Sopranos Fans Need To Know About This Cookbook

If you're a big fan of a particular television show, there's a chance you may have envisioned what it might feel like to live in that world. You may have been curious about what the items tasted like at their go-to dinner spot, or what a perfectly made latte and pastry from the community's bakery would be like. Luckily, there are quite a few options that are aimed at particular series — whether it's the "Friends" cookbook, a collection of recipes inspired by "The Simpsons," or a cookbook for people who love "Gilmore Girls." There's even one for fans of "The Sopranos."

Now, it would be easy to simply gather a collection of Italian recipes and call it a day. However, the creators of "The Sopranos Family Cookbook: As Compiled by Artie Bucco" take things a step further. First of all, while the recipes are actually developed by a chef named Michele Scicolone (via Grand Central Publishing), the book is framed to make it seem as though Bucco, the chef at Nuovo Vesuvio on the show, was behind it.

For any fans who are wondering why they haven't seen the book, it may be because it came out back in 2002 when the show was actually on the air. However, if you're a foodie who would love to immerse yourself in Italian cuisine as you re-watch the series, or even binge-watch it for the first time, you might want to know about these show-inspired recipes.

As with any cookbook, there's a mixture of different dishes, from lighter appetizers to heartier main courses, although they organize it in a slightly more cheeky way. There's one chapter entitled "Cooking the Neapolitan Way," for example, while another is simply titled "Sunday Dinner," as RPKVids shares on YouTube. As one might expect, the book is packed with all kinds of Italian dishes that wouldn't be out of place on an Italian family's table.

However, it's also jam-packed with fun extras, such as an advertisement for the grand opening of Nuovo Vesuvio (a bash that comes with complimentary rice balls a.k.a. arancini and wine), plenty of snaps capturing food-centric moments from the show, as well as other little tidbits to catch your eye while flipping through, nestled amidst all the recipes.

If you're curious as to whether the recipes are actually high-quality, like a user posting on /thesopranos subreddit was, one owner of the cookbook had an answer to that question. As the individual wrote on a Reddit post, "it is a legitimately good cookbook," adding that they have made several of the recipes in it, including one of the desserts, with good results. Others commented on particular recipes, such as the Baked Ziti and Carmela's Rigatoni, while another chimed in that "it's a legit cookbook," also praising the fun extra bits included throughout.