Multicultural Cookbook of Life-Cycle Celebrations: (Cookbooks for Students)

Rating:
Summary: "A" for effort; but some fact-checking and editing needed
Review: "The Multicultural Cookbook of Life-Cycle Celebrations" presents more than 500 recipes (from about 140 countries) for foods eaten at important "life-cycle celebrations", e.g., birth, coming of age, marriage, housewarming, etc. The recipes are accompanied by introductory texts containing cultural and geographic information. The recipes are modernized and streamlined for cooks in the developed world (e.g., canned and frozen foods are used in place of less processed counterparts, more common ingredients are often substituted for rarer ones); this may be a good thing or not depending on what you're looking for. The book is aimed at students and has a class-project feel to it. While there is much to admire here, I found several things that concern me. Consider the following from the "Africa" section of the book:

1) A recipe from Tanzania with the Swahili title "Ndizi na Nyama" is called "Stewed Tomatoes with Bananas". "Ndizi" means "Banana" (or "Plantain"), "na" means "and", and "Nyama" means "Meat", but there is no meat in the recipe. Maybe the recipe is "Ndizi na Nyanya" (i.e., "Bananas and Tomatoes").

2) A recipe from Gabon for "Gâteau" is a recipe for French bread. "Gâteau" is the French word for "cake", and "pain" is the French word for "bread". The text explains that people in Cameroon and Gabon use the word "gâteau" (instead of "pain") to refer to bread. I lived in Gabon for two years and will be the first to admit that the French language as spoken in Africa often differs from that in France, but I never met anyone who called bread anything other than "pain". Perhaps things are different in Cameroon. (Interestingly, the Gabonese almost always did use the word "gâteau" to refer what the rest of the French-speaking world call "beignets", that is, "doughnuts".)

3) Why does a recipe in the "Egypt" section for "Egyptian-Style Eggplant Salad" have the title "Auberginen auf Ägyptische Art" (which is German for "Eggplant in the Egyptian Style")? I don't get it.

4) Why call the "stiff cornmeal porridge", which is eaten all over Sub-Saharan Africa, by its Lesotho name "Putu" even when it appears in dishes from other countries where it is called by other names? The more common Eastern African name, "Ugali", is never mentioned.

These may seem very small matters, and they don't affect the quality of the recipes, but they make this reviewer begin to wonder about the rest of the book, especially unfamiliar recipes. Despite the fact that most of the recipes and related texts seem correct (as far as I can tell), until this book gets a complete going-over by a team of fact checkers, I cannot recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: "A" for effort; but some fact-checking and editing needed
Review: "The Multicultural Cookbook of Life-Cycle Celebrations" presents more than 500 recipes (from about 140 countries) for foods eaten at important "life-cycle celebrations", e.g., birth, coming of age, marriage, housewarming, etc. The recipes are accompanied by introductory texts containing cultural and geographic information. The recipes are modernized and streamlined for cooks in the developed world (e.g., canned and frozen foods are used in place of less processed counterparts, more common ingredients are often substituted for rarer ones); this may be a good thing or not depending on what you're looking for. The book is aimed at students and has a class-project feel to it. While there is much to admire here, I found several things that concern me. Consider the following from the "Africa" section of the book:

1) A recipe from Tanzania with the Swahili title "Ndizi na Nyama" is called "Stewed Tomatoes with Bananas". "Ndizi" means "Banana" (or "Plantain"), "na" means "and", and "Nyama" means "Meat", but there is no meat in the recipe. Maybe the recipe is "Ndizi na Nyanya" (i.e., "Bananas and Tomatoes").

2) A recipe from Gabon for "Gâteau" is a recipe for French bread. "Gâteau" is the French word for "cake", and "pain" is the French word for "bread". The text explains that people in Cameroon and Gabon use the word "gâteau" (instead of "pain") to refer to bread. I lived in Gabon for two years and will be the first to admit that the French language as spoken in Africa often differs from that in France, but I never met anyone who called bread anything other than "pain". Perhaps things are different in Cameroon. (Interestingly, the Gabonese almost always did use the word "gâteau" to refer what the rest of the French-speaking world call "beignets", that is, "doughnuts".)

3) Why does a recipe in the "Egypt" section for "Egyptian-Style Eggplant Salad" have the title "Auberginen auf Ägyptische Art" (which is German for "Eggplant in the Egyptian Style")? I don't get it.

4) Why call the "stiff cornmeal porridge", which is eaten all over Sub-Saharan Africa, by its Lesotho name "Putu" even when it appears in dishes from other countries where it is called by other names? The more common Eastern African name, "Ugali", is never mentioned.

These may seem very small matters, and they don't affect the quality of the recipes, but they make this reviewer begin to wonder about the rest of the book, especially unfamiliar recipes. Despite the fact that most of the recipes and related texts seem correct (as far as I can tell), until this book gets a complete going-over by a team of fact checkers, I cannot recommend it.

Rating:
Summary: A highly recommended addition to the adventurous cook
Review: Drawn for all corners of the world, the recipes found in Multicultural Cookbook Of Life-Cycle Celebrations are organized by nations of Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, North and South America, and the islands of the sea. From Yegomen Kitfo (Collards with Spiced Cottage Cheese), Talamee (Syrian Loaf Bread), and Kielbasa z Kapustoy (Sausage with Cabbage), to Vadas (Fried Lentil Puffs), Bacalaitos (Fried Cod Fritters), and Los Camotes (Candied Sweet Potatoes), these dishes represent the complete spectrum of cultures, countries, and culinary customs. Multicultural Cookbook Of Life-Cycle Celebrations is a highly recommended addition to the adventurous kitchen cook and a super reference for ethnic "theme" dinners and dining clubs.

Rating:
Summary: Multifaceted Masterpiece
Review: This is a reference book packed with information on the history, population, celebrations, customs, rituals and feasts of many countries and cultures of the world. It has proven valuable for students writing papers on "A Typical Day In The Life Of A Syrian Teenager", as well as brides planning an authentic French wedding complete with Croquembouche and Beignets Souffles. Extensive explanations are given, at the beginning of the book, for necessary ingredients and common techniques in the recipes listed. This is wonderful for young adults, and the definitions are thorough every step of the way. An excellent book to have in your own cookbook collection.