Brazilian Table, The [Hardcover]

Yara Roberts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 2, 2009

THE BRAZILIAN TABLE

BRAZIL-EXOTIC, SENSUAL, MYSTERIOUS-mingles pleasure with high energy, and its cuisine is no different. The recipes of The Brazilian Table frequently blend the native ingredients of manioc, cachaça, pequi, hearts of palm, and Dendê palm oil with the rich cultures of Portugal, Africa, Japan, the Middle East, and that of the indigenous population to create complex tastes that define this region of the world. A sample of the extraordinary cuisine includes Tucupi Duck Soup, Fish Paupiette with Crabmeat Brazilian-Style, Papaya Galette, Chicken Xim-Xim, Coconut Custard Bahía Way, Giló Puff Pastry Tart, and Guava Paste Soufflé.

The Brazilian Table was a Julia Child First Book Award finalist and a finalist for the Gourmand International Cookbook Award.

Authored by master chef Yara Castro Roberts-one of Brazil's most forthright advocates of its lifestyle and cuisine-this intimate look at the regions of Minas Gerais, the Amazon, the Cerado, and the Bahías from a food perspective not only introduces one hundred delicious recipes but also provides an in-depth cultural lesson on the regions and their unique foods.

Yara Roberts has been featured in UltraTravel and the New York Times. She is currently producing her own TV series with filmmaker Vivian Mester called Delicious Brazil, a show about culture and lifestyles utilizing food as the medium.

The author's Academy of Cooking and Other Pleasures is a vacation destination, with more than 5,000 visitors in the past six years.

Brazilian restaurants are found in most major cities.

Online marketing and promotions.

Print and web advertising campaign.

National broadcast and print publicity.

Co-op available.

Chef Yara Roberts is well known in the arena of international chefs. She graduated from Boston University School of Culinary Arts and holds degrees from the Sorbonne and the École du Louvre. She taught at the Brazilian Academy of Cooking before moving to Paraty, Brazil, where she operates the Academy of Cooking and Other Pleasures with her photographer husband, Richard Barclay Roberts.

(20090603)

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I haven't been to Brazil yet. But when I take the journey to Yara Castro Robert's Brazilian Table, I feel I have. The regions, the ingredients, the history, the farmers, the simplicity, hospitality and elegance of her table all draw me there. Yara is a cook, a storyteller, an environmentalist. She feels the deep links of culture and agriculture in this vast and complicated country and reveals its history and traditions through the beautiful dishes she creates and presents. Her approach is beautiful and basic: Fresh, simple, local, delicious, welcoming." (Alice Waters author of "The Edible Schoolyard" and "The Art of Simple Food" )

From the Inside Flap

the brazilian table

yara castro roberts

Richard Roberts

Brazil-exotic, sensual, mysterious-mingles pleasure with high energy, and its cuisine is no different. Recipes in The Brazilian Table adeptly blend native ingredients, such as manioc, cachaça, pequi, hearts of palm, and dendê palm oil, with traditional foods of Portugal, Africa, Japan, and the Middle East to create complex tastes that define this area of the world.

The regions of Minas Gerais, Bahía, the Amazon, and the Cerrado are intimately explored from a food history and ingredient perspective, and a collection of recipes represents each area. A sample of the extraordinary cuisine includes Tucupi Duck Soup, Fish Paupiette with Crabmeat Brazilian-Style, Chicken Xim-Xim, Black Bean Tutu, Mango Galette, Giló

Puff Pastry Tart, and Guava Paste Soufflé.

The Brazilian Table was a Julia Child First Book Award finalist and a finalist for the Gourmand International Cookbook Award.

Internationally known chef Yara Castro Roberts, one of Brazil's most ardent advocates, takes you on a trip inside Brazil's culture and history-through its food. She is the first Brazilian chef to write about its cuisine in English. She graduated from Boston University School of Culinary Arts and holds degrees from the Sorbonne and the Ecole du Louvre. Roberts was host of the PBS Emmy-nominated Cook's Tour television series before she moved to Paraty, Brazil, where she operates the Academy of Cooking and Other Pleasures with her husband, Richard. She has been featured in UltraTravel and the New York Times. Currently, she is the subject of Delicious Brasil, a new series about Brazilian cooking and lifestyles in production for American and Brazilian television.

Richard Barclay Roberts, born in Paris, was first a photographer, then a successful CEO of multinational companies, and is once again a professional photographer. Educated at both Princeton (B.A.) and Yale, he currently operates Barclay Images out of Paraty, Brazil.

Jacket designed by Debra McQuiston

Front cover and back cover above photographs 2009 Marty Snortum

Back cover below photograph from Shutterstock, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Gibbs Smith (May 2, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 142360315X
• ISBN-13: 978-1423603153
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,465 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #7 in Books > Cookbooks, Food & Wine > Regional & International > Latin American

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fond Memories Renewed!, February 7, 2010

By 

Nedhera Landers - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brazilian Table, The (Hardcover)

The Brazilian Table Brazilian Table, The - ahh! What lovely memories this book brought back! Nearly two years ago now I spent my banner 50th birthday in Brazil's Minas Gerais, Ouro Preto, Geroulas and Salvador da Bahia regions. I sat at many tables in those places and ate many of the lovely dishes Ms. Roberts writes about here. I believe I will remember those two weeks for the rest of my life!

Ms. Roberts' writing and the beautiful photography in this book brought me back to those varied tables and the funny, lovely and delicious memories of shrimp Moqueca (she has a seafood version here), Quindim (the lovely, airy coconut custard of Bahia) and all of those pay for your plate by weight restaurants where I was able to sample very delicious food eaten by very busy everyday people at relatively low prices.

What fun to look again upon the beautifully detailed photos of places I'd visited in person! The over-the-top gold gilt churches, the spectacular natural beauty of the mountains in Minas Gerais ... These are the things that evoke such pleasure in reading this book.

I can tell you that, even if you are not a cook, this book is worth having for the very wonderful and accurate descriptions of the cultures and traditions of the places mentioned. I have yet to get to the Amazon region but it's just a matter of time!

If you *are* a cook - OH! Revel in the delicious combinations of ingredients reproduced here! Americans tend to think of fruits and proteins as not going together well. But let me tell you that the Brazilians have a certain way of combining fresh and dried fruits with meats like beef and pork and seafood of every kind that will thrill your taste buds and inspire you to experiment on your own.

These recipes *do* take some time - they are not for "assemblers" (those folks who take ready-made packages of this and that to make a meal) - but even a beginning cook could produce a spectacular dish from the instructions here. The ingredients called for can be found online if strict authenticity is desired but it's good to keep in mind that "authentic" is a relative term. People forget that many of these delicious dishes were founded on the leftovers and throwaways of richer people (much like American soul food). Consider finding and using more readily accessible local ingredients as substitutes. Learn Brazilian Portuguese and name your own Brazilian creation!

Enjoy and savor this book - not just for the food but also for the slice of Brazilian life it brings you.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A book any international cooking collection needs, August 19, 2009

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brazilian Table, The (Hardcover)

THE BRAZILIAN TABLE is packed with lovely recipes for exotic dishes that blend in Brazil's regions from the Amazon to Bahia. Food history blends with color photos and delicious unusual dishes in a guide far more inviting than the few Brazilian cookbooks on the market. From a Mango Galette dessert to Shrimp Soup with Brazil Nuts, this is a book any international cooking collection needs!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Brazilian Cookbook, August 24, 2011

By 

Grant Thompson - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brazilian Table, The (Hardcover)

I purchased this book after spending a delightful evening attending a class at Yara's cooking school in Paraty, Brazil. The recipes are spot on and give the reader a real taste of the breadth and diversity of Brazilian cuisine. The book's regional organization and beautiful photos add context that many cookbooks lack. Overall a great choice for travelers wanting to revisit the flavors and smells of Brazil or cooks in search of unique new international dishes.