—I N T R O D U C T I O N—

Cooking with Italian Grandmothers begins the important work of documenting the simple traditions that have been passed down verbally through generations. Grandmothers are the guardians of our collective culture and their secrets and techniques are as relevant now as they were a hundred years ago. We have forgotten how to feed ourselves and each other and are at risk of losing our culinary heritage. However, when the stories are told and the recipes retained, we somehow manage to secure them for the future.
      There is a wealth of knowledge and wisdom in the simple food traditions of the elder generation all around the world. Every society shares these same roots and in Italy it is particularly strong. Women rich or poor are still connected to the land; they cook seasonally, humbly, and with care. Jessica Theroux has taken a gift for connecting with people and new cultures and translated it into an anthology of stories that capture the role of food and family in the lives of twelve remarkable women. Her closeness with the women she has lived and cooked with comes through with clarity and beauty as we meet them through their pasta, beans, and rabbits.
      Even considering Italians' enthusiastic embrace of those interested in their food, not every cook could arrive at a doorstep in a foreign land, weary and travel worn, and so seamlessly integrate themselves into a stranger's life, and a family's rhythm. With each woman that Jessica encounters, we see the love, care and a mutual admiration that opens the door to an exchange of knowledge with the keepers of an invaluable cultural legacy.
       We are beginning to wake up to a new appreciation of the value of food traditions, and not a moment too soon. For decades we have systematically delivered the message that food is fuel, and that cooking is drudgery. This mindset has put into peril the wealth of wisdom built over generations: delicious ways to preserve the summer bounty for the winter months, how to cook beans grown in one field differently than the drier beans grown in another, hundreds of ways to nourish ourselves in the most basic way.
      Years ago Jessica put several of the wonderfully simple recipes now in this book to work in my own kitchen with beautiful results. She is a talented cook, writer, and documentarian. Cooking with Italian Grandmothers is an exquisite, heartfelt anthology that is an important reference for us all.