Rating: 
Summary: Lush and informative, a bit pretentious
Review: This set of 2 books is an exceptionally splendid and easy to read catalogue of european foods. However, a France/Belgium are grossly overrepresented (yes, I am not enthusiastic about the popular belief of Gallic culinary superiority), while smaller nations got the boot...some pan-european foods seem to have simply been tucked into the first convenient section...the section on Russia is somewhat lacking and the dishes are misspelled. Still, a very lovely and useful set.
Rating: 
Summary: An amazing guide to European speciality cooking
Review: This two volume series is a fantastic collection of European speciality recipes. If you are looking for a "how to" cooking course or information on techniques, this book is not for you. However, if you would like to explore the culinary specialities of the countries of Europe, I have not found a better book.Visually, the book is very impressive. The surrounding pictures and text describe the country and some of the culture, putting the recipies in context. It is this extra material that makes trying out these recipies so much fun. The Europa series does not have the same breadth as the individual country books in the remainder of the Culinaria series, however, it does hit the highlights of each country. The recipies themselves vary in the level of difficulty, preparation and practicality. Again, pick your experiment and get started as you have time. My biggest frustration is that some of the ingredients are hard to find if you are outside of Europe - obviously not the book's fault. I found this two volume set to be the best buy in the Culinaria series. This book was well worth the investment and is an interesting read.
Rating:
Summary: So much to learn
Review: While I completely agree with all of the other reviewers (in that this is an excellent book), I do want to take the time to point out that this is not just a cookbook. Within each chapter (each dedicated to a certain country), there is history, education and just so much to learn. For example, the book tells you about the cheeses, wines, beers and other specialties of each country and special holiday meals and snacks. The traditions of the peoples are spelled out and almost makes you feel like you are there experiencing them. And, of course, great recipes of each country as well. This may be the BEST book I've ever owned. I highly recommend it. Unlike most cookbooks, you can just read this one and have a ball.
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