There may be differences in how Italy and countries across the globe have dealt with the coronavirus pandemic this year, but one thing has brought the world together: cooking. With restaurants closed and more time spent at home, it seems like everyone has either discovered or rekindled a passion for preparing food from scratch, be it comfort cakes or multi-course meals.

When it comes to home cooking, few cultures match Italy for pure delight in anything culinary. And though many “recipes” are more rough guidelines passed down orally from generation to generation, this country of born home chefs also has a long and rich history of cookbooks.