There are so many fine cookbooks out there that inspire and instruct us on Italian cookery, whether delving into a regional specialty or providing modern, restaurant-style twists and updates. Yet, this cookbook is unique in its ability to use recipes, photos, and stories to forge a deep sense of connection in its readers to the women in the narrative and to the regional food of Italy. Although Cooking with Italian Grandmothers is not a comprehensive guide, there’s something compelling in Jessica Theroux’s personal, idiosyncratic choices. In short, I don’t know that I’ve encountered a cookbook that has ever moved me like this one did. 

The basic premise is that we have something to learn from our grandmothers, that paying attention to our elders can help preserve food traditions. Admittedly, there’s a personal resonance here—when my Sicilian grandmother passed away, one of her recipes, for a micro-regional pizza from Modica called scacce or socaccia, became a source of family contention. No one had learned to make this beautiful dish, with its layers of delicate, oily dough flecked with tomato sauce and a cheese called cacio cavallo. Each December after her passing, my brother and I would insist that we try to recreate the dish from some (rather cryptic) notes in my grandmother’s hand. Each year, my mom would resist, perhaps fearing that our attempts would fail, serving as yet another reminder of my mother’s loss.

I bring up this personal anecdote because as much as the book is a celebration of these women...