Florentine: The True Cuisine of Florence

Stroll through the streets of Florence with this edition of Emiko Davies' award-winning Florentine. This new format cookbook beautifully packages Emiko's recipes, photographs and insights, each informed by her experience of Tuscany's capital over more than a decade. As well, it includes new neighborhood itineraries—from 24 Hours in Florence, to Day Trips Outside the City Centre, to Best Bistecca and Pastry Shops, to Shopping for Cook's Tools.

Emiko's recipes transport readers to the piazzas of Florence. From her torta di mele—a reassuringly nonna-esque apple cake—to ravioli pera e ricotta,mouthwateringly buttery pear and ricotta ravioloni—she shares an enchanting culinary tour of the city. Visit pastry shops bustling with espresso-sippers, hole-in-the-wall wine bars, busy food vans and lunchtime trattorias, and learn how and why the people of Florence remain so proudly attached to their unchanging cuisine.

It's a cuisine that tells the unique story of its city, dish by dish. From the morning ritual of la pasticceria (the pastry shop) and il forno (the bakery), the tantalizing fresh produce of il mercato (the market) and il maccellaio (the butcher) through to the romance of la trattoria.

With a nod to Florence's rich history, Florentine offers traditional dishes beloved in homes across the region too, including schiacciata fiorentina (orange and vanilla cake), apricot jam crostata (apricot jam pie), piselli alla fiorentina (peas cooked in tomato sauce) and cinghiale con le olive (stewed wild boar with olives). Seasons and long-held food traditions play an important role in the Tuscan kitchen and this is reflected in every Florentine menu, bakery window or market stall. Emiko Davies was raised in an international household with a Japanese mother and an Australian father, and spent her childhood and adolescence between Australia and China. So it was inevitable that she found herself halfway around the world later in life, to the US for a Fine Art degree that then led her to Florence, Italy, as a twenty-year-old. She fell in love with Florence instantly and returned a few years later to study art restoration and photography for a year and soak in the Florentine lifestyle (learning Italian along the way). But then she met her sommelier husband Marco, and that year turned into sixteen (and counting). They live in Florence with their two daughters.

Publisher: Hardie Grant; Illustrated edition (March 15, 2016)
Language: English
Hardcover: 256 pages
ISBN-10: 1743790031
ISBN-13: 978-1743790038
Item Weight: 3.04 pounds
Dimensions: 8.8 x 1.4 x 11.05 inches