Tenendo Innanzi Frutta

Isabella Dalla Ragione lives on a hilltop in Umbria, surrounded by her orchard filled with obscure ancient varieties of fruit trees she’s found and rescued from properties all over Italy. Part of her exhaustive and ongoing research involves studying old frescoes and paintings to help her definitively identify these almost-extinct types, like fuchsia-fleshed “blood peaches” and the aptly named “ox-snout apple.” Beyond its irresistible combination of art history and heirloom horticulture, Tenendo Innanzi Frutta is gorgeous, packed with photographs of fruit and art. The book is a fitting monument to Dalla Ragione’s lifelong passion for keeping culinary history alive.

The Benefits: Finding new avenues for deepening your culinary knowledge — in this case, through art history — helps us build healthier and more fulfilling relationships with food.