1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A MUST for travelers, January 7, 2011
This review is from: Eat Smart in India: How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure (Paperback)
Eat Smart in India by Joan Peterson and Indu Menon with illustrations by Susan Chwae is a MUST for your travels to (or living in) India. "Everyone gets sick in India," was the warning we received before we travelled there recently, so we ordered this book, but, alas, it didn't arrive in time and YES, EVERYONE gets sick in India! On our tour of 28 people who had long bus rides on many days EVERYONE had diarrhea, which is a sure way to make a trip miserable! Indian food is highly spicy, and ,for people unaccustomed to these delicious and unusual flavors, it is an aggressive assault on the digestive system, yet the food tastes so good you keep eating it at first, having no idea what you are tasting. With this wonderful book you can avoid all the misery and enjoy the wonderful foods and you can prepare the national favorites at home with the easy to follow recipes and places to order hard-to-find ingredients. The book does not overlap other travel guides in listing restaurants; instead Eat Smart Guides tell the history of the country's cuisine, the traditional and popular food customs and their meanings, and guides you through the markets and ordering in restaurants. Most helpful is the section of descriptions of the most frequently encountered dishes and their names and flavors, so you can know what you are ordering. Good color photographs show what some of these dishes look like. Each of the spices and herbs are listed, telling the flavor and how these are used. The author stresses that the best way to learn a country and its people is to mix with them in popular restaurants for locals and to enjoy their food and their company in off-the-beaten tourist paths. You can use this book to prepare and try some of the dishes before you leave home so as to know what your stomach is ready for, or to continue to enjoy some of your favorite discoveries when you return home. GET THIS BOOK BEFORE GOING TO INDIA! Excellent!
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3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A FIVE-STAR GUIDEBOOK!, May 25, 2005
This review is from: Eat Smart in India: How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure (Paperback)
Many Americans and Britons have eaten Indian foods in the United States and Britain, where Indian restaurants are increasingly a large part of the culinary scene. Despite the popularity of Indian restaurants in the West, travelers to India often retreat to the "comfort" of their hotel restaurants rather than venturing out to eat at the small, family-run restaurants and street stalls where some of the best Indian food is to be had. Lack of knowledge about Indian foods deters many people from experiencing the remarkably interesting cuisines of this country.
Joan Peterson's "Eat Smart in India" (in her series of "Eat Smart" books) solves this problem. Her book is chock full of information about India's varied and colorful cuisines. "Eat Smart in India" provides an overview of India's history, an in-depth look at the country's regional foods, and a selection of Indian recipes from appetizers to desserts, with color photographs of many of the dishes. But "Eat Smart in India" is much more than an introduction to the culinary cultures of this fascinating country. It's also a practical guidebook that you'll want to take along on your next trip there.
One chapter gives helpful phrases (with their pronunciation) for use in restaurants and food markets. An extensive Menu Guide lists menu items alphabetically, with a description of each dish, followed by a Foods & Flavors Guide with a comprehensive list (and explanation) of Indian ingredients, spices, kitchen utensils, and cooking terminology. And the bibliography is useful to readers who want to delve even further into this subject. As the author states in the Preface, "What better way to get to know a culture than through its cuisine?"
"Eat Smart in India" is a culinary guidebook that should be packed in the luggage of every traveler to India. I've also found it to be a very useful guide to dishes offered at Indian restaurants in the United States. Highly recommended! ----- Sharon Hudgins, author of "The Other Side of Russia: A Slice of Life in Siberia and the Russian Far East"
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2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Culinary Guide for Indian Food, April 8, 2004
This review is from: Eat Smart in India: How to Decipher the Menu, Know the Market Foods & Embark on a Tasting Adventure (Paperback)
There is no more satisfying way to become immersed in a new culture than to mingle with the local people in the places where they enjoy good food and conversation-in their favorite neighborhood cafes, restaurants, picnic spots or outdoor markets. ~Joan Peterson
Joan Peterson has written Eat Smart guides for Brazil, Turkey, Indonesia, Mexico, Poland and Morocco. She loves to travel and this led her to the creation of the Eat Smart series. Co-author Indu Menon is also a world traveler and was born in India. Together, Joan and Indu delve into a rich culinary history and have created a useful guide for real-life travelers or home chefs who want to explore Indian cuisine.
This guide also includes:
Recipes for the weekend gourmet
Food and Flavors Guide - bilingual translations for virtually everything on an Indian menu
Featured dishes that are considered to be a "national favorite"
"Eat Smart" guides are unique, portable and very readable. Eat Smart in India is the seventh and newest title in the series.
The contents include:
The Cuisine of India - A historical survey of the development of India's cuisine
Regional Indian Food - A quick tour through the Indian kitchen and around the country
Tastes of India - A selection of easy-to-prepare recipes
Shopping in India's Food Markets - Discover foods in exciting outdoor food markets
Resources - A listing of stores, culinary tours and organizations
Helpful Phrases - Phrases for use in restaurants and other useful phrases
Menu Guide - Menu entries in transliterated Hindi
Food and Flavors Guide - Comprehensive glossary of ingredients, kitchen utensils and cooking methods
If you are dreaming of sumptuous boat cruises on the tranquil waterways of Kerala or are dreaming of visiting spice plantations retreats in the hills of Tamil Nadu, this book will inspire you.
I loved reading about the artful blending of spices and the intoxicating descriptions of food preparation. If you have yet to discover nigella seeds, they are delicious on naan bread. Once you read the recipe for "Kachhe Gosht ki Biryani" you might be running to the store for cilantro, saffron and cardamom pods. Basmati rice has the scent of buttered popcorn and I can't think of any rice I love more.
If you are interested in taking a culinary tour, there is information for anyone who wants to immerse themselves in the culture and cuisine. The pictures of the "water apple" had me intrigued. I must warn you; this book will make you quite hungry. I might take this book with me the next time I go out to eat at a local Indian restaurant. I keep ordering Tandoori chicken and Biryani, but now I realize there are so many dishes I want to try.
Some of the recipes include: Ghee, Paneer, Masala Chai, Sheer Khurma and Murgh Tikka Buter Masala (marinated grilled chicken pieces are grilled and then cooked in a buttery tomato and cream sauce).
~The Rebecca Review
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