Rating: 
Summary: Cultural Culinary Tour
Review: This is a cookbook to read, not just flip through. David Rosengarten takes us on his idea of the perfect cultural culinary tour... and I was very happy to 'tag along.' I've tried several of the recipes - all delicious - but his commentaries are what makes this book special. He describes the food (or drink) in its own cultural context, then discusses his favorites, gives his opinions, and tells us why. His 'criteria for quality' make it easier to try out and evaluate a new recipe, and his wine suggestions for each dish round out the meal. By the way, his recipe for Molten Chocolate Cake is better than any I've tried in restaurants!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best
Review: Unlike the reviewer who found this book impractical, I have found this to be the best books on food that I have read. There is a chpater on wine which explains simply and clearly how to identify good food-wine pairings: excellent advice that was helped me on more than one occasion. Additionally, he explains enough about several wines from around the world that you can go and choose a bottle in confidence that your money will not be wasted.Some of the recipes are complex, but others are very simple such as marinara sauce and dried pasta. Even if you don't use the recipes, the knowlege about food that you'll gain from this book is worth the purchase price several times over.
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