Yes it is massive. Yes there is a recipe for almost any pasta you can think of, including pasta types for Asian dishes. Yes this is an encyclopedia and it reads like one. Very few pictures. Instructions are unclear and could have really used pictures showing the steps for forming the different shapes. Certainly NOT for a beginner. And it's just weird. You have Italian dishes interspersed with asian dishes.... the only thing they have in common is the pasta, but make it make sense!

Thank you to Netgalley for the free ARC!

This is an impressively dense info packed cookbook. As a pasta beginner it was incredibly overwhelming to flip through.

The instructions are simple to follow, but there were very few photos. I felt like it should have included at least a small photo for each basic pasta shape. I have no idea how a lot of them should look like.

I would have preferred the recipes to be arranged in sections based on pasta shape too. It seemed very random to me.

For some of the recipes, I felt there were not enough directions, and it assumes you have an intermediate to advanced level of cooking knowledge, and a few specialty tools. This is not a book for beginners.

However, if you are a fairly experienced cook, I think this would be an enjoyable book to flip through

I always found the idea of making homemade pasta terrifying, however after reading this book, I found that it is not as daunting as it seems. There were so many great recipes, some well-known and some unique. I really liked the idea of flavored pasta. I also appreciated that the recipes were not just Italian type pastas, but pastas from all around the world. I found the added photos very helpful considering there many pasta types that I had never heard of. Not only were the pasta recipes great, there were also so many amazing recipes using the pastas featured in the book. This truly is an encyclopedia of pasta. This is a must have recipe book for all home cooks.

Here's a sample review for the pasta cookbook:

A Culinary Journey Through Italy: A Must-Have Pasta Cookbook

As someone who’s long dreamed of visiting Italy and savoring authentic Italian cuisine in the charming streets of Rome or a rustic Tuscan village, this cookbook instantly transported me there. Filled with an impressive array of pasta recipes and stunningly appetizing photographs, this book is more than just a guide—it’s an experience.

Each recipe is a step towards bringing the flavors of Italy into your own kitchen. What truly sets this book apart is how easy the instructions are to follow. Whether you’re a seasoned cook or a beginner, the clear, straightforward directions make even the most intricate dishes feel approachable. I never felt intimidated, and the results were delicious every time.

One of my favorite moments was recreating recipes with friends and family on a Sunday afternoon. The kitchen filled with the comforting aroma of simmering sauce, and we shared a home-cooked meal that felt like we were gathered around a big table in an Italian home. There's something so satisfying about making pasta from scratch or crafting the perfect sauce, knowing you crafted every bite with love.

If you're looking to deepen your love for pasta or want to share a cozy, Italian-inspired meal with loved ones, this cookbook is a treasure. It will have you dreaming of Italy and creating your own delicious memories right at home.

This book is really impressive! It's massive and the beginning section of the book is dedicated to making pasta. And there's pasta here that I've never heard of. However most of the pasta recipes can be made with no special tools. Some do require tools that aren't found in an average American kitchen, but if you're buying this book, you may actually have some of these already. A basic pasta is flour and water, or eggs, but included here are pastas that use different types of flours and other ingredients. And sort of surprising to me, there are other country's pastas, not just Italy. For instance, I'm familiar with Spaetzle, being of German descent. But there are three different types! And Chinese Egg Noodles and Udon Noodles. There are so many pastas, and I'm not even sure where they originated, but wouldn't it be fun to try them all?

And then come the recipes for "Dishes", Soups, Sauces" All I can say is WOW! So many wonderful meals are jammed into this book. Most of the recipes for the dishes are very simple and very simple to make. They span many cultures and locations in the world. The photos are enticing.

I received an early version of this as an e-book to review. I would really enjoy having a hard copy of this book to fill with bookmarks, after many evenings of paging through it. The choices seem endless!

The Encyclopedia of Pasta is exactly that. This is an extensive book that explains the history, processes, and recipes of a multitude of pasta recipes. I was not expecting the depth and breadth of content. You could spend so much time working from this cookbook and not finish everything. There seems to be a variety of recipe complexity, so even a novice has somewhere to start. There are a lot of photos, but not one for each recipe, which I usually prefer. This would be a great gift for the pasta lovers in your life!

Thanks to Cider Mill Press and NetGalley for an eARC of this cookbook for an honest review.