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Culinaria: The United States: A Culinary Discovery |
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Culinaria: The United States: A Culinary Discovery |
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Dewey Decimal Number: 641.5973 EAN: 9783829002592 Edition: First Edition, Second Printing ISBN: 3829002599 Label: Konemann Languages: Manufacturer: Konemann Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 511 Publication Date: 1998-10 Publisher: Konemann Studio: Konemann Editorial Review: Amazon.com Review: Part cookbook and part encyclopedia, this enormous book is a vibrant celebration of American regional cooking and cultures. Candid shots of the foods, markets, delis, and restaurants of every region are a splendid reminder of the diverse heritage of the United States. From New Orleans's vibrant French markets famous for Creole tomatoes, okra, and sweet potatoes to the state fairs of the Midwest, where giant corn dogs and pumpkins the size of houses are all the rage, Culinara is a fascinating waltz across America's palate. Typically, each chapter is introduced with a look at the region's quintessential crops and foods--apples, berries, and cheese in the Northwest; oranges, olives, asparagus, and avocados in California. Dispersed among color photographs and a feast of food and drink wisdom are recipes inspired by each region's specialty. A simple recipe for Pasta with Asparagus and Mushrooms makes good use of California's succulent vegetables; Oregon Trail Soup, a dish brimming with buttery beans, evokes a feel for the Great Plains, campfires, and cowboys! Neatly balanced within each chapter are recipes and commentaries on both classic cooking and ethnic cooking. In the Pacific Northwest, Japanese sashimi (raw fish) is all the rage in Seattle's thriving international district. Just down the road, traditional freshwater salmon is a favorite at the city's oldest food market, the Pike Place Market. Snippets of history, recipe ideas, and inspiration accompany each locale, whether in Seattle, New York, or a far-flung Midwestern homestead. This is an excellent and all-encompassing guide to the foods and culinary history of the United States. --Naomi Gesinger Related Items:
Average Rating:
 Rating:  - An Excellent Overview of American Food CulturesThis is our second copy to purchase. This one will be a gift to a German friend who is trying to understand American food and what makes certain foods popular in certain regions of the United States. This is an excellent book for explaining regional cooking. Rating: - TastyLong out of print and the publishers Konemann went bust years ago but you can still find this lovely, chunky coffee-table book for sale online. Actually I think the whole Culinaria series could well be reprinted by some enterprising publisher, the printing plates are just waiting for that moment. What I liked about the book is the mixture of regional recipes and food related text. The thirteen chapters (though, actually the country is divided into eleven regions with a chapter each for New York City and New Orleans/Louisiana) explore the diversity of regional food with text, recipes and photos. The section on the Midwest, for example, has spreads featuring these articles: Ethnic Chicago; Scandinavian settlers; Polish settlers; German settlers; Beer; Cheese; Types of cheese; The State fair; A day in the life of a farmer; Corn; Popcorn corn; Fruit and Nuts and more. It's the coverage of food-related subjects that, for me, give the book a lift. I mentioned Popcorn above and there are other subjects like Coca-Cola, Snacks, Ice cream, Tobacco, Diners or Hershey's chocolate or the rather obscure Delmarva poultry that pure foodies probably wouldn't consider for inclusion but they are part of the Nation's food culture after all. Like other titles in the series the presentation has a nice easy look to the pages. Everything is readable and the range of graphic treatments with the photos and illustrations is just right. I was impressed with the color throughout, especially the straightforward recipe shots. Even if you only make a few of the recipes from the hundreds in the book the pages have enough information about American food to keep the curious interested for a long time. Perhaps a useful title to complement the book is The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America: 2-Volume Set, 1550 pages with 770 entries on the subject. More learned and without the recipes and colorful presentation of Culinaria it does, though, cover the subject in detail and a useful feature, I thought, was the bibliography included at the end nearly all the entries. ***SEE SOME INSIDE PAGES FROM CULINARIA by clicking 'customer images' under the cover. Rating:  - Disappointed - So much potential for this oneMaybe my expectations were too high based on all the other books in the series. This one is out of print and from what I can tell only available in hardback. It is in larger size format than the rest of the Culinaria series and makes a splendid coffee table book. It follows the standard Culinaria format for the most part. My criticism of this book is that there is too much emphasis on where "American" cuisine came from by ethnicity. For example the section dealing with New York City Jewish cuisine (Delicatessens, Bagels, Passover), Greek, Russian, Chinese, and not enough on the melting pot of America such as the wonderful article on Delmonicos. Again, in the midwest section you have "Ethnic Chicago, Scandinavian Settlers, Polish Settlers, German Settlers) -- well you get the picture. Its still a good book but would have been much better had it showcased what our cuisine has become today - the recipes which uniquely define American cuisine. It is also a little confusing who the intended market is for this book - American readers or English speaking readers from outside the USA. The coverage of cheese and wines is spotty (not all regions get the same coverage) as in the rest of the Culinaria series. For example Vermont gets one page devoted to cheesemaking. The article describes cheesemaking in general rather than discussing the many unique and wonderful Vermont cheeses available. Only one page for Vermont Cheddars? Give me a break... Rating: - Awesome! Awesome! This is a wonderful book...a food culture tour through the US with a good recipe from time to time. I have almost ALL of the books from the Culinaria series. I love them, I love this one...you shouldn't be disappointed at all! Keep in mind that these are not necessarily cook books...they are adventourous books that focus on the food culture of different countries. They're all amazing big big books!
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