Most Helpful Customer Reviews
101 of 102 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Good for some recipes, but lousy instructions, June 16, 2002
This review is from: Exotic Ethiopian Cooking : Sociey, Culture, Hospitality, and Traditions. Revised Extended Edition. 178 Tested Recipes. With Food Composition Tables. (Paperback)
Over all, this is a good cookbook for an experienced general cook or someone who already knows a lot about Ethiopian cooking. Some of the recipes are very good (e.g., Yemiser Kik W'et and Doro W'et are both good) but the instructions are generally poor. Unless you already know what a dish should taste like or look like, you will be left mystified by instructions like those for Injera (made from T'ef), which tell you to "cover and let stand still till the mixture rises." Given that the consistency you're looking for with an injera batter is close to a crepe or pancake batter, knowing how long it takes to rise is totally necessary unless you know what a risen pancake batter should look like. Even an experienced bread baker might need a little more instruction here. There is also insufficient explanation for why you must do some of the things you do (e.g., boiling 1 cup of the Injera mixture and then cooling it and putting it back into the original pot, to which you then add more water). It would be nice to know why some of the steps must be taken, since some of the recipes seem to be written for a chef who is beginning at the very beginning (like with whole t'ef grain, rather than with te'f flour, for example). All in all, I think this might be the best ethiopian cookbook available, and is well worth it for those, like me, who want to explore this fantastic cuisine and don't have access to a knowledgeable friend or co-worker.
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74 of 77 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
More than Just a Cookbook, January 20, 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: Exotic Ethiopian Cooking : Sociey, Culture, Hospitality, and Traditions. Revised Extended Edition. 178 Tested Recipes. With Food Composition Tables. (Paperback)
I have used this book extensively over the past five years, preparing several of the recipes from its contents. I find this cookbook to be among the best I possess with only two cautionary details: 1. A few recipes reference the use of rue in their ingredient lists. Rue, as cited on page 244 in "Exotic Ethiopian Cooking" is an herb given the botanical name Ruta graveolens, a toxic plant. Though its use in food preparation and homeopathic medicines is widely known; symptoms from poisoning may include dermatitis, gastro-enteritis, vomiting, convulsion and even death. Use reasonable judgment; educate yourselves on the use this herb and its toxicity before making a decision to include rue in preparation of these recipes. 2. Instructed measurements in a very few of the recipes seem to be quite disproportionate; exercise your own personal taste and judgment in preparation. "Exotic Ethiopian Cooking" is more than just a cookbook; it is descriptive of culture and traditional food preparation which helps to bring to the reader a greater experience than simply satisfying his or her culinary desires. I also appreciate that this book has a great deal of nutritional information for ingredients such as t'ef and qoch'o for which one would not usually find a Nutrition Facts label.
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63 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Easy and Delicious, June 3, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Exotic Ethiopian Cooking : Sociey, Culture, Hospitality, and Traditions. Revised Extended Edition. 178 Tested Recipes. With Food Composition Tables. (Paperback)
I grew up in Ethiopia and desired to make this delicious food. After acquiring this book, I have fed my family many dishes from it. The recipes are easy to understand and the directions a breeze to follow. All the ingredients can be bought at an Ethiopian store or the regular grocery store. There are recipes to make basic ingredients such as Berberi, used to cook chicken, beef, & lamb as well as legumes. Also recipes to make the spiced butter and oils that are basic ingredients in every dish. I love this book. I hope you will write another so I can learn more.
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