Customer Reviews

Internet-Linked Children's World Cookbook

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I collect children's cookbooks. "The Usborne Internet-linked Children's World Cookbook" is the best I have found so far. Why? Let me count the reasons:

1. This softcover 8 1/2 x 11 is the perfect size. It mostly stays open, except towards the front and back, then just place a potato or whatever you have on hand to hold it open.

2. Bright, colorful, inviting, with pictures on EVERY page!

3. Text is not overwhelming! Easy to read!

4. Each recipe has a picture of the finished product, and step by step instructions in colorful illustrations.

5. Each recipe is taken from somewhere in the world (thus the title) with side notes pertaining to ingredients. For example, here is peanut bread made from groundnuts (peanuts) in Africa. One note is about African grains and the other is Groundnut paste.

6. 27 countries or continents are represented

7. My favorite section occurs every 3 or 4 countries: seven unique sections including Fruit around the world--a beautiful display of opened and unopened fruit with a brief description of flavor and how to open and eat. Mango, kiwi, kiwano (horned melon), Sharon fruit (persimmon), physalis, mangosteen, kumquats, tamarillo, star fruit, papaya, passion fruit, guava, pomegranate, lychees, and pineapple. This section alone is worth the cost of the book. What a teaching experience!

Other sections include breads from around the world, cheeses, spices, cakes and pastries, vegetables, and Mediterranean ingredients. Each is as educational and colorful as the other.

The recipes need supervision, of course, for younger children, but are manageable for older ones. They include such tasty treats as brownies from the United States, pancakes from Canada, tacos from Latin America with the accompaniments and their recipes, mango slushy from the Caribbean, bobotie from Africa (an egg, ground meat, curry casserole), and scones from England with a section on afternoon tea.

Ever tasted Lebkuchen from Germany, or goulash from Hungary, or Red Fruit Pudding from Norway, or Jansson's temptation from Sweden (potatoes and anchovies baked in a milk base), or Smorrebrod (open-face sandwiches) from Denmark? Or tabboule from the Middle East? Or Lamingtons from Australia?

This is a cookbook to own, whether for you or your child. So much flavor, so little time. So much aroma, just invite me in!

I highly recommend this book. The recipes are easy to follow and the ingredients are easy to come by. Every so often in the book they have a couple pages featuring examples of spices of the world, fruit of the world, bread of the world, etc. The recipes are healthy and delicious. There is a lot of information about the country and the food that comes from that country. It's one of our family favorites.

The recipes seemed somewhat suspect to me as to their authenticity. Pancakes with maple syrup is the most unique canadian recipe they could find? And do people in Mexico put sour cream on their tacos? Do they even use ground beef in their tacos more than shredded meat? The book says all Latin American countries eat tomatoes, chili peppers, corn and beans. Our exchange students from Argentina this year said they don't have tortillas there and they almost never ate beans. I was hoping for flavors from other countries without the expense of world travel, but I'm just not sure I am getting them.