Luciano Pignataro’s challenge, as an undisputed authority on Southern Italian cuisine, is to revive the tradition of Neapolitan cooking, where classic dishes are subject to new interpretations and the spirit of the city comes alive on the pages through stories, products, and wines: the relationship between Neapolitans and food–O magnà.
A new book that presents itself as a classic. Neapolitan cuisine is unique in Italy for its richness and variety. It blends dishes from humble traditions (pasta and potatoes, pasta and legumes, as well as pizza) with dishes of aristocratic or bourgeois origin (such as timbales). It also offers both seafood cuisine and dishes using products from the hinterland, blessed by the fertility of volcanic soil. Even the “street” pastries reach heights of excellence (sfogliatelle, babà, zeppole), not to mention the more traditional desserts.
The book, after a preface by Princess Giulia Ferrara Pignatelli di Strongoli and an introduction by the author, is divided into a historical section, an analysis of products, and a rich, up-to-date recipe collection featuring the classics of 21st-century Neapolitan cuisine.
An appendix on Campanian wines completes the volume. The photographs by Ciro Pipoli offer a splendid interpretation of the relationship between Naples and food.