I couldn’t resist this when I saw the name of the book it came from: Italian Food, by Elizabeth David. It’s an improbable English cookbook from the 1950s:
…David was a knowledgeable cook who delighted in the history and sensuality of recipes, sometimes at the expense of the how-to. Her instructions for pasta con le sarde said, in full:
“The pasta is mixed with a tomato sauce, salted sardines or anchovies, onions, pine nuts, sultanas, saffron and fennel.
“I have never experienced this dish in its native country. Paolo Monelli (‘Il Ghiottone Errante,’ 1935) describes it as discordant but exhilarating.”
At least you knew exactly what you’d be asking the fishmonger for, thanks to W.F. Phillips, who did all sorts of illustrating.
Scientific Illustration via Scientific Illustration.