Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes [Hardcover]

Tessa Kiros (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2004

The New York Times calls Tessa Kiros's work "exuberant and colorful." And that is just what her gem, Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes, is. The book is full of personal touches and stories. It is a beautiful collection of family anecdotes, history, and traditions all documented with stunning photography, unique illustrations, and a warm dialogue that will simply pull you in.

Kiros's Apples for Jam, was called "a lovely quilt snuggled softly against your cheek" by the Times Herald-Record of Hudson Valley, New York.

You'll find Falling Cloudberries in the Cookbook section, but it could also easily be found in the World Cultures or Travel sections because the recipe collections give a unique taste of Finland, Greece, Cyprus, South Africa, and Italy all in one.

This is possible because of Kiros's life. She takes us on a global journey of taste and experience with her eclectic compilation of 170 simple and delicious recipes that reflect her world travels, multicultural heritage, family traditions, and amazing cooking combinations.

Taste the world without leaving your kitchen.

* Destination: delicious. Kiros inspires home cooks with a broad offering of dishes from Finland, Greece, Cyprus, South Africa, and Italy.

* Recipes are organized by country and are complemented with 185 four-color photographs and gorgeous illustrations. A handy index makes it easy to find specific foods and recipes.

* The book even has a lovely illustration of the author's family tree, which gives home cooks an inside look at the author's diverse and world-spanning family and their food traditions.

* The bold packaging and robust photography are just as inviting as Tessa's tasty dishes.

--This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Falling Cloudberries is not only a work of art, but also a really, really, REALLY good cookbook! Recipes are clearly written for the home cook and are very reproducible. The international flavors make the preparation entertaining and fresh. --Food Reference

Falling Cloudberries arrived at our desk and we fell in love with every aspect of the book, from the delicious recipes to the poetic sensibility of its author, Tessa Kiros. We traveled through memory and around the world with Kiros, for this is a special book, one filled with international cooking and international family memories. --In Mamas Kitchen --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

Review

Everyone loves a good book that transports them to the world it describes. But a cookbook that does that is a rare treat.

The very best cookbooks have the power to take you on a journey. Such is the case with this wide-ranging memoir featuring recipes from Finland, Greece, Cyprus, South Africa, and Italy. --This text refers to an alternate Hardcover edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 400 pages
• Publisher: Murdoch Books (October 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1740453646
• ISBN-13: 978-1740453646
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 7 x 2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (66 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,284,212 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born to a Finnish mother and a Greek-Cypriot father, Tessa Kiros grew up learning about the world's diverse cultures and traditions. She has worked in restaurants in Sydney, Athens, and Mexico, and at London's famous Groucho Club. Tessa is the author of Venezia: Food and Dreams, Apples for Jam: A Colorful Cookbook and Falling Cloudberries: A World of Family Recipes, both from Andrews McMeel Publishing. She lives in Tuscany with her husband and two daughters.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 57 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful work (would have given it five stars except...) buyer beware May 20, 2009

By Carol Toscano VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Vine™ Review (What's this?)

So I loved this cookbook. It's a beautifully photographed, informative read with some gorgeous, appetizing recipes and some very interesting family and culinary histories (the historical bits could have been a separate book, actually). But I was pretty upset with this cookbook because the first thing I saw that I wanted to make (based upon the beautiful two-page photo spread on pages 144 and 145 entitled Cinnamon + Roses) is not included as a recipe in the actual cookbook. How can you have a cookbook with a beautiful two-page spread of a gorgeous treat and not supply the recipe? It feels like a bait and switch which seems to be happening a lot with cookbooks these days. Cookbook writers, listen up: if you show a dish in your book, give it a beautiful two-page color spread, you should consider publishing the recipe for the people who are paying upwards of $30 for it in a bad economy. I searched every page of this book looking for that recipe - even read the index to find the page numbers because I couldn't find it. Finally, I enlisted the help of a Greek friend who informed me that the item is something called "Loukoumi" which I then re-checked in the index. Not there. Very upsetting. Anyway, I was going to go through and check for this same situation with other items since I suspect that isn't the only place this occurs in this cookbook (so that others would know before buying it) but had already lost heart over it. I really don't like to see this type of thing in a work that is so well done otherwise. I think anyone who wants to purchase this might want to check it out in a bookstore or library first so that you aren't disappointed the way I was.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars "A Lyrical Gem!" April 15, 2009

By Hawkeyes

Format:Hardcover

How do you read a cookbook? My mother, retired and an avid reader, always has a cookbook next to her chair or bedside. She thoroughly "devours" each collection of recipes much as she does her literary works, page by page. My best friend always hones in on the Italian sections only. I, on the other hand, as a full-time professional, have been known to skip reading the cookbook entirely and resort to "index reading." This translates into searching an ingredient I have on hand in the index to come up with a recipe from the book. "Falling Cloudberries" by Tessa Kiros is a success in large part because it works with all of us! Organized into sections from all corners of the globe and related to Ms. Kiros' family, the cover invites the reader to travel through each region with splendiferous photography and artistic layouts. The pencil drawings and portraits of her family are endearing and touching. The introduction to each new country is poetic.

"Falling Cloudberries" is not only a work of art, but also a really, really, REALLY good cookbook! Recipes are clearly written for the home cook and are very reproducible. The international flavors make the preparation entertaining and fresh. My family traveled from an Italian salad of baby spinach, bresaola, apples and nuts to Finnish Hasselback potatoes (named after the Restaurant Hasselbacken in Stockholm) accompanied by a grilled steak and ended with a South African pineapple, cinnamon and allspice cake. The potatoes were gorgeous and I realized as we lifted our glasses in a toast to Ms. Kiros that my family had experienced the taste and beauty of this cookbook without ever cracking the cover themselves. "Falling Cloudberries", because of this broad appeal, would make a wonderful gift to any cook.... My family is begging for more and I can't wait to work up our next culinary "itinerary!" Read more ›

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Solid Mediterranean Recipes and Gorgeous Photos April 7, 2009

By A. Dauster

Format:Hardcover

Tessa Kiros's cookbook, Falling Cloudberries is a marvelous trove of family recipes and photographs. Arranged by region, the recipes are lavishly illustrated and each is annotated with a small paragraph regarding its history and meaning to Kiros.

However, while the recipes are accurate (based on a random sampling), the instructions are, sadly, sometimes lacking. While this may be fine for experienced cooks, a novice may find some of the instructions difficult to follow. For example, "Cinnamon and Cardamom Buns" requires a rather tricky bit of cutting and twisting to shape the buns. Kiros attempts to make the directions clear, but an illustration (even a pen and ink drawing) would not go amiss.

The regional arrangement of recipes lends a tone of credibility to the cookbook, but the home chef should be cautious in making authoritative statements that a recipe is actually from a particular location. In particular, the South African section has a number of recipes ("Garlic Bread", "Chicken Wings with Blue Cheese Dressing", "Fried Chicken", "Barbecued Spare Ribs") that while accurate, are not necessarily unique to the region. Her few truly South African recipes (including "Milk Tart") are far better examples of true South African cooking.

These few issues may be easily overlooked, though, in favor of the lush photography, and the unique combination of Finnish, Greek, and Cypriot recipes that comes with a diverse and well-preserved heritage. The small vignettes that Kiros provides for each recipe's context are beautiful, and I often wished for deeper and longer stories to match with the family photographs.

This is a cookbook that will not go awry on a home cook's shelf, and the Mediterranean recipes will make a fantastic addition to any cook's repertoire.