Blending recipes, personal memories, and cultural history, this volume offers a delectable celebration of Lousiana’s Italian heritage.

After decades of collecting stories and recipes from Italian immigrants throughout Louisiana, Nancy Wilson shares her findings in this spirited and multifaceted collection of Italian food and folkways. Undertaken to preserve her children’s Italian heritage and inspired by her mother-in-law, a first-generation Italian American, Wilson presents cultural traditions and anecdotes alongside lively personal commentary and historical and cultural facts.

Included here are authentic, user-friendly recipes ranging from Mama’s Italian Bread to eggplant casserole, homemade wines, olive salads, codfish balls, osso bucco, St. Joseph’s Day breadcrumbs, biscotti, and more. Wilson also includes a glossary and an illustrated how-to for making your own mud oven to bake authentic Italian bread.

Lost in the System