Encyclopedia of Pasta (Volume 26) (California Studies in Food and Culture) Hardcover – Illustrated, October 15, 2009

For serious pasta makers, this book is an absolute treasure trove of information about the myriad shapes and doughs and styles of Italian pasta and dumplings. This is not a how-to book, it is what it says it is: An encyclopedia of what's done in Italy. But if you know how to make pasta yourself, it is a touchstone for endless fun in the kitchen.I find myself using the index most often: I'll have an ingredient, like rabbit or porcini or anchovies, and I will want to pair it with pasta or a dumpling,. Chances are Oretta has written about some obscure pasta perfect with braised rabbit. Armed with solid knowledge about how to make pasta on my own, her entries tell me most of what I need to go from there.My only regret is that there were not more illustrations. The line drawings are beautiful and very clearly illustrate what the shape is supposed to look like, which can be tricky with some of the odder shapes.

I bought this book as a reading book. I've been really into making pasta both by hand and machine and I love to learn how different foods came to be and how they were intended to be eaten and made. This book gives great explanation to all of that. My only complaint is there is not a drawing of each pasta shape. Highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning about various pasta shapes.

This is a great book about the historical and culinary aspects of pasta. The names of different type of pasta are arranged in alphabetical order, from "abbotta pezziende" (not so common a pasta name/type) to "zumari". In between you will find information about rigatoni, fettuccine, farfalle, and many other. The different pasta shapes combined with the presence/absence of ridges on the outer surface allows each pasta to capture the right amount of sauce. Some names are related to the shapes of pasta (eg. farfalle = butterflies) while others derive from old fairy tails or popular stories. The book is very entertaining and instructive, well done! A good complement to the Encyclopedia is "Pasta, a story of a universal food" by Serventi and Sabban.

go for it... you receive what you paid for. good deal!

This book is one of the best resources for pasta that you will find. very well written with a lot of information about every type listed along with the history and other aliases. ingredients, uses, methods, dimensions. everything you would need to know about the particular pasta shape. Only one criticism would be that they are listed alphabetically so you must know the name in order to find what you are looking for with ease. the plus side to this is that you will spend a bit of time reading a brief synopsis of all the pastas until you find what you may be interested in. if you get the digital version you can tag the shapes as you see fit for easy reference.

Although there is at least one other book titled The Encyclopedia of Pasta it not. This book is, in my mind, the DEFINITIVE on Italian pasta. I recommend it to all my students and have given several as gifts. It published by the University of California Press and they are particular about what they publish.

This is a great book if you are interested in all things pasta. It is not a cook book so if that's what you're looking for you'll have to look elsewhere. This compact book is full of interesting facts about the history and development of pasta on the Italian penninsula. If you like food history, especially the history of Italian food, then this is a book which you will enjoy.

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Liked this book very much.

This is a great book in terms of how pasta has evolved over the centuries, the history of the various pasta shapes, the context in which the various pastas were made and the local pasta traditions, right down to provinces and towns. However, if you are looking for a recipe book or 'how to make x pasta shape', it is of no use whatsoever. All recipes are generally described as taking 'durum wheat flour, sift, add water, oil and knead to a fine silky dough'. There are no weights or measures. As a handmade pasta teacher in Bologna, quantities and technique are of utmost importance. After all, with the same ingredients, one can make different types of dough and shapes. There are no instructions as to how to form the pastas, no instructions as to how to use a rolling pin for egg pasta. Saying 'The flour is kneaded together with the egg and kneaded long and vigorously. The dough is left to rest and rolled into a very thin sheet' is the easy way out of writing a pasta book. I challenge anyone who hasn't made pasta to adopt this method. People who make pasta learn from relatives, friends, teachers and practice for years to perfect the art. As I said, great for historical context, useless for recipes or technique.

I just received this yesterday. I bought it after being disappointed by the book "The Geometry of Pasta". This one is exactly what its title says - it describes 310 pasta shapes (plus it lists quite a few others within some of the shapes (e.g. the pasta may be called by one name in the north of Italy and another in the south) so if you don't find one of your favorites among the 310, just look in the index and it will most likely be mentioned as part of the description of one of the 310.)THIS IS NOT A RECIPE BOOK!!! It is an encyclopedia of pasta not of pasta recipes!!! There are no recipes in this book. Just as with an encyclopedia of words which gives you the meaning, origin, spelling, etc. of words, you wouldn't expect it to also have a section telling you how to put sentences together or write a short story.However, for every one of the 310 shapes described: 1) Many have a drawing (very detailed and precise, not like in "The Geometry of Pasta"), 2) Ingredients list for pasta and usual filling if any, 3) How made, 4) Alternative names 5) How served, 6) Where found, and 7) Remarks: some history and additional info on that particular type/shape of pasta.So, if you want to learn more about pasta this is the book for you. I gave it 5 stars because it does exactly what it promises and does it very well.

This is an incredible book for anyone passionate about pasta traditions, heritage and lineage. While some information may be scarce, it’s worth noting for this is NOT a recipe book. There are very very few pictures, information regarding technique is scarce and you certainly won’t find any measurements of ingredients or instructions.A wonderful book that I am enjoying reading and learning. Just letting people know so you’re aware of what you’re purchasing! Still a beautiful read and a great item for the collection.

For anyone who wants to understand Italian cuisine - though it would be even better with photographs and recipes