Cookbooks: 1970s to the Present: Italian Wave

In much the same fashion, the cooking teacher Marcella Hazan introduced Americans to the simple joys of Italian food when she wrote The Classic Italian Cook Book: The Art of Italian Cooking and the Italian Art of Eating (1973), followed by More Classic Italian Cooking (1978), Marcella’s Italian Kitchen (1995), and others. With recipes that clearly led even amateur cooks to successful results, the books soon earned their titles, becoming classics. Hazan introduced readers to then little-known ingredients such as balsamic vinegar, sun-dried tomatoes, and extra virgin olive oil. It was the beginning of an Italian love affair that American cooks have embraced ever since.