The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion: A Sourcebook for Understanding the Cuisines of the World [Paperback]

Eve Zibat (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 1, 2001

Nowhere is America's rich ethnic and cultural diversity more apparent than in its restaurants. Every city and region of the United States has a unique cultural heritage - whether it's Cuban, Thai, Spanish, Italian, Indian, French or German - reflected in its dining choices. So what do you order in an ethnic restaurant, and how do you eat? The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion provides all the information you need to make every ethnic dining experience a pleasant and memorable one. In this book you will find information about what to expect in any type of ethnic restaurant; detail profiles of each ethnic cuisine, including key ingredients, spices and methods of preparation; cultural tips to put you at ease with the customs and etiquette of each cuisine; representative dishes of each cuisine defined and described; recommended complete meals from appetizer through dessert and easy recipes you can prepare at home.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Those curious to explore virtually every cuisine on the planet have a new comprehensive guide to world cooking in Eve Zibart's The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion. Zibart has not only meticulously researched the well-known ethnic cuisines of Western Europe but she has also mined the traditions of Asia, Africa, and South America in new ways. This is a handy guide not only to eating in ethnic restaurants in the U.S. but also for getting a good meal in almost every foreign country. For each cuisine, Zibart provides some history, describes major ingredients and cooking methods, identifies common dishes, and offers lists of dishes to assemble in a representative meal. For those who want to try some of these dishes at home, there are simple recipes reflecting each cuisine. Sticklers may quarrel with the author's occasional oversimplifications, and typographical errors mar what is otherwise a worthwhile reference tool and boon companion for the foodie traveler. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

...essential book for understanding the global kitchens of today...encourages new areas of culinary discovery...layers of information...concise...lively. -- immamaskitchen.com, Diana Farrell Serbe, Editor

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 464 pages
• Publisher: Menasha Ridge Press; 1st edition (August 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0897323726
• ISBN-13: 978-0897323727
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #732,048 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Before you go to a restaurant . . ., September 20, 2001

By 

Ed Gibbon www.congocookbook.com - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion: A Sourcebook for Understanding the Cuisines of the World (Paperback)

"The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion" is a great book if you like to go out to "ethnic" restaurants. ("Ethnic", i.e., "foreign food" restaurants). In easy-to-read chapters it gives you information about culture, gastronomy, and history for most of the world's great cuisines: Europe (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Russia, etc.); Africa (North Africa, Ethiopia, West Africa); Middle East; Greece and Turkey; India; Southeast Asia (Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, etc.) Asia (China, Japan, Korea); Americas (Mexico, Caribbean, Brazil, Peru, etc.). There are descriptions of typical flavorings, cooking methods, and dishes. Highly interesting and recommended.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Explore a world of flavor, January 7, 2007

By 

kate "book lover" (St. Louis) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion: A Sourcebook for Understanding the Cuisines of the World (Paperback)

Love trying new and exotic foods? Then this book is for you. This is not a recipe book per say, although there are a few recipes included in each chapter. This book is more of an encyclopedia of the foods of the world organized by country.

Each chapter includes a basic introduction to the foods of a specific region, a discussion of the country/region and it's history as it relates to food, the main ingrediants and dishes that dominate that regions cuisine, instructions on how to eat and order like a native and a few recipes.

You would have to go to another resource if you were interested in making the food yourself, but you can not beat this book for giving you a basic knowledge of all the different types of food and beverages that are out there to try.

The How to order and eat like a native sections are superb and cover and array of things including table manners, utensil (or non-utensil) usage (did you know that it may be considered less then polite to eat with your chopsticks in your left hand in China? I didn't) and intersting tips.

Love love love this book as will anyone with an interest in ethnic food.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent, witty and entertaining!, August 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: The Ethnic Food Lover's Companion: A Sourcebook for Understanding the Cuisines of the World (Paperback)

This book is a must-have for any lover of ethnic cuisine as well as all the "foodies" that enjoy the inside scoop on the American dining scene. Eve Zibart provides bacground, cultural tips, recipes, and recommended dishes from ethnic cuisine from around the world. Her writing style is intelligent yet witty and always accessible. The practical tips alone are worth the price of the book. How do you use chopsticks? How do you eat Ethiopian food? This book is a delight from cover to cover and a valuable addition to any food lovers library.