Italian Snacking: Sweet and Savory Recipes for Every Hour of the Day

From mid-morning coffee break spuntini to aperitivi happy-hour bites, explore the culture of Italian snacks and street foods in this mouthwatering cookbook.
Italian food has captivated our taste buds for centuries. Combining simplicity and creativity, it enchants with an alchemy of high-quality ingredients, recipes tied to the specialties of each region, and the experience of being at the table. There is an entire category of smaller bites--spuntini--meant to be enjoyed at in-between-meal moments of the day. This snack cookbook by Italian food expert Anna Francese Gass introduces the American audience to the complete range of spuntini culture, with recipes drawn from all across the country. She shares recipes for spuntini di meta mattina (mid-morning snacks often enjoyed with a second--or third--coffee); merenda, the cherished after-school treat for children (that also offers adults a way to stave off hunger before dinner); and aperitivi, delightful early-evening Italian appetizers meant to be enjoyed with drinks. Also included is a chapter of delicacies from Italy’s robust culture of street food (the one instance where Italians might eat on the go). Studded with gorgeous photography of both finished dishes and Italian food markets, cafes, bars, and pasticcerie, this book will elevate your snacking game to the Italian ideal.

With simple yet creative recipes made from quality ingredients, this Italian cookbook brings the same small plate ethos of books like Snacking Cakes and Brilliant Bites to the spuntini, aperitivi, and street food specialtiesthat define Italy’s delightful snacking culture.

Anna Francese Gass grew up in a small town on the Rhode Island shore, with frequent visits to her grandparents in Calabria and summers in Florence. She studied Culinary Arts at the French Culinary Institute and then worked in the test kitchens of Martha Stewart Living, Whole Foods, and Mad Hungry. Today, she is a contributing editor and recipe tester for Food52 and Bon Appétit, and her recipes frequently appear on New York Times Cooking. She has also appeared on Good Morning America, Today, Access Hollywood, and The Rachael Ray Show. She is the author of Heirloom Kitchen (HarperDesign, 2019).