The first encyclopedia of Italian cuisine. Illustrated with 4,000 stunning photographs and featuring more than 140 recipes. Italian cooking now has a book worthy of its place at the head of the culinary table. A gorgeous and comprehensive reference guide and cookbook dedicated to Italian food and drink, Gusto beautifully illustrates the ingredients and cooking methods used in kitchens from Parma to Tuscany and beyond. The delicious photos represent a breathtaking array of the components that make up Italian dishes from the classic to the unfamiliar. Imagine every cut of beef, all varieties of mushrooms, fourteen different species of crustacean, twelve kinds of prosciutto, all vividly displayed and carefully explained in ravishing detail. Each chapter--on pasta, rice, fish, meat, bread (and yes, pizza), cheese, salami, vegetables, fruit and nuts, herbs and condiments, desserts, cookies and pastry, gelato, chocolate, coffee, and, of course, wine--describes essential ingredients and food preparation methods as well as presenting superb recipes from Italian kitchens. Equally at home on the coffee table or the countertop, Gusto will surprise the sophisticated connoisseur and amaze the lover of all things Italian.