Little Foods of the Mediterranean: 500 Fabulous Recipes for Antipasti, Tapas, Hors D'Oeuvre, Meze, and More

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Summary: Pizzas and Empenadas and Canapes, oh my
Review: Clifford Wright is one of the leading writers, along with Elizabeth David, Paula Wolfert and Claudia Roden, on the cuisines of the Mediterranian. This volume complements his monumental, award winning 'A Mediterranean Feast' and is, I believe, as accessable, entertaining, and useable as food writing can get.

I confess that this type of writing by a culinary scholar / journalist writing about regional cuisines of the past and present is just about my favorite kind of food writing. Aside from the fact that these people are typically better writers than chefs, I believe this content has a cachet about it similar to what people say of antiques. What has survived from the past is generally better than what is produced today because there is so much more historical product than there is of contemporary product. Things typically survive because they are good.

Wright's book fits this expectation to a tee. For $22 list price, one gets over 500 recipes from all around the Mediterranean. This collection is so good, one could easily retire your Martha Stewart and Ina Garten books on appetizer menus and have this take their place.

In spite of the superficial similarity in the various small dishes in the book, there is a significant difference between antipasti and hors d'oeuvres, which accompany a large meal, tapas, which often consist of a meal in themselves to accompany afternoon drinking and conversation, and meze, which, in several countries comprise a large meal in itself, based on a lot of little dishes. There are family resemblences between the various little dish cuisines of the Mediterranean but, except for the presence of olives and olive oil, there is probably no common heritage to which all can be traced. Meze dishes can be traced to Arab cuisine. The word appears to be originally from Turkey. Hors d'oeuvre and antipasti are much more recent, emerging in French and Italian cuisines over the last 150 years. Tapas may be traceable to the period of the Moorish occupation of Spain, even though both Wright and Diane Kochalis, an authority on Greek cuisine agree that tapas and (Greek) mezes are different things.

All this very interesting historical stuff simply makes the excellent collection of recipes just that much more interesting. The books contents are divided into sixteen (16) types of dishes such as Bread Snacks, Dips, Cheese, Eggy stuff, Saucy Meats, Saucy Veges, Stuffed Vegetables, Salads, Pastries, Pizzas, Fried Turnovers, Fried Tidbits, Wraps, Seafood Salads, Grilled Food, and Pickles and Marinades. This is followed by two chapters of components recipes. One for Sauces and Spice Mixes and one for Doughs and Batters. The book concludes with an extensive list of Party Menus.

As you may expect, there are some requirements for uncommon ingredients, mostly cheeses of Greece and North Africa plus spice mixes, including the ever elusive Aleppo pepper. Substitutions from the world of Italian cheeses are almost always possible, but part of the fun is to get the read deal. Internet sources are, of course, provided.

In this very large book, I found only one questionable item, where the author specifies fresh plum tomatos or tomato puree to build tomato sauces. On the strength of the opinion of Mario Batali, I would change this to always using canned whole tomatoes.

This book will stay in my library long after others have been carted off the the library's book sale.

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Summary: Not for heart health¿
Review: I was placed on The Mediterranean Diet by my physician because I need drastic improvement in my cholesterol levels. If you are looking for ways to get started or for recipies, don't buy this book! Although Mr. Wright seems to have a winning reputation and the book is filled with authentic, flavorful recipies it does not relate to heart-based eating. The ingredients include eggs, full-fat yogurt, cheeses, shellfish such as shrimp, and butter. Choosing and buying this book was my mistake; I just don't you to make the same one! You will find it a complete waste of money if heart-health is your goal. Buy The Mediterranean Heart Diet by Helen V. Fisher instead.

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Summary: Dishing up morsels to enjoy for family dining
Review: In Little Foods Of The Mediterranean, culinary expert Clifford A. Wright pre-sents and showcases 500 mouth-watering recipes for appetizers and bite-sized servings of all kind, from the rich and diverse culinary tradition of the Mediterranean. Recipes for stuffed vegetables, filled pastries, fried tidbits, kebabs, dips, and many more types of nibble-worthy delights are presented along with fascinating asides about Mediterranean cooking, foods, history, and lore. Little Foods Of The Mediterranean is a magnificent resource -- especially for dishing up morsels to enjoy for ordinary family dining and at special holiday celebrations.

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Summary: An outstanding cookbook
Review: My girlfriend and I love tapas, and love cooking with fresh vegetables from the garden. I got this book hoping to expand our recipe repertoire and find new ways to prepare the spring and summer produce that predominates Mediterranean cooking, like fava beans, tomatoes, eggplant, squash, etc. Little Foods of the Mediterranean did not disappoint.

We've already discovered many new favorites among the abundance of recipes offered in this book. The sidebars and other accompanying notes on Mediterranean food and culture are also fascinating, and the author evenhandedly covers the entire region, with dishes representing Spain, Italy, Greece, the Balkans, the Middle East, and North Africa.

Although I'm not personally that interested in the antipasti or hors d'oeurves sections, and will probably never prepare any of the more exotic recipes (I'll pass on the pan-fried lambs' testicles, thanks), there are so many other good recipes that I can say I find this book indispensible.

This is an absolutely worthwhile cookbook for anyone who enjoys Mediterranean cuisine. I was surprised that another reviewer gave it a low rating because it was not "heart-friendly" enough. It's true that many of the recipes call for dairy products, eggs, or meat, but many of them can be easily adapted with healthier substitutions, and there are numerous healthy vegetarian or vegan recipes if you look for them.