Manuela Darling-Gansser was born in Lugano, Switzerland. She spent the first nine years of her childhood in Iran before returning to school in Zurich. An inveterate traveller and keen linguist, she has lived in the US, Japan, Italy and the UK. She has visited other parts of Asia, India, North Africa, Central Asia and the Scandinavian countries. Inspired by family traditions, she has been a passionate cook all her adult life. Her previous successful travel and food books include: Under the Olive Tree, Autumn in Piemonte, Winter in the Alps, Spring in Sicily, Top 10: Recipes for the Beginner Home Cook and Four Seasons, a Year of Italian Food. She lives with her family in Sydney.