5 comments about The Food and Wine of Greece: More Than 300 Classic and Modern Dishes from the Mainland and Islands.

1. I have hundreds of cookbooks... I know its sounds nuts. I am a very adventurous cook. I'll try anything... from Indian, to Japanese to Italian to "Good Old American" to Vietnamese and of course Greek (my favorite) and much more in between.
   
   Out of all my cookbooks (including all my Greek cookbooks)this is the one I use most. It is beat up, stained, falling apart and hanging on by a thread. That is how much I use this book.



2. I'm Greek and love Greek food of course, but I've lived in the USA most of my life and only get to experience the true Greek dishes when i visit family in Greece. This is a great book of Greek dishes, they are very authentic and i have enjoyed trying something new each week.



3. I was raised on the recipes found in this book. Diane makes even the most seemingly complicated recipes manageable. I gave the book out as gifts this holiday season. I highly recommend it.



4. I spotted it in a local book store and wasn't that impressed. There's tons of info and recipes which I'm sure are authentically excellent however what put me off is the poor, dark gray paper pages and lack of bright, high resolution color photos like you find in other cookbooks. I love to see how the dish is supposed to look like so I can know I'm preparing it the right way. Having to use a cookbook that looks more like a dusty, mystery novel is not too helpful nor inspiring.



5. I made a couple of items from this book for a Greek friend's party- and they were great. I cannot pronounce the cookies I made (but he did, and knew them)- they had interesting spices and wine (!) and orange juice in them- as well as a walnut and honey filling. Really good! My friend vouched for the recipe's authenticity.

5 comments about Classic Russian Cooking: Elena Molokhovets' "A Gift to Young Housewives".

1. So far I did not have a chance to see an American version of Madame Molokhovet's, only the Russian one. But since probably nobody knows about this book in US, and I turned out to be the first one to review it, I have to "break the ground" and drop a couple of lines.

   The original version, first published at the end of the XIXth century, had a goal to help young middle-class housewives covering a wide range of issues from hiring servants to shopping for the house. The recipes were only a part of what can be called an "encyclopedia on running the house".

   During the Soviet times there was almost no opportunity to use it because it was almost impossible to buy the ingredients. However, the book was still fun to read. It gives a good picture of the Russian culture of the time.

   The recipe part (of the original version) is very thorough and understandable. However, most of the dishes require considerable time, exquisite ingredients and, in many cases, help of another person. However, trying them pays off, for they help you to discover REAL Russian cuisine, very different from "chicken-Kiev" and other tourist traps.

   I would recommend this book to those who love Russia, are interested in Russian culture and like to cook something very unconventional. Very curious to see the American version.




2. I'm really just beginning with this book, but it is already frustrating. Some reasons: Measurements are given oddly, like 1/2 pound flour, 2 glasses water. There will be an instruction to "bake" without mention of temperature or time. There will often be ingredients in the list which are not mentioned in the instructions. It seems to me that it was written as a technical reference for someone that already knew what they were doing in this cuisine. I strongly recommend that in future editions there be some editing and clarification done along with translation.



3. My grandmother immigrated to Canada from Russia well over a century ago and lived to the age of 104. With her she brought many authentic Russian recipes, but alas, they remained in her head and not on paper. This cookbook comes very close to the recipes I, as a child, can remember her preparing. Yes, it is true, that some aspects of the recipes found here are lost in the translation, particularly when it comes to measurements; however, in reality, that is how my grandmother, and many Russian homemakers in her time, prepared a meal. There was no such thing as a teaspoon of this or a cup of that. Accurate meansurements would have meant nothing to my grandmother, for like many immigrants in the 1800's she had little scholastic education. Her education came from the "school of hard knocks" and life's experiences. Measurements included "a little of this a small handful of that." I can remember her placing three fingers in a small cup and when the liquid reached the top, that was how much one used. Confusing? Yes, for the traditional chef, it would be. However, as one becomes experienced with Russian cooking, the delicious recipes found here will not seem like such a challenge to prepare - trial and error is often the best way of learning.



4. This is such a classic that it was intended, in the past, to be given to young housewives to be a much-used reference. As such, in addition to the predictable recipes for coulibiac (fish in pastry crust), sturgeon, borscht, kasha and Russian sweets, there is a wide variety of household food preservation and preparation you just don't find in today's cookbooks. Such as--butchering a pig and then portioning out, preserving and preparing the resulting meats. NOT for vegans or the fainthearted, believe me. Also, there are recipes for improving the flavor of homemade vodka (including how to make birch charcoal for the purpose.) And how to make imitation butter from mutton fat, how to get rid of the off-flavor in butter that is going rancid.

   If you are a home-brewer, this is a surprisingly good book for making such things as mead and fruit wines and liquers. One caveat for the whole book; measurements are either baffling, in Russian terminology that has no English referent, or "two wineglasses" , etc. And for brewers, it requires some basic knowledge of the process.

   For cooking, there are a lot of beef and fish recipes but the borscht recipes were disappointing as there were only of few of these and there are LOTS of ways to make borscht. However, for interesting reading on food history and technique, and for some authentic Russian cooking, this book is absolutely fascinating reading.




5. I found this book recommended to me by my Russian professor, and after eating at a Russian dinner hosted by my university's Russian club, I decided I really had to have this book. It has an excellent introduction which covers a large variety of topics on Russian cooking through the years. Another thing I like about it is that it uses mainly ingredients that are commonly available today. Although a few of the ingredients used are highly unusual today (like dried backbone of a fish), they appear in relatively few of the recipies. I am anticipating cooking recipies from it!

5 comments about Great British Cooking: Wellkept Secret, A.

1. Like a previous reviewer I too have spent time in the U.K. (as I married a Scotsman). The recipes in here are the standards to British cooking. I've tried many other and this is by far the best for anyone wanting to cook British meals in the U.S. The measurements have all been scaled for an American kitchen and every recipe I've tried has come out wonderful. A LOVELY BOOK!!!!



2. I am an American who loves Britain and who has lived in England. I think British cooking gets a bad rap, and that's just what the author points out. Just yesterday I made the Brown Windsor soup and it's wonderful, so I'd say I'm off to an excellent start with this excellent book. Hooray!



3. The delight in this book is not only in the recipes, which I have enjoyed immensely. Jane Garmey's wit in the presentation makes one sense a wink at the poor reputation British food generally holds, just as her recipes give it the lie. Generally, British food at its best is wonderful... trouble is that finding it 'at its best' often requires a journey.
   
   The volume is not exhaustive, but presents many classic dishes, most easily prepared (and some which would appeal to, for example, one so avidly traditional as to spend the two months it takes for genuine plum pudding.) It is a pleasant sampler of varied main dish, savoury, pudding, and tea favourites.
   
   I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy cooking. There are many items here which do not require unusual effort or odd ingredients, and can have wonderful results.



4. Although the book has no pictures, the recipes taste and look like authentic British foods. The measures have been converted to standard American measures and some traditional British ingredients have been changed to easier to find American ingredients such as sour cream instead of creme fraiche; however, this book would be easy to use in any country. A good basic 'What the English really eat' cookbook!



5. I like to cook but don't have as much time for it as I'd like. I can do the recipes in this book on the weekends, but on workdays, they just take too long.
   
   That's too bad, because the food is very good.

5 comments about Kibbee 'N' Spice and Everything Nice : Popular and Easy Recipes for the Lebanese and American Family.

1. I love this book. It has clear, easy instructions, nutrition information and color pictures. Very yummy!



2. this book is extremely simple to read and understand and very much like the country recipes from rural lebanon that my grandmother (sita) used to make.



3. I have really enjoyed owning this cookbook. My great-grandparents were from Lebanon so I've grown up eating Lebanese food but this was the first Lebanese cookbook that I've seen where the recipes are just like what I used to eat at Sittee's house on Sunday after church. Also, I want to add that the recipes are relatively easy and require ingredients that you can get at your local grocery store.
   
   I HIGHLY recommend it!



4. This book is well laid out with a myriad of Lebanese dishes. The Author being Lebanese-American has adapted the recipes easily to the American Kitchen and Supermarket. Everything I have tried out of this cookbook has been delicious. I grew up eating this kind of food and the smells and flavors take me back. I would highly recommend this book for anyone that wishes to learn and more importantly eat Lebanese food. The copy I have has nutritional information with each recipe. The only reason it didn't get 5 stars is because I would have like more pictures and to have them with the recipes themselves. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.



5. Simply and understandably written for anyone who cooks Lebanese food or not, great cookbook, bought 5 for giveaways to my family

5 comments about Wild Brews: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition.

1. Wild Brews covers those beer styles of Belgium that depend upon fermentation by wild yeast and bacteria, specifically East Flanders brown, West Flanders red and lambic. Although you may be under the impression, as I was, that a lambic brew could occur only in the Brussels and Payottenland areas and inside cobweb infested barns with leaky roofs, Sparrow contends that wild yeast can occur anywhere. It is the cultivation and control of the right microorganisms that create a quality brew.
   
   The book looks at the history, brewers and brews of the area and includes many photographs, but of particular interest to advanced brewers are the sections on the nature of Brettanomyces, Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Saccharomyces and other microorganisms that ferment and acidify wild beers. Temperatures and other environmental factors can enhance or inhibit their activity.
   
   An infusion mash is commonly used for Flanders red and Flanders brown and a turbid mash for lambic. The methods are detailed in the book, plus specifics on how to control the fermentation process to balance the yeasts and bacteria by allowing dominant stages and adjusting temperatures. The addition of fruit would amplify the complication. This is not a book for a beginning home brewer.
   
   Brewers will find it nearly impossible to copy a style because of the unpredictability of wild yeasts and bacteria. Two brewers using the same recipe are likely to come up with brews quite different. Wild brews are often blended to change the character of a beer or achieve consistency. Blending is an art that requires trial and error to learn.
   
   Sparrow provides ten recipes, including options to experiment with the brews at different stages. The recipes and information in this book provide a wonderful challenge to create a unique brew while aspiring to the standards set by the Belgium brewers.



2. I've never been in a Belbium brewery, but from what I hear, the health department in any city/state in the US would immediately shut them down. The very title of this book 'WildBrews' explains why. The traditional lambic beers of Belgium are produced using wild yeast. While you can find wild yeast everywhere, the ones you get here in the US produce truly bad beers. Each batch you produce will be different, sometimes totally different, but in my experience always bad.
   
   The yeast that seem to abound in Belgium produce beers with a consistency that has lasted for generations. I don't know if it is true, but I have always suspected that clumps of yeast would gather together rather like cob webs or dust balls around the brewery and fall or be blown into the mix. I was rather surprised at the appearance of the breweries in this book as they seemed clean and sanitary.
   
   Lambics have not been among the most popular beers made in this country. Only a few micro breweries produce lambics, the most popular around here is New Belgium from Ft. Collins, CO.
   
   You can, of course make your own Lambics, the recipies start on page 255 of this book. But you don't do it with the natural yeast floating around the air in your garden. You buy Lambic yeast from a couple of companies.
   
   One scary thought. Beer was invented some 5,000 years ago. Probably some grain got wet, sprouted, dried out, got wet again and some yeast got into the mix. Boy that must have been bad stuff. At that time it was all wild yeast. Personally I'm glad that we've had 5,000 years of yeast development.
   
   This is an enjoyable book, almost a travelogue through Belgium beers.



3. This book was loaded with good historical pieces that I doubt could be found elsewhere. It is not a casual book however, only for those with a deep interest in Belgian brewing. The text tends to wind around a bit, but is well worth following.



4. As the title suggests, this book deals with the history and manufacturing techniques related to sponteneously fermented beers (lambic, gueze). It shows a very different perspective on what is "beer" from that of modern America where Budweiser dominates. Similar to "Farmhouse Ales", this book explores how culture and geography combined in the creation of these beers. It also deals with how modern attitudes are challenging the continuation of some of the methods. It seems odd that after 500 years someone would decide that a production method is "unsanitary".
   
   This raises a great point. If the reader is like me, much of the methodology described in this book will seem like an unclean heresy compared to the dogma that new homebrewers are indoctrinated with. Which, to me, makes it fascinating. For the majority of American homebrewers this book will open a whole new world.
   
   The book does a good job of describing the history, culture, biology, and methods that create "wild brews". Equipment and techniques are thoroughly described. In fact, this book inspired me to give barrel aging a try. It worked! At times the text does seem to wander and bog down (the reason for four stars instead of five). The author also falls into the "malt-extract beers are not as good as all grain" mantra. I see this a an annoying elitist attitude with little basis in fact. As Tess and Mark Szamatulski point out: "Award winning beers have been, and continue to be brewed with malt extract." Let each brewer choose the method that best suits them.
   
   To sum up: The good points of this book far out weigh its negatives. This book provides a fascinating and inspiring look into a world of beer that barely exists for most North Americans. If you are a homebrewer who enjoys experimenting it will provide you with many avenues of exploration and hours of enjoyment.



5. I understood the basic styles of belgian beer before, but not the specific details of the styles, particularly the wild fermented beers.My one and only lambic was brewed in 2000.I drank the last bottle in 2007. A great beer with 7 years maturation.This book has spurred me on to brew more wild brews with greater control of targeted styles.Many thanks for a great book. Still have brew like a monk, farmhouse ales and extreme brewing to read. Just started Brew like a monk.Most informative and well written. Thanks,
   Andy in Western Australia

5 comments about Chef for All Seasons.

1. Rather than a culinary version of "A Man for All Seasons," Gordon Ramsay's "A Chef for All Seasons" is a wonderful collection of great (read "Scottish") recipes.
   
   (...)



2. `A Chef for All Seasons' by the English high tempered chef, Gordon Ramsay looks like and is very much of a `follow the trend' book, just as `healthy eating' and `quick cooking' themes are bandwagons on which cookbook writers jump to squeeze another ounce of interest out of their audience for their latest book. Unlike some other seasonally or calendar oriented books such as Alfred Portale's `The 12 Seasons', Nigel Slater's `The Kitchen Diaries' and Brother Victor-Antoine d'Avila-Latourrette various `Twelve Month' cookbooks, the recipes in this book offer little real guidance to when it is best to make these various recipes. As the author himself says, for him, summer begins in early May and most of the best produce is available closer to autumn than in high summer.
   
   Except for a very few fruits and vegetables such as fava beans and strawberries in spring, tomatoes and corn in late summer, there is little reason aside perhaps from cost from restricting oneself to strictly seasonal produce, except for price. While my favorite local supermarket carries excellent asparagus the year around, it's price jumps from $1.99 to $2.99 in late summer, to drop back a dollar in March, and briefly drop to $1.69 (a pound) in May and June. So, I don't eat asparagus at $3 a pop, but do eat it every other month. Similarly, I don't make dishes with beefsteak tomatoes quite as often in the winter and spring as I do in high summer, but I don't eschew them entirely in winter. So, unless you are willing to literally graph out prices and availability of produce based on supermarket prices in your area, most seasonal considerations seem like a waste of time. Because, if you can't get it at all (like fresh fava beans in October), the question is moot, and if you can get it at a reasonable price and at a reasonable quality, the small difference between seasonal and off seasonal produce shipped in from Chile probably won't make a big difference to you, especially when you are looking at Master Ramsay's recipes, where the prep and cooking time are worth far more than that extra dollar you may pay for off season blueberries.
   
   The other side of the coin is that Gordon Ramsay's recipes are very, very good without using excessively expensive ingredients except as options and they are (relatively) easy for `haute cuisine' dishes. So, this book is more of an argument to select Gordon Ramsay as your primary source for fancy dishes, instead of Eric Rippert or Albert Portale or Tom Colicchio or Joel Robuchon or Michael Romano or Charlie Trotter. Compared to many of these chef / authors, Ramsay is equally as fussy, but manages to follow the dictum of using the best ingredients and being as careful as possible not to muck them up. And, unlike some of his preachier colleagues, he concentrates on the simple procedures rather than on the gratuitous yapping about using fresh ingredients. For us in the peanut gallery, we pick the best that we can get without traveling 20 miles out of our way. Even foodies have a life beyond cooking and marketing.
   
   For those of you unfamiliar with Ramsay's style, it is very, very French in technique with lots of creamy sauces, soups, and confits. It may not be the kind of thing you would pick for a low calorie diet, but it is not quite as fat laden as the provincial cuisine of southwestern France (see Paula Wolfert's excellent new edition on the subject). As usual, the most sprightly and revealing blurb on the back cover comes from the always eloquent Tony Bourdain, who describes this as `...food porn at its most lush...', a far more original approbation than the overworked `decadent'.
   
   I confess I was not immediately as impressed with this book as I have been with some of Ramsay's other books, but this is largely due to what seems like less general information on cooking technique and more space on the recipes themselves. There is, however, still a fair amount of gems on various foods here. For example, he gives an excellent argument for preferring your mangoes firm and not quite ripe to the squishy red ones soft to the touch. But, the very best part of the book for the foodie cook is the last section on `basic recipes and techniques', especially if your library is not already filled with tomes from Jacques Pepin, the CIA, and James Peterson on basic kitchen skills. The most interesting recipe here is the one for `Vegetable nage' that on the surface is very similar to a vegetable stock, but it seems to be a cross between a veggie stock and a court bouillon. It is not cooked as long as stocks and it seems to have a longer refrigerator life than meat or fish stocks. While this is a classic French term and concept, I have not seen recipes for it in many other books. By pure coincidence, I noticed a very similar recipe in the book `Full On Irish' by Irish Michelin starred chef, Kevin Dundon which he describes as a kitchen garden vegetable stock. I don't even recall seeing this in Deborah Madison's great works on vegetable stocks.
   
   All of Ramsay's measurements are Yankee friendly, as everything is measured by cup, spoon, or count and not by gram or liter. He also does a better job of displaying ingredients lists so that units and ingredient names are all put on separate lines or columns. Unfortunately, he does not do this in the `basic recipes' section. But, since almost all items are simply counts, the problem is not acute.
   
   This is another reason to make Gordon Ramsay your celebrity chef/writer of choice, especially as his books are reasonably priced and very attractive to look at, with full oversized pages of well-chosen pics (but without captions!).
   
   Recommended.



3. Gordon Ramsay's A Chef for All Seasons is a cookbook you can use for those super special occasions: when you want to impress those friends, who love to cook themselves, or when you just want to eat really awesome food yourself. A lot of the recipes call for expensive ingredients, like lobster, goose fat, the obligatory truffles and foie gras. But there are also quite a few recipes with more common ingredients, which are real gems. I just want to mention the Veal Chops with a Cream of Winter Vegetables (even Gordon calls this "a nice recipe for a mid-week dinner") and the Pillows of Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Fèves.
   
   The recipes is divided into four chapters, one for each season, which is a great plus in a cookbook. Each chapter contains recipes for starters, entrees and desserts. The last chapter is Basic Recipes and Techniques, which contains instructional photographs. Finally, the index has entries for each ingredient used.
   
   It's great fun to read about how things are done in Gordon Ramsay's restaurant, e.g. "Boil the potatoes still in their skin until just tender. Drain and peel them while hot. (We do this wearing rubber gloves to protect our hands.)" in the recipe for Pillows of Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Fèves.
   
   His perfectionistic style makes some recipes seem harder than necessary. After following his recipe closely the first time I make it, it is usually easy to see some shortcuts without sacrificing the quality of the end product (I imagine that Gordon will wholeheartedly disagree with this).
   
   To conclude, I would highly recommend this cookbook for the experienced cook, who wants to surprise others (or her/himself) with great food.



4. If only Gordon Ramsay had been writing cookbooks when I was learning to cook some 50 years ago, I never would have bought another series of cookbooks. He's that good.



5. Not only is this cookbook chocked full of interesting recipes, but it is gorgeous! The photos accompanying each season are breathtaking - if you can appreciate the subtle beauty of food itself.
   
   First off, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Chef Ramsay enjoys the flavor of lavender and chocolate as much as I do! I used to make white chocolate and lavender truffles for the spring and I was thrilled to see a recipe for "Mille-Feuille of Chocolate with Lavender": a light dark chocolate ganache with steeped lavender piped over layers of puff pastry. He even serves lavender flavored ice cream on the side! Simply beautiful.
   
   Obviously, the chapters are divided by the four seasons. At the beginning of each chapter, Chef Ramsay informs us as to why the vegetables, fruits and meats belong in each season. Followed are the recipes which may seem a bit daunting to the average chef. As in his other books, there is a good mixture of easy dishes that make this cookbook worth its weight.
   
   Spring recipes that were fun and easy included "Whiting with Lemon and Parsley Crust", "Ricotta Gnocchi with Peas and Fava Beans" and "White Chocolate and Lemon Mousse".
   Summer recipes include "Lobster with Mango and Spinach Salad", "Poached Salmon with Gewürztraminer Sauce" and "Loin of Beef with Watercress Puree".
   Fall recipes that were a joy to make are "Lentil and Langoustine Soup (I substituted Cray Fish for the Langoustine)", "Tomato and Parmesan Gratinee Tarts" and "Monkfish with Creamy Curried Mussels" (a bit expensive but makes a great romantic dinner for two!). Winter recipes we enjoyed were "Smoked Haddock and Mustard Chowder", "Seafood in Nage with Carrot Spaghetti" (you do have to make the Nage(a vegetable broth) ahead of time but it is totally worth it!) and "Veal Chops with a cream of Winter Vegetables" (we actually substituted the Veal for Chicken and it worked well. Pork chops might also work, but you are not going to get the same texture.)
   
   Again, at the back of the book is a plethora of cooking techniques, broth recipes and miscellaneous kitchen information.

5 comments about Celtic Folklore Cooking.

1. This book has more than just traditional Celtic foods but has foods geared toward each Sabbat along with some history like the corndollies for example and some poems. What a great book!!



2. This book is an absolute favorite of mine. Normally I love big glossy photos in a book- but this one just has something special. It is like the Joy of Cooking that way- it doesn't need it. The writing style draws you in and recipes are wonderful. Pumpkin bread, sorrel soup and cock-a-leekie are loved by people who don't think they like 'that kind' of cooking! Hearty country fare, but with wierdly wonderful herbal additions and old time drink recipes sprinkled with bits of folklore. Contains both things you can use in your regular cooking rotation and special recipes to try once in a while for historical interest.



3. "Celtic Folklore Cooking", by JoAnne Asala, is a unique blend of recipes and lore from the British Isles. Part history lesson and part mythology class, this text weaves stories and folklore together with timeless recipes in a seamless, easy-to-follow fashion.
   The book is organized into sections based on the main recipe components (such as "Meat and Wild Game" and "Breads, Porridges, and Breakfast Foods") and further grouped into similar dishes (i.e. porridges and furmenty, fritters, pancakes, and so on) regardless of their sometimes unusual names and origins. This makes for a convenient reference if you know the basic dish you'd like to prepare. However, for more Pagan-minded individuals, the detailed Index in the back of the book has suggested recipes for Celtic holy days as well. There is a bibliography which proves just how much detailed research Ms. Asala put into this excellent cookbook, as well as a glossary of terms.
   My favorite part of the book, though, is the simple but effective description of the Celtic Wheel of the Year, and a page on each holiday and esbat which includes associated dieties, customs, symbols, and sacred food for the event.
   In all, this is a fabulously well-research cookbook for any enthusiast of British history and mythology, Pagan cooking, and those who want to try their hand at ancient and tasty dishes.



4. I love this book. It's like sitting down with Grandmother and hearing old time stories mixed with family favorite recipes. This is as much of a good read as it is a good cookbook. Worth every penny!



5. I received this book just prior to a Lughnasadh celebration with other members of a Celtic cultural organization called An Ceangal Mara (The Linking Seas, to symbolize the linking of the Celtic minds in the Old World to those of us in the New World). I used the recipe for Citrus Curd, combined it with an oat-based shortbread crust and topped it with a compote of seasonal fruits. It made a wonderful dessert for out celebration. I love the bits of folklore, stories and poetry in this work, as well as the connections of each recipe with the important events in the wheel of the year. Food is such a vital part of any culture, and it is a lovely thing to be able to count on the historic linking of the food and recipe to the holiday. Our next celebration will be the Celtic New Year, and I will again turn to this book for inspiration and guidance in my culinary efforts.

5 comments about The Georgian Feast: The Vibrant Culture and Savory Food of the Republic of Georgia.

1. I gave this book to a Georgian and she loved it. It had all the dishes she had eatten as a child. If your looking for a book to fill in any missing recipes this is the book for you.



2. As someone who was born and grew up in Tbilisi, I was very happy to find this book -- it captures all of my favorite recipes, and when I prepare them according to this book, they taste just like my grandma's cooking.
   
   More than just a recipe book, this is also an exploration into the rich history and culture of Georgia, and how the history shaped the cuisine. I suggest this book to everyone who would like to add some interesting preparations to their cooking. For vegetarians, Georgians have plenty of healthful and filling ways to prepare veggies and beans, and also some mouth watering sauces that will enliven any dish (veg or not).
   
   I enjoy this book both as a cook book, and as a historical book!



3. I've already written a review of this great book. I have only one suggestion: the basic khmeli suneli recipe can be augmented further to reach the authentic smell and taste. The wikipedia article on khmeli suneli has additional ingredients that can be added to the recipe. I tried that, about 2 teaspoons of each ingredient that's not already in Darra's recipe (less for black and chili pepper), and it came closer to the authentic smell and taste. I think the author of the wikipedia article might have meant safflower (marigold) instead of saffron though, so I didn't add that.



4. This is a marvelous, utterly authentic encyclopedia of Georgian cooking. I tried some of the recipes before leaving for Georgia in summer 2006, and they were great, and gave me a good idea of what to expect. Once in Georgia, the book was an invaluable reference that I constantly turned to whenever I tried something new. Just about *everything* I had is in here, along with many things I didn't get around to sampling.
   
   This book also helped me learn the correct Georgian names for the dishes and many of the ingredients. A significant portion of the book is devoted to providing cultural background on Georgia and Georgian food, such the elaborate rules for a _tamada_, or Georgian toastmaster. With its charming photos of representative paintings scattered generously throughout its pages, it also made me a Pirosmani fan, and better able to appreciate the originals when I saw them for myself.
   
   Most importantly, as the other reviewers say, the recipes *work*. We just made the potato salad with walnut paste (p. 172), and it was delectable. Other dishes we have tried and like include tomato soup with walnuts and vermicelli (p. 73) and green beans with egg (p. 130). Pkhali was one of my favorite dishes in Georgia, and I'm glad to have the recipe for when I get around to making it myself. There is a recipe for beets with cherry sauce, a dish a travel companion had tried but that even some of our Georgian hosts weren't familiar with. For the few recipes that seem to be missing from this book, like eggplant with walnut paste, try Please to the Table: The Russian Cookbook, another excellent collection of delicious recipes from all the former Soviet republics.
   
   _The Georgian Feast_ is well worth having even if you don't eat meat - many of the recipes are completely vegetarian. This book is a real treasure.



5. This is an ok effort by Ms. Goldstein but unfortunately the recipes don't quite result in the amazing flavors that Georgian cuisine is known for. Perhaps it is Ms. Goldstein's substitutions of less authentic ingredients as some ingredients in the "real" dish are hard to find. Perhaps it is something else. (Her "adjika" is REALLY bad/wrong for instance....)
   
   OK book if you want an idea of what Georgian cuisine is like. Not good if you REALLY want the real thing...

5 comments about The Saucier's Apprentice: One Long Strange Trip through the Great Cooking Schools of Europe.

1. I purchased this book after reading some of the reviews here. After reading the book I was disapointed. The book has some good receipts and he travels to some great places. But his overall tone is depressing. He complains through out the book and makes a few off color remarks (in regards to Jews).



2. Knowing one of the people he cited, as well as her wonderful place, I found several instances of misinformation. We spent 2 weeks there - he spent 3 days. One wonders about the remainder of the book. Food/travel books are my favorite reads, and I have an extensive library to prove it. This one is not a keeper.



3. SITTING ON A DESERTED BEACH IN HAWAII I WAS A TAD RELUCTANT TO
   DIVE INTO THE SAUCIERS APPRENTICE - 45 MINUTES LATER I KEPT
   THINKING OF THE FAMOUS LINE FROM AMADEUS -"TOO MANY NOTES"
   THE SPITZERS STYLE OF WRITING IS RATHER LIKE HIS STYLE IN COOKING,
   THERE ARE MANY INGREDIENTS WASHED DOWN WITH MANY DRINKS.
   
   HOWEVER I PERSEVERED AND BY THE END OF CHAPTER TWO I WAS
   LOCKED INTO THIS BOOK - I THINK HE DID VERY WELL CONSIDERING
   THE EURO CULINARY DISDAIN FOR ANYTHING AMERICAN - HE GAVE
   AS GOOD AS HE GOT AND THEN SOME,GOOD ON YOU BOB.
   
   SADLY WHAT A LOT OF READERS WILL NOT FIND IN THE SAUCIERS
   APPRENTICE IS ACTUAL COOKING TECHNIQUES THAT ARE IN MANY
   WAYS INVALUABLE TO US RESIDENTIAL WANNA BE COOKS.
   
   I FIND THIS IN MANY OTHER FOOD NOVELS AND STANGELY COOK
   BOOKS, TECHNIQUE NEVER SEEMS TO ENTER THE EQUATION ,IT IS
   BECAUSE OF THIS I GIVE THE SPITZER A SIX AND REMINDER FOR HIS
   FOLLOW UP - SPITZER EATS ASIA.
   
   THERES WAS ONE EXCEPTION THE OMELET EPISODE FROM YANNICK
   ALLENO AT THE MEURICE - NOW THATS TECHNIQUE MON POT.
   
   ON RETURNING TO CALIFORNIA I THOUGHT IT RIGHT TO TRY A
   COUPLE OF THE APRENTICES DISHES - MY FAVORITES SO FAR
   APART FROM LES OMELET HAVE BEEN THE "FOIE GRAS AU TORCHON,
   THE SOUFLE DE POMME DE TERRE AND NOT TO BE MISSED THE
   OUTRAGEOUS TUSCAN MEAT SAUCE.
   
   ALL OF THESE RECIPES TAKE TIME - BUT ARE WORTH EVERY MINUTE.
   
   THE SAUCIERS APPRENTICE - EAT IT OR HEAVE IT - DEFINITELY EAT
   IT - A BIG HAWAII SIX O . YES THIS A GREAT VACATION READ!



4. Bob Spitz rambling account left me thinking that his time would have been better spent on an analyst's couch rather than at cooking schools. The author's narcissism is left unchecked and, therefore, he rarely accepts responsibility for his situation or poor attitude. I would gladly return the book and send the money directly to him for his therapy fund.



5. I disagree with the reviews of this book that are negative. I think it is an excellent account of a 50 year old mans search for self. The writing is exceptional, the recipes are written for the novice cook (like myself),and I enjoyed it so much I did not want it to end. I guess the negative reviewers have never suffered a "mid life crisis", otherwise they would see the value in this book. My only complaint is my own, I don't speak any French, so I needed to keep looking words up; and I have never been overseas.So as far as I am concerned his accounts are true for me.
   Give this book a chance. You won't regret it.

5 comments about Food: A Culinary History (European Perspectives).

1. This book was required for my CULA 101 class and i found it very hard to understand some of the terms used in the text. I know the book was translated from french to english, nut i feel that the book is on a level that on professionals of the highest ranking can understand. I would hate to say it, but if you "dummy down" the book, i am sure more people would be able to understand it.



2. The book has good content and great detil. It is a must read

   for any person that want to learn where the food came from and

   how it got there. The only bad thing, is the book was kind of

   hard to understand at some part. Overall is a great book.




3. This is an academic study filled with essays by forty contributing authors. "FOOD: A culinary History" has been compiled by two of Europe's great food historians. This is more of a textbook than a book you can simply enjoy reading one afternoon on the couch. It is a hefty 553 pages plus Index. This is for the serious student or overly ambitious cook. I read it because I'm darn curious.
   
   This book took me about a week to read. It is extremely well written and yet somewhat dry in places with the occasional oasis. You cannot skim over the pages, you have to analyze the sentences at times and then look up a few words here and there. I also thought the organization of the essays could have been greatly improved to provide more interesting reading. I wanted maps, timelines and perhaps more pictures of actual food from the time periods. There are a few pictures of famous art displaying food.
   
   While reading, you will soon realize how fortunate we are to live in America in the present day. In general, the world has not eaten very well according to the descriptions in this book.
   
   Some comments on the essays:
   
   Some of the authors neglect to take religious beliefs into consideration when they discusses why man became an omnivore although he does touch on some facts about the Ancient Hebrews.
   
   Evolution is presented as a "fact," while creation is presented as a "myth." I feel we have more evidence that points towards a creator and evolution seems somewhat illogical to me at least. Cooked meat is a natural byproduct of forest fires? Oh, I had a good laugh over that one. Sure, it could have happened, but what about considering what we do know about the past.
   
   What about cooked meat being a natural result of sacrifices to the creator or even a goddess? I guess it is just a different way of looking at the past. I'd say you should take the first few chapters with a grain of "Fleur de Sel/French Sea Salt."
   
   Francis Joannes writes a wonderful essay on "The Social Function of Banquets in the Earliest Civilizations" and mentions the epic of Gilgamesh and explains some details about a marriage in Assyria.
   
   Jean Soler writes a fascinating chapter on "Biblical Reasons: The Dietary Rules of the Ancient Hebrews." I had never understood the concept of "culinary incest" which completely awakened my curiosity and Jean Soler provided well-thought out explanations as to why prescribed rituals had to be observed. I didn't realize that many cultures in history actually only consumed meat after ritual sacrifice. The taking of an animal's life takes on an entirely new meaning after reading this chapter. There are reasons why humans did not originally eat meat and they are very complex and have to do with a Creator having the power over life and death. In a way, humans were given the right to take away life in certain instances.
   
   I enjoyed reading Chapter 18 which deals with "Mediterranean Jewish Diet and Traditions in the Middle Ages." Here you can learn the basics of Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkoth, Purim and Passover.
   
   If you are especially interested in Medieval Life, then you will love this book for the content on Medieval Cooking. It really is extensive.
   
   Things you might learn from this book:
   That the sycamore tree has fruit. Who knew.
   How beer played a role in the invention of yeast breads
   That the Etruscans had cheese graters
   What "Dionysiac possession" means.
   How we have the luxury of avoiding wheat while the Romans embraced it
   as a buffer against famine.
   That ale was used in pagan rituals since wine was sacred to Christianity.
   That the cultivation of oats and other wild grasses began in Medieval times.
   The reasons why peasants boiled meat and the nobles preferred roasting methods.
   How the Arabs contributed to Medieval European culture.
   Why Byzantine cuisine was mostly found in taverns.
   Insight into why Muslims don't consume alcoholic beverages.
   How Persia's culinary traditions influenced Arab cuisine.
   How the European conquest of the Seven Seas influenced cooking.
   How the tomato, potatoes and corn transformed European cooking.
   Lists of Table Manners from the past.
   That chestnuts are ground into flour and can be used to make polenta.
   That the bread in Europe contained "peas."
   Why people needed a kneading trough.
   
   It does seem that in the past, many ate to live while today we have the luxury of living to eat. The way we cook does seem to be a result of lifestyle choices. If you like to study and read, you will more than likely spend less time cooking and have simple methods of combining foods without recipes. If you want to spend time reading this book, may I suggest Lean Cuisine? I did not have as much time to cook while trying to read this book.
   
   However, you have to have a good laugh at all the "forbidden" foods and drink. Even today, this trend continues. One day we are told not to eat fat, the next not to eat as many carbohydrates. I'll say eating more protein and less carbohydrates does seem to have some charm and I'm seeing results. Bread = Bad in my present world of weight loss. At least, with certain diets, you are not supposed to eat bread or highly processed grains. They are also doing studies that point towards skin conditions caused by the way in which we process wheat. Time will tell. In the past, humans relied on bread in a big way. Today we have the luxury of saying no and reaching for a soy protein shake.
   
   If I learned anything from this book it is that most of us have slowly freed ourselves from "culinary" tradition and regulation. While still clinging to some semblance of food preparation, we are advancing into a world where food preparation seems less important than getting a meal on the table fast. We freely make use of canned foods and boxed mixes. I think the new term is "Semi-Homemade."
   
   Recommended for Serious Food Writers and Serious Students of Culinary History.
   
   ~The Rebecca Review



4. I tend to really enjoy books on culinary history; unfortunately this one left me wanting more. The chapters are disjointed, with no true unifying theme. The prose is stilted, though I suspect alot of this is due to poor translation. The information itself is good, but badly presented; overall a boring mess of a book. Pick up Tannahill's "Food in History" instead.



5. Had to buy this book for a class and its really interesting but its just really wordy and at some points not a easy or enjoyable read. Its got great information and is the book for you if you are into culinary/food history :)