Customer Reviews

Culinaria France

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very comprehensive look at the cuisines of various regions of France. Though it does contain recipes, it's not really a cookbook. Rather, it's an in-depth look at how France's culinary traditions shape the country as a whole.

One of the things that is most striking about this book is the realization of the care and detail that goes into preparing meals in France. Some of the foods discussed are very labor-intensive and it's clear that food is more than just sustenance, it's an art. This highlights the differences between American fast food and processed food culture and the slower, more artful way of cooking that is often practiced in France. If looking at the pictures and descriptions of French meals doesn't make the average American want to slow down and learn to savor a meal, nothing will.

The book also delves into the wines and spirits of France, which are every bit as interesting and integral to the country's culinary traditions as are its dishes. The book details how wines are produced and the care that goes into ensuring that they are at their peak before they are bottled. What's truly wonderful to see is how important the human element is to this process. Rather than mass-producing wines through the use of machines, the book illustrates how some growers rely on the expertise of their human employees in order to ensure that the wines will be a truly sublime experience.

What I enjoy most about the two Culinaria books that I own is the realization that a slow, detailed, and artistic approach to food and drink is not something that has been totally lost in our busy, fast-paced culture. The books help emphasize how a human connection to the foods and beverages we consume help bring about a fuller appreciation of life. Food can be so much more than just mere sustenance, it can be a sublime art.

I now have all the Culinaria books. After hearing that the new Culinaria books would be greatly reduced in size, I was delighted to receive this BIG volume with lots of pictures, recipes and interesting reading. It lives up to its predecessors magnificently. You will not be disappointed in this volume.

This series is like a drug. I obsessed about buying each of the books in the series (and I still desperately want The Caribbean but cannot justify the cost for it). I reverently and lovingly pull the books down off the shelf and flip through the pages when I want to be "transported" to another world. I occasionally cook recipes from them, but I have to tell you that I do not buy these books for their recipes (in fact, I may never cook a recipe out of the SE Asian or Russian books, as it is just not my taste). These are just too beautifully written to pass up. They could easily be used as travel guides to do some basic preparation to visit a country (although you could never take these monsters with you while you traveled--my mother has to look at them at the dining room table because they are too big for her to hold!).

This review is supposed to be for "France" so I will tell you that mostly what I do with this book is look at the bread and sigh and say "Why doesn't my baked bread ever look like that?" It's "bread envy" pure and simple. This series makes a gorgeous coffee table book, if you are willing to share (I don't want anyone else's hands on my Culinaria). I, on the other hand, might start keeping it in my nightstand drawer as a replacement for romance novels. :)

this book is a full immersion into French culture and history. The book is divided by France's regions and their traditional products. There is an introduction about cheese, bread, utensils, kitchen personnel, and types of restaurant classifications. The wines from each region are featured in detail. This is not a book for those looking for a cookbook. This is a guide book of France's epicurean rituals.

I have owned this volume for a while and am still amazed about how much useful information on the French food culture is packed into its lovely pages. As other reviewers point out, this is not really a recipe book although delectible recipes are sprinkled throughout; rather, this volume will lead you to purchase recipe books! I have had a long dining education in French food, both in the United States and in France and I have studied French wines academically as well as having enjoyed them on their home ground. That is another fine use for this book: to inform the traveler to France about what is on offer in each of its major food regions. The book is organized by region and features each area's signature ingredients, dishes, cheeses and wines/ciders. We open with the Paris-Ile de France region and work our way through the Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Picardie, Normandie and Bretagne (Brittany) areas; moving on to Champagne, Lorraine, Alsace; Bourgogne (Burgundy), Franch-Comte; Lyon and Rhone Alpes; Provence and Cote d'Azur, Corsica; Roussillon, Languedoc and Cevennes; Toulouse, Quercy, Aveyron and Auvergne; Bordeau, Peridord, Gascogne (Gascony)and Pays Basque; Poitou-Charentes and Limousin and (one of my favorite regions)Pays de Loire and the 'Center' of France.

I have never seen such a comprehensive and well-selected overview of French wines expressed in so few pages and sidebars. As a consumer at a restaurant, the wine information presented with each region will tell you so much that is worth knowing about grapes and styles of wine. I found more information on styles of Champagne in this volume than I learned about in a semester of wine tasting. You will not get any help in focusing on specific labels or years but we have, for example, Hugh Johnson pocket guides for that purpose.

Cheese types and the uses of cheese are topics given their due in this volume. Here is information one can build on and one need never be intimidated by a French restaurant cheese platter again! Should you be interested in 'Jewish' bread and baked specialties, there are two marvelously informative pages following an essay on the Baguette that describe selections that might appeal.

Seemingly, nothing is left out in terms of 'kinds' of food or primary food ingredients in this volume. Read this, and you will be ready to confront almost any menu in France with a good idea of what you might like to eat.

I agree that the Relaunches (as I have seen them) are not exactly like the old ones. They are more modern and a lot of photos are new. Basically, the layout and format has not changed much. They are quite similar and concerning the content more or less identical. But I have contacted the publisher and asked why they made them and they said that they just felt the need to revise them and give them a new look after being on the market for more than 10 years an that most of the photos have been updated and and wrong information has been revised.

I agree and the Relaunches do not disappoint as they follow the style of the previous Culinaria by featuring as the subtitles also says country, cuisine and culture. And this is exactly what makes all Culinaria titles different from other cookbooks.

The Culinarias are so diverse in information. You get to know all kinds stuff from the different areas of the country and it really makes you feel like travelling afterwards.

As far as recipes and information goes, the 2 versions are exactly the same, but they differ significantly in layout, the relaunch versions have:

- bigger text in arial
- greater line spacing
- pages and text boxes with coloured backgrounds are now gone
- some recipes have new updated pictures
- general layout is less condensed

Overall it is a more open an airy format, but personally reading arial is painful when there are large amounts of text. It is definately a better book than the original for vision impaired. So if you own the original and are expecting anything new, there is no need to buy this. If you are new to the series then congratulations on buying a terrific cookbook.

I am french and I love to cook. This book is amazing I cannot even think of a french cookbook written in french as good as this book ! It really captures each region and its style of cooking. The nice think about this cookbook is the history of the food for each region and dish. I think that is really important if you want to succeed a recipe that is not from your region and country. Also, I have to say that the recipes are really authentic !!!
You probably need some basic cooking techniques to master some of the recipes but nothing too crazy there.
I recommend to try the Kouing Aman (Brittany) the gougere (Burgundy)and the Bouillabaisse(Provence).

If you are looking for a extensive and visually-appealing culinary tour of the greatest cusine in the world (French), you will love this book. I am both a francophile and a gourmand and loved the fact that there is a section for each region of France and its respective specialties. You will get some great insight into interesting details such as the agriculture and creation process, right down to the role of caterers, patisseries, et al. Beautiful, colorful photography complements (and makes your mouth water) the reading. This is definitely not a cookbook, although it does have some basic recipes worth trying. It serves better as reference material as you learn about key varieties of French apertif;s, fromage, and much more. What you will love most is that it is neither snobby or too simple, but just right.

Being a French person who loves cooking and lives in Houston where I purchased this book at Costco, I was so happy discovering this one (and the rest of the series, I bought the Spanish one too and will probably get another one). All I can say is that it is a wonderful informative book, I am learning so much about products, customs etc. about my own country! me who thought I knew a lot already - and I am so happy that the words of dishes/products are in both languages. The translators have obviously done a good job and the German editor obviously has very high standards. Sure, it is not a cookery book per se but obviously this is not the purpose here (one star rater!) but that is precisely why this book is interesting because it is different and so well documented with good photos. Definitely a must have. I have already given a few copies to US, English and French friends (a French chef's wife!)!