Book excerpt: Cucina povera ' there's no adequate translation, though 'humble food' has something of it ' is about the real food of Italy. The cooking techniques are simple, the ingredients seasonal and at their best. Cucina povera, as you'll discover when you try it, means eating with a warm heart ' quite possibly better than you've ever done in your life. As a Roman proverb says: 'Più se spenne e pejo se magna'... The more you spend, the worse you eat.