Italian food has conquered the world. That’s paraphrasing a book by John F. Mariani that traces Italian food’s progress from “poor man’s gruel” to “global obsession.”

“Go to a restaurant anywhere in the world today — even in Tokyo, Hong Kong or Mumbai — and chances are you will see Italian dishes on the menu," according to Mariani, a contributor to Forbes magazine.

The book was published ten years ago; Italian food’s grip on the global appetite has only strengthened since then.

It’s the country’s leading ethnic cuisine; 71% of residents in the Northeast eat it on a regular basis. Few are the Jersey towns that don’t have at least one Italian restaurant or pizzeria within their borders.

Our ranking of the state’s 51 best Italian restaurants was an epic undertaking, with assistance from f

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