Those who have been to Sardinia know the best way to discover this enchanting island is around the table: sampling its unique tastes, learning about its traditions, and immersing themselves in its stories and secrets told by a people famous for their hospitality and longevity.

This hardcover cookbook features Mediterranean cooking at its purest, making liberal use of olive oil, fish, and fresh vegetables. But it’s also distinguished by indigenous ingredients that are becoming hot trends in America: pecorino, flatbread, fava beans, fregula, and bottarga.

Chef and author Efisio Farris has pulled together more than one hundred recipes – many of them family secrets. Among them are Watermelon Salad with Arugula and Ricotta Salata; Pannacotta with Bitter Honey; and Bruschetta with Sausage and Pecorino Sardo. More than 150 breathtaking images take you on a tour of the countryside – from the terraced olive groves to the riverbanks full of wild asparagus.

In sidebars, the author relates charming anecdotes and Sardinian history. Readers will come away not just with a taste for the island’s flavors but also a sense of Sardinia’s magical beauty and culture.