Cooking the Roman Way

by David Downie

Rome is the most beloved city in Italy, if not the world. Rich in culture, art, and charm, the Eternal City is also home to some of the most delicious and accessible cooking in all of Italy. Influenced by both the earthy peasant fare of the surrounding hillsides and the fish from the nearby Mediterranean, Roman food makes the most of local ingredients and simple, age-old techniques. Yet while Italian cookbooks abound, no American book has focused on Romes unique and varied fare. In this beautifully illustrated cookbook, author David Downie and photographer Alison Harris offer a comprehensive collection of more than 125 Roman recipes, exploring the lively, uncomplicated food traditionally served in Roman homes and trattorie. From well-known dishes like Spaghetti Carbonara, to popular snack food like Pizza Bianca, to distinctive specialties like Roast Suckling Lamb, each recipe in Cooking the Roman Way is simple, authentic, and easy to make at home. With four-color photographs of landmarks, markets and food, stories about and profiles of food vendors, entertaining anecdotes, and a food lovers guide to the streets of the city, this book paints a vivid picture of Rome and the food that has sustained it for millennia.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction

336 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2002

About the author

Bestselling author of novels (crime, thrillers) and over a dozen nonfiction books, has divided his time between France, Italy and California since 1986. A former journalist and guide. Creator of the Commissioner Daria Vinci series; the first Daria Vinci Investigation is Red Riviera (June 2021), the second Daria Vinci Investigation is Roman Roulette (summer 2022). www. davidddownie.com

Reviews

[FiveBooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

The co-founder of the acclaimed River Café restaurant in London Ruth Rogers recommends Cooking the Roman Way as one of the best five books on Italian Food. The whole interview is here: Ruth Rogers on Italian Food

[Eileen Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I own and love this book. Italian Cooking (as is all cooking)is regional. Downie gives us good authentic Roman recipes along with history, culture, stories, and beautiful photos of the Eternal City. I am especially pleased that he includes recipes for the definitive Roman Pizza Bianca and Tazza d'Oro's Granita di Caffe. My kind of cookbook, one you can cook from and also browse. So nice to own or to give.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Five Books mentioned the five Italian cookbooks that inspired Ruth Rogers.
[she wrote The River Cafe Cookbook]

The best books on Italian Food

1 Italian Food - Elizabeth David
2 The Talisman Italian Cookbook - Ada Boni
3 The Splendid Table - Lynne Rossetto Kasper
4 The Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking - Marcella Hazan
5 Cooking the Roman Way - David Downie