4 comments about The Complete South African Cookbook.

1. I was given this delightful book in 1982. The recipes are easy to follow and friends often ask me for the recipes .The Bobotie pie is a real favourite.
   I have used this book so much it is falling apart, but to my delight I have found new copies on the internet using [...]
   For any newly weds this would be a must as often a recipe I cant find in other books I see it in Magdaleens book.
   Thora Angell



2. This is my bible of cookbooks. I have had a copy for 25 years and have never had a recipe flop or prove to be a diaster. The recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients tend to be easily available. The book has an excellent section on cuts of meats and how to best cook them. It also has a conversion section that is concise and extremely useful.
   
   For those wanting South African recipes this book offers many. From koeksisters to bobotie to biltong to boerewors the recipes are excellent.
   
   I have often found that the baking sections of many general cookbooks tend to be less then great. This is not true of "The Complete" cookbook. My husband has managed to make scones using the basic recipe! My daughters have both learnt to cook using this book and have rarely had any failures.
   
   This is a cookbook that allows cooks from basic to advanced the opportunity to find good recipes that offer a variety of choices and many new recipes that will become family favourites.



3. This book doesn't have a lot of traditional South African food. It was simply a cookbook created for use in the South African kitchen with recipes from all over the world. I've found the book to be helpful since there are wonderful recipes that are easily explained. If you're looking for a traditional South African cookbook, look for Van Wyk's other cookbook called "Traditional South African Cooking." I still recommend this book for the reasons stated previously.



4. The recipes are great. Being very visual, I would have enjoyed to see color pictures showing the steps used, or at least the end result.
   
   I always believe cookbooks look better in color, because you want to entice the reader to try the recipe.

5 comments about Eat Smart in Morocco: How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure (Eat Smart, No 6).

1. This book is one of a type I was not familiar with: books for travelers who are also "foodies", that is, people for whom trying the local food is one of their main pleasures while traveling.

   This book will let foodies explore Morocco's rich and unique cuisine in thier homes before leaving via descriptions of both the food and its context, and it even provides recipes to try first. Once in Morocco, there is a directory of regional cuisine, and a menu guide with transliterated Arabic names of dishes to help in ordering. I find Moroccan food some of the world's best and most varied, and this book makes it accessible to everyone.

   I've traveled and worked in Morocco off and on for the last 35 years, and can attest that the recipes and descriptions are well-researched and accurate. Readers should enjoy this book, as a travel guide or as a 'virtual' trip to Morocco.




2. "Eat Smart in Morocco" uses significant historical facts to trace the rich culinary treasures of Morocco and its land. Readers can become more familiar with the culture and civilization through this guidebook and delight themselves with recipes from various contributors. The guidebook confirms that we can touch the heart of another culture through the flavors of its food and experience a gastronomic journey.
   ----Rafih Bengelloun, chef/owner of the Imperial Fez restaurant in Atlanta



3. Joan Peterson, the culinary mistress of the EAT SMART series, returns to feed our continuing love affair with foreign foods and flavors in her latest book, Eat Smart in Morocco. As much a travel guide as it is a cookbook, Peterson shares her knowledge of the history and cultural significance of native dishes as well as the traditions and secrets of Moroccan cooks. Her culinary tribute to the land and its people should be part of an official welcome packet given to every foreign visitor when they first step on Moroccan soil. As she writes, "What better way to know a culture than through its cuisine." Particularly helpful to travelers are her bilingual menu, and food and flavor guides. Whether you're a novice or experienced traveler, Eat Smart in Morocco is the perfect reference for a memorable culinary journey. --Kimberly Ouhirra, President, Exotica Oils, Inc.



4. I've been a fan of Joan Peterson's "Eat Smart" series ever since I discovered "Eat Smart in Turkey" and "Eat Smart in Brazil" in the 1990s. Now Ms. Peterson has come out with a new guide to the foods and foodways of Morocco, a country whose history is reflected in its richly varied cuisine influenced by nomadic Berbers, Arab conquerors, Sephardic Jewish settlers, and French colonialists. As the author states in the Preface, "What better way to get to know a culture than through its cuisine?"
   
   This highly informative book provides an overview of Morocco's history, an in-depth look at the country's national and regional foods, and a selection of Moroccan recipes from appetizers to desserts, with color photographs of many of the dishes. But "Eat Smart in Morocco" is much more than an introduction to the culinary cultures of this fascinating country. It's also a practical guidebook that you'll want to take along on your next trip to Morocco.
   
   One chapter gives helpful phrases (with their pronunciation) for use in restaurants and food markets. An extensive Menu Guide lists menu items alphabetically, with a description of each dish, followed by a Foods & Flavors Guide with a comprehensive list (and explanation) of Moroccan ingredients, spices, kitchen utensils, and cooking terminology. An extensive bibliography and very good index round out this book.
   
   "Eat Smart in Morocco" is an indispensable companion for the intelligent traveler who is interested in that country's foods-and for anyone who wants to know what, and how, to eat in a Moroccan restaurant. Don't go to Morocco without it! Highly recommended. ----- Sharon Hudgins, author of "The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far East"



5. This book, like other books in the Eat Smart series, guides the reader/traveler through the food history, best dishes, and regional favorites of the country. I loved having this while in Morocco, because I had a good idea what to order wherever I went. The book also gives you the phrases you need to both read the menu and order. It's simply an invaluable guide for those who consider food a major part of the adventure of travel.

5 comments about Spoonbread & Strawberry Wine: Recipes and Reminiscences of a Family.

1. I purchased this paperback version at Fisk University in August 1978 and it has been with with me since then. I love the recipes in this book and the stories behind them. I have my original paperback copy @$2.75 a copy. I cooked several recipes from this book, although I knew how to cook from my mother. I am sharing this book with my young co-workers in my office as the bible for Southern cooking and sharing a family story. I love the recipe for the potatoe salad and am preparing it for my company's picnic this week.
   
   Thanks for sharing,
   Loren



2. I come from a family who loves to eat and cook, and my brother (a chef and bistro owner) has recommended a wide variety of books to me over the years. This book I found myself at a Half Priced Bookstore! Lucky me. I was not expecting that it would become one of my most valued kitchen friends. The stories are wonderful but the wide range of recipes is really amazing. From ice cream to how to make face cream! My favorite all time is the Refrigerator Rolls using mashed potatoes. They come out moist and buttery and is perfect for cinnamon rolls and special occasions. Now I am picking up a copy for my brother!



3. This book has a very special place in my heart. It was the first cookbook I ever purchased, and it is still a favorite. The wonderful Darden sisters share stories of their unique family as well as recipes that are simply stellar. I think this book is the very best of it's kind!
   I live in Australia now, and my last copy was destroyed in storage. I am hoping Amazon.au has a copy to send me- if not, my family in the states will need to send me one, because I can't be without it :-D.
   Does anyone know what happened to the Darden sisters?



4. I love this book because my mother made a lot of these dishes when I was young . I did not learn to cook from my mother ( who by the way was from Virginia and a great cook ) because she never measured anything . I love the old dishes but did not know how to make them and then along came the sisters . The only thing that kept me from rating it a five star was the print . At my age I wish the print was larger . That may just be a personal thing



5. Wonderful receipes / great insite into family / a real keeper / great pictures inside also

1 comments about African American Foodways: Explorations of History and Culture (The Food Series).

1. I guess I had an appreciation for a writer who writes for the masses, no pretense. I relatively enjoyed this book. I appreciated some author's more than others. I am blaming it on style of writing.
   
   My favorite contribution was Chicken and Chains by Pyche Wilson-Forson. I am interested enough to find the book and read it in its entirety. I also enjoyed Excavating the South's African American History by Anne Yentsch.

2 comments about Healthy Soul Food Cooking.

1. Great book for anyone who wants a book comfort food cookbook with all the taste but without all the fat and sugar this is for you. I am a diabetic of 10 years and this is the first book that works for me and I don't feel like I'm missing anything. I ran it by my doctor and dietician and got the thumbs up. I've given this book to two people already as gifts and they love it.



2. The cover is not correct as shown on Amazon--it says, "for People with Diabetes". That is a different book. I took out this book from the library and the recipes are great, and not complicated. I have made the Corn Pudding and the Broccoli Casserole and found I had to add more seasoning.

No comments about The Essential Guide to South African Wines.

No comments about North African Cooking.

5 comments about George Crum and the Saratoga Chip.

1. Hip Hip Hooray! A fabulous biography that is not only multi-cultural, but will hold the interest of every child who reads it! Thanks go out to author Gaylia Taylor, who must have researched many months to find enough details to bring George Crum half Native American, half African American, back to life. Embarrassed and laughed at in school as a child because he couldn't count to one hundred, George decided to live his life by making his own choices, not those of society. There are strong messages about self esteem and perserverance in this story, yet they never beat the reader over the head.
   Frank Morrison's illustrations are both interesting and fun.
   This book is a must have for all Elementary School libraries. I loved it so much, I bought one for each school in our district!



2. I purchased this book for my 7 year old grandson who is biracial. He is having problems with classmates calling him names and I thought this book would show him that race has nothing to do with accomplishments. The book was a little to old for him. The pictures were very dark and not at all bright. He really didn't enjoy the book at all. I don't recommend this book for young children.



3. I enjoyed this story of George Crum, who in 1853 invented the potato chip while working as a chef at the prestigious Moon's Lake House in Saratoga Springs.
   
   Crum was confident of his cooking skills but as a person of color, part African American and part Native American; he faced difficulty finding a position as a chef. Hired by Moon's Lake House, Crum's menu soon brought the rich and famous to the restaurant in droves.
   
   He felt great frustration and chafed at the pettiness of wealthy restaurant patrons. After one customer complained about the thickness of some French fries, Crum, in retaliation, sliced the potatoes wafer thin and fried them at a very high heat. The rest is history.
   
   This book works well for kids on many levels. It is a skillfully told story from history. Morrison's illustrations are bright and engaging and evoke the time period. In the dining room of the restaurant, the patrons are white and the waitstaff is black.
   
   Readers will applaud George Crum's independent spirit and his determination to follow his own path. This story of one of our favorite snack foods is a terrific read to share with students.



4. Frank Morrison's illustrations are the best thing in this biography of the inventor of the potato chip, Mr. George Crum. I've seen Morrison's work in both "Sweet Music in Harlem" and "Jazzy Miz Mozetta," but I think this is his best work to date. Sure, he has those signature elongated limbs and faces, but his backgrounds also curve around, inviting you into the picture. His choice of colors is outstanding, rich greens and browns make you taste the Adirondack mountains, and his precious orchid tones suggest the high-minded, precious ambience of the exclusive restaurants where Crum eventually works. Morrison commands each scene, whether the action table side or in the kitchen, (where George whips up a batch of French fries--their return by yet another horrendous customer prompts an angry George to invent the dish we now call the potato chip), or in a fish-shaped lily pad floating on the river where George lays down his pole.
   
   The story depicts mid-18th century America, and includes some interest-provoking material about George and his sister and supporter, Kate. An early scene that show George's frustration at school sets up George's later feisty personality, and his "revenge" on the fussy french fry complaint. However, it seems a little contrived, and the details about his entire life seem somewhat superfluous. Not to make too fine a point of it, but I also wondered at the cozy racial integration shown both at school and at the cafes. Perhaps this is useful for educational settings, but it's internally inconsistent with Crum's difficulty procuring a chef position, and is very probably contradictory to the times.
   
   While some scene-setting is necessary, perhaps a better tact would have been conclude the story at its dramatic high point (the invention and fame of the potato chip), and include some of the early and later details in the excellent afterward by Ms. Taylor. Still, any story about a food as familiar as the potato chip will attract lots of interest, and Morrison's pictures make this a tasty read.



5. George Crum and the Saratoga Chip is a informative and interesting book that tells of the invention of a favorite food of the U.S. It is a wonderful addition to any library seeking to add multicultural depth to the collection. It has great illustrations.

1 comments about Food fit for Pharaohs: An Ancient Egyptian Cookbook.

1. This is an interesting, short, book of current Egyptian dishes. However, the title is missleading!! Readers would buy the book, excpecting (as the title suggests), real ancient Egyptian recipes (especially that the book is published by the British Museum), but will find that all the dishes in the book are simply contemporary.

No comments about African Cooking: The Best-Kept Secrets From West to East.