downright impossible to find recorded, especially in English.
Recipes include traditional, well-known favorites like cannoli and cassata as well as the more obscure Zeppole di San Giuseppe and a watermelon pudding from Palermo — you know you want to try that!
Interspersed with the recipes are history lessons, fascinating factoids, and Rosetta’s own personal experiences, all written in a conversational, pleasant style. Sara Remington’s photos, both of the finished desserts and of southern Italian scenes, are gorgeous and will make you alternately hungry and itchy for a trip to the Bel Paese.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Italian cooking/baking, southern Italian sweets, or armchair traveling via food.
Rosetta is a native of Calabria, and you can’t do better than learning how to make southern Italian desserts from the recipes she has compiled, many of which are downright impossible to find recorded, especially in English.
Recipes include traditional, well-known favorites like cannoli and cassata as well as the more obscure Zeppole di San Giuseppe and a watermelon pudding from Palermo — you know you want to try that!
Interspersed with the recipes are history lessons, fascinating factoids, and Rosetta’s own personal experiences, all written in a conversational, pleasant style. Sara Remington’s photos, both of the finished desserts and of southern Italian scenes, are gorgeous and will make you alternately hungry and itchy for a trip to the Bel Paese.
I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Italian cooking/baking, southern Italian sweets, or armchair traveling via food.
September 21, 2013
I received a review copy of this cookbook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This cookbook is very specific, focusing solely on the desserts of Southern Italy. No breads, no main dishes, no cheeses, just desserts. As a baker, I thought this was a wonderful concept for a cookbook. What usually happens is that I will go looking for Italian desserts and I'll come across gelato, ricotta cheesecake, and those fried honey balls that are from several Meditteranean cultures. The specificity of this cookbook allows for a much deeper exploration of a regional cuisine that needs more attention!
The recipes I've marked as most likely to try are a good representation of the contents:
from Sicilia:
Biscotti Eureka (almond filled spiral cookies)
Cuccia di Santa Lucia (wheat berry pudding served on St. Lucia day)
from Campania:
Pere Mast 'Antuono Imbottite (ricotta-filled baked pears)
La Coviglia al Caffe (frozen espresso mousse)
from Calabria
Torta di Melee Ricotta (apple and ricotta cake, going to try this next weekend!)
from Puglia & Basilicata
Dolci di Noci (walnut cookies)
The only recipe I could not even fathom is the Crostata al Gelo di Mellone, which is a watermelon pudding cake. But it sounds so strange, and looks so interesting, that I just know I'll end up making it. I'm always the most interested in the recipes I can't imagine.
The cookbook is saturated with historical context, in fact more of the pictures are of scenery than of the recipes. For me, I would have liked more pictures of the finished product, but the contextual information is fascinating and makes the cookbook very readable.
This cookbook is very specific, focusing solely on the desserts of Southern Italy. No breads, no main dishes, no cheeses, just desserts. As a baker, I thought this was a wonderful concept for a cookbook. What usually happens is that I will go looking for Italian desserts and I'll come across gelato, ricotta cheesecake, and those fried honey balls that are from several Meditteranean cultures. The specificity of this cookbook allows for a much deeper exploration of a regional cuisine that needs more attention!
The recipes I've marked as most likely to try are a good representation of the contents:
from Sicilia:
Biscotti Eureka (almond filled spiral cookies)
Cuccia di Santa Lucia (wheat berry pudding served on St. Lucia day)
from Campania:
Pere Mast 'Antuono Imbottite (ricotta-filled baked pears)
La Coviglia al Caffe (frozen espresso mousse)
from Calabria
Torta di Melee Ricotta (apple and ricotta cake, going to try this next weekend!)
from Puglia & Basilicata
Dolci di Noci (walnut cookies)
The only recipe I could not even fathom is the Crostata al Gelo di Mellone, which is a watermelon pudding cake. But it sounds so strange, and looks so interesting, that I just know I'll end up making it. I'm always the most interested in the recipes I can't imagine.
The cookbook is saturated with historical context, in fact more of the pictures are of scenery than of the recipes. For me, I would have liked more pictures of the finished product, but the contextual information is fascinating and makes the cookbook very readable.
May 13, 2021
Might have been 5 stars, but I really wanted more photos of the foods instead of photos of Italian architecture and skylines, and a lot of the origin/historical information was repetitive. But lots of interesting looking desserts and cookies to try!
August 31, 2014
It isn't often you find a regional Italian cookbook. Even rarer to find one this good. I highly recommend it.
October 7, 2018
Impressive
Lovely, I want to try every recipe in this book. Crowd pleasures with clear directions and just enough history to make each recipe slightly more intriguing.
I love the layout with resources for equipment and basic ingredients with homemade versions at the end where they belong... This trend of boring the reader with lists and descriptions of common equipment is in the way and never appreciated by me.
Lovely, I want to try every recipe in this book. Crowd pleasures with clear directions and just enough history to make each recipe slightly more intriguing.
I love the layout with resources for equipment and basic ingredients with homemade versions at the end where they belong... This trend of boring the reader with lists and descriptions of common equipment is in the way and never appreciated by me.
February 21, 2021
This cookbook is a beautiful representation of Sicily & Southern Italy.
I purchased solely for Sicily and enjoyed the nostalgia of familiarity. Although I have not tried the recipes the book is full of accurate, lovely descriptions and history while respecting each region’s culture and dialect.
Generously full of recipes and information. The master-recipes in the back of the book are beautiful and allow the cook to make nut-pastes and candied fruit in house.
I purchased solely for Sicily and enjoyed the nostalgia of familiarity. Although I have not tried the recipes the book is full of accurate, lovely descriptions and history while respecting each region’s culture and dialect.
Generously full of recipes and information. The master-recipes in the back of the book are beautiful and allow the cook to make nut-pastes and candied fruit in house.
August 23, 2019
I only read this for the Sicily section and I was not disappointed!!
July 24, 2020
Some of these recipes are a little beyond my current reach but all are facinating. Lovely photography and delicious treats. The Italians do dessert right.
October 8, 2021
I wish I had time to cook. Many sound delicious and easily adapted to be gluten free.
November 17, 2025
Enchanting desserts
December 30, 2020
This one is a real gem!
April 13, 2018
Source: Stumbled upon on Amazon
Format: e-book
Disclaimer: I have read the book, but not yet had time to try any of the recipes. I hope to remedy that very soon. The ricotta and pistachio mouse cake is calling to me.
I'm not Italian, nor am I knowledgeable about Southern Italian desserts, so I can't speak for the authenticity of the recipes. The author has certainly gone to lengths to provide adequate background information (and a bibliography) on the regions and their specialties; however, I believe she has added some modern touches in the name of both convenience and changing tastes. That's not a negative. I'm all for authenticity, but I also like my modern oven and Kitchen-Aid mixer.
The e-book version is well formatted. Whoever remembered to put recipe links not only in the table of contents and index, but also within the chapters AND under photographs deserves major kudos. Recipe names are in Italian and English. Measurements are in US and metric. Directions are clear and logical. There are beautiful photographs throughout, both of the desserts and of Italy.
Regions covered:
Sicilia
Campania
Calabria
Puglia and Basilicata (share a section)
There is also a section of master recipes for such things as making fresh ricotta, blanching almonds, making nut pastes and candying fruit peels.
The recipes do assume a moderate to advanced level of cooking skill. There are a few recipes that the beginning cook with an abundance of confidence could handle, but this isn't one of those books that holds your hand and provides a hundred photos of an egg, an egg broken into a dish, an egg beaten, an egg being poured into a larger bowl, ad museum. (If you need that level of visuals, stick with The Pioneer Woamn, who is very good at that sort of presentation.)
This is not a cookbook for
-- chocoholics (not everything has to have chocolate),
-- teetotalers (the Italians do like their wines and liquors),
-- people with nut allergies (I mean, come on, pistachios, walnuts, almonds...Southern Italy.)
-- ...or an aversion to dairy.
-- the gluten-free or paleo-friendly crowd. (I wouldn't be reading it if it were.)
It is a lovely and informative education on the desserts and sweets of underrepresented regions in Southern Italy.
Now to get my hands on some Strega and fig syrup....
Format: e-book
Disclaimer: I have read the book, but not yet had time to try any of the recipes. I hope to remedy that very soon. The ricotta and pistachio mouse cake is calling to me.
I'm not Italian, nor am I knowledgeable about Southern Italian desserts, so I can't speak for the authenticity of the recipes. The author has certainly gone to lengths to provide adequate background information (and a bibliography) on the regions and their specialties; however, I believe she has added some modern touches in the name of both convenience and changing tastes. That's not a negative. I'm all for authenticity, but I also like my modern oven and Kitchen-Aid mixer.
The e-book version is well formatted. Whoever remembered to put recipe links not only in the table of contents and index, but also within the chapters AND under photographs deserves major kudos. Recipe names are in Italian and English. Measurements are in US and metric. Directions are clear and logical. There are beautiful photographs throughout, both of the desserts and of Italy.
Regions covered:
Sicilia
Campania
Calabria
Puglia and Basilicata (share a section)
There is also a section of master recipes for such things as making fresh ricotta, blanching almonds, making nut pastes and candying fruit peels.
The recipes do assume a moderate to advanced level of cooking skill. There are a few recipes that the beginning cook with an abundance of confidence could handle, but this isn't one of those books that holds your hand and provides a hundred photos of an egg, an egg broken into a dish, an egg beaten, an egg being poured into a larger bowl, ad museum. (If you need that level of visuals, stick with The Pioneer Woamn, who is very good at that sort of presentation.)
This is not a cookbook for
-- chocoholics (not everything has to have chocolate),
-- teetotalers (the Italians do like their wines and liquors),
-- people with nut allergies (I mean, come on, pistachios, walnuts, almonds...Southern Italy.)
-- ...or an aversion to dairy.
-- the gluten-free or paleo-friendly crowd. (I wouldn't be reading it if it were.)
It is a lovely and informative education on the desserts and sweets of underrepresented regions in Southern Italy.
Now to get my hands on some Strega and fig syrup....
October 23, 2013
Title: Southern Italian Desserts: Rediscovering the Sweet Traditions of Calabria, Campania, Basilicata, Puglia, and Sicily
Author: Rosetta Costantino, Jennie Schacht
Publisher: Random House LLC
Published: 10-8-2013
ISBN-10: 1607744023
ISBN-13: 978-1607744023
E-Book ASIN: B00CCPIL70
Pages: 224
Genre: Food & Wine
Tags: Cooking, Regional
More than just a cookbook, Southern Italian Desserts takes you through a brief history of the deserts from the Italian region. The different equipment you will need are listed. Items you will want to keep in your pantry so that you will be prepared. Then we get to the part everyone is looking for - recipes. The authors have been kind enough to divide the the recipes into the various regions of Italy so that you can enjoy the subtle differences in taste and style from each area.
Each Region begins with a brief description of the region and how the individual dishes developed. The recipes are in plain easy to follow directions and are at a skill level for those who are new to cooking to those who have years of experience as a professional chef. It you have a sweet tooth like I do then you will want this on your shelf because you will be hard pressed to find a more fine collections of sweet desserts and other Italian recipes. Don't miss a chance to enjoy these recipes from around Italy today.
Author: Rosetta Costantino, Jennie Schacht
Publisher: Random House LLC
Published: 10-8-2013
ISBN-10: 1607744023
ISBN-13: 978-1607744023
E-Book ASIN: B00CCPIL70
Pages: 224
Genre: Food & Wine
Tags: Cooking, Regional
More than just a cookbook, Southern Italian Desserts takes you through a brief history of the deserts from the Italian region. The different equipment you will need are listed. Items you will want to keep in your pantry so that you will be prepared. Then we get to the part everyone is looking for - recipes. The authors have been kind enough to divide the the recipes into the various regions of Italy so that you can enjoy the subtle differences in taste and style from each area.
Each Region begins with a brief description of the region and how the individual dishes developed. The recipes are in plain easy to follow directions and are at a skill level for those who are new to cooking to those who have years of experience as a professional chef. It you have a sweet tooth like I do then you will want this on your shelf because you will be hard pressed to find a more fine collections of sweet desserts and other Italian recipes. Don't miss a chance to enjoy these recipes from around Italy today.
August 7, 2013
Full of the delicious Italian pastries I've oogled in bakeries with multiple steps of preparation. Some of the recipes are really unexpected such as the eggplant layered dessert with sweetened ricotta filling and chocolate sauce but there are the classics like cannoli as well. The text is informative and the narrow geographical scope makes it a strong book. The photographs of food are interspersed with some architectural centerfolds so there's a sense of the local in this southern italian book.
October 9, 2013
Read my full review: http://bit.ly/1bbkMB1 or http://bit.ly/GGvKEO
My opinion: Laden with beautiful pictures and tasty recipes, this was a beautiful cookbook. Although the recipes come from the south of Italy, I didn't see any ingredients that would be difficult to find in the US. One criticism that I would say, Although the pictures were gorgeous and step by step instructions were given, I would have liked to have seen pictures of the preparation since the recipes were definitely more advanced.
My opinion: Laden with beautiful pictures and tasty recipes, this was a beautiful cookbook. Although the recipes come from the south of Italy, I didn't see any ingredients that would be difficult to find in the US. One criticism that I would say, Although the pictures were gorgeous and step by step instructions were given, I would have liked to have seen pictures of the preparation since the recipes were definitely more advanced.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews