Phrases › At the Bookshop › Cerco un libro di cucina italiana.

Cerco un libro di cucina italiana.

I am looking for an Italian cookery book.

Pronunciation

'Cucina' — cu-CHI-na. Three syllables.

When to use it

Use when looking for Italian cookbooks. Italian cookery books are extremely popular as gifts and souvenirs. The section is usually labelled 'cucina' or 'gastronomia'.

What it means

'Libro di cucina' = cookery book (literally 'book of kitchen'). 'Cucina italiana' = Italian cuisine/cooking. Italian cookery publishing is vast: regional cookbooks, single-ingredient books (pasta, pizza, risotto), biographical cookbooks by famous chefs, and encyclopaedic works like 'Il Cucchiaio d'Argento'.

Variations

Avete 'Il Cucchiaio d'Argento'?

Do you have 'The Silver Spoon'?

Italy's iconic cookery book — like the Italian Bible of cooking.

Cerco ricette della cucina siciliana.

I am looking for Sicilian cuisine recipes.

Regional specificity.

Avete libri di cucina in inglese?

Do you have cookery books in English?

For non-Italian readers.

Mini Dialogue

Cliente: Cerco un libro di cucina italiana da portare come regalo. Libraia: Ha già 'Il Cucchiaio d'Argento'? È il classico assoluto. Cliente: No, non lo conosco. Libraia: È la bibbia della cucina italiana — più di duemila ricette. Esiste anche in inglese.

Customer: I am looking for an Italian cookery book to bring as a gift. Bookseller: Do you already have 'The Silver Spoon'? It is the absolute classic. Customer: No, I don't know it. Bookseller: It is the bible of Italian cuisine — more than two thousand recipes. It also exists in English.

Cultural Note

'Il Cucchiaio d'Argento' (The Silver Spoon), first published in 1950 by Editoriale Domus, is the best-selling Italian cookery book of all time — over 1 million copies sold. It was translated into English in 2005 and became an international bestseller. Every Italian household aspires to own one.

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