Acquacotta: Recipes and Stories from Tuscany's Secret Silver Coast

by Emiko Davies

Acquacotta is a celebration of the traditional cuisine of a lesser known part of Tuscany, the Silver Coast, which forms part of the territory of Maremma. Acquacotta, literally meaning "cooked water", is Maremma's most famous dish, a soup made of slowly simmered tomatoes and onions and poached eggs. There are countless variations, and every town has its own.

The book includes personal stories, memories and lessons from the people (producers, winemakers, breeders, fisherman) Emiko has met. The Silver Coast is a geographically quite narrow area in the southernmost coastal part of the region – and includes the island-like promontory of Monte Argentario, the island of Giglio, the lagoon town of Orbetello and the last Tuscan town on the border of Lazio, Capalbio. Surrounded by thick, wild boar-inhabiting, forest-covered hills and twisted, ancient olive trees, the area is known for its rustic peasant cooking, where hearty soups, hand-reared chickens or rabbits, foraged wild vegetables, mushrooms and chestnuts and wild-caught game have long provided sustenance - and still colour the local cuisine.

Acquacotta will champion the food Emiko loves to eat and cook - comforting, low-maintenance and easy to prepare. It's food that calls for sharing with friends or family, gathered around a big table. And like most peasant cuisine, it is about getting the best out of a few ingredients and providing a belly-filling meal that not only doesn't cost the earth, but is delicious.

Acquacotta offers more than 80 recipes across five chapters divided by themes:
Dal Bosco - which means feed from the woods and includes foraged and hunted foods; Dal Mare - which means from the sea and includes typical seafood of the area including from the lagoon; Dal Orto - which means from the vegetable patch; Dal Fattoria - which means from the farm and include dishes inspired by the farm tradition in the area, which often includes legumes, grains, rabbit, poultry and eggs; Dolci - sweets, preserves and homemade liquors.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Italy, Travel, Cooking

272 pages, Hardcover

Published March 14, 2017

Reviews

[BookTrib.com]

Are you dreaming of a getaway to the Italian coast? How does Tuscany sound? We thought so. Escape to Italy with Emiko Davies via the pages of this cookbook. For our full review - and a few other delicious, foodie inspired reading recommendations - click here! https://booktrib.com/2017/07/cook-way...

[Ann Mah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful collection of photographs, memories, and delicious recipes lovingly gathered by the author during the six months she spent in this secret silver coast of Tuscany.

[Sandra Noel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've never visited Tuscany. I've never stayed further north than Sicily, but this gorgeous book with its delicious recipes transported me to a place I'd love to spend some time getting to know! With classic Italian simplicity, dishes such as Pane e Pomodoro con le Acciughe (Toast with Tomatoes and Anchovies) or Tagliolini al Limone (Lemon Tagliolini) dance on the palate. If you want more complexity, try the Caldaro Dell'Argentario (Argentario Fish Stew)--I confess to skipping the baby octopus!

From salads to meats, pastas to sweets, this book is loaded with dishes that call to you from the coasts of Tuscany. Some cookbooks are filled with gorgeous photography, but the recipes leave something to be desired. Others have delectable dishes, but little to no (or very poor) photography. Beautiful and delicious, this book combines the best of both worlds, and I'm happy to recommend it.

I received a copy of this book from Hardie Grant for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Karen Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

It seems a crime to just call this a cook book. My secret pleasure is reading fabulous cookbooks full of food, recipes, stories, tales and pictures.

This was one of my Christmas treats and I will treasure it and revisit it often. Each day I stop at lunch time and loose myself in a cook or art book, Just a chapter or so takes you away from the world.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a seriously inspiring read — well and deeply researched (with a welcome bibliography!), beautifully photographed, and infused throughout with local storytelling, maps, and regional history. Recommended.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Took me right back to that little slice of heaven-as for the recipes-they provide inspiration and look rational and are, no doubt, well tested but I'm not so much of a cook these days...