Ciao! This week on a brand new episode of A Taste of the Past, host Linda Pelaccio is chatting with one of Americas foremost authorities on Italian food, Julia della Croce. She is the author of over 13 cooking and travel books, notably Italian Home Cooking: 125 Recipes to Comfort Your Soul and The Classic Italian Cookbook. In the past decades, traditional Italian home cooking has seemingly gone to the wayside with dining in restaurants in Italy today being much different than traditional home cooking. True Italian food differs from region to region, says Julia, who emphasizes that this is imperative to the cuisine as a whole and that the food is truly tied to the land. After the break, Julia gives her thoughts on the authenticity of Italian recipes as well as the cooking classes she leads. Tune in for a wonderful episode! This program has been brought to you by Cain Vineyard and Winery. Italian cooking really is home cooking. The traditions Im talking about began in the home, not in the restaurants. The restaurants just carried out the recipes found at home... The restaurant is a relatively new concept in Italy. [4:19] Traditional Italian cooking is all about two things: ingredients, which are local... and the other thing is the skill of a homemaker who today would be a great grandmother. [8:15] Here I am in this little town in Puglia that no one goes to, off the beaten path, and I cant find parsley but I can find all the Pringles I want! [17:30] --Julia della Croce on A Taste of the Past