The Soul of a New Cuisine: A Discovery of the Foods and Flavors of Africa (Hardcover)

by Marcus Samuelsson (Author), Gediyon Kifle (Photographer), Desmond Tutu (Foreword), Heidi Sacko Walters (Contributor)
Key Phrases: green curry paste, shiro powder, doro wett, South African, West Africa, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
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From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Born Ethiopian, raised Swedish, and now one of New York City's top chefs, Samuelsson (Aquavit: And the New Scandinavian Cuisine) has written an exotic yet accessible book that will hasten the coming of the African fusion cookery he envisions. His 204 recipes and 258 color photos are enriched with personal and political history; as in his many condiments and sauces, the balance is right. While he stresses the diversity and bounty of the second-largest continent, he repeatedly describes African cuisine as poor people's cooking, crafted with simple tools and necessarily emphasizing starches, vegetables and big flavors. Whether it's rosemary for Honey Bread or turmeric, ginger and cinnamon in his Vegetable Samosas, herbs and spices are always sauteed in oil or tossed in a hot dry pan, to intensify and mellow. He even proposes toasting the cinnamon for the whipped cream accompanying his Ethiopian Chocolate Rum Cake. The recipe for the cake is typical: the batter is prepared in a single bowl, mixed with a spoon, and bakes up moist and gingerbread-like, with great keeping properties. Toasting the cinnamon takes seconds and is impressive in the complexity it delivers. (Oct.)
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Wiley (September 19, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764569112
• ISBN-13: 978-0764569111
• Product Dimensions: 10.1 x 9.4 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (25 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #26,091 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #1 in	Books > Religion & Spirituality > Authors, A-Z > ( T ) > Tutu, Desmond
  #2 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Regional & International > African
  #30 in	Books > Cooking, Food & Wine > Regional & International > International

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Recipes, January 8, 2007

By	M. Davis "Rabid Reader" (NYC, NY) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I agree with B. Marold that the writing is weak, but who "reads" cookbooks? I got the book for Xmas and have made a few of the recipes, and they are HEAVEN. Last night: a roast chicken stuffed with olives, ginger, cardamom, lemon rind and rubbed with a mixture of cinnamon, cloves, turmeric, cardamom and ginger. Each bite burst with the individual flavors. I was in love. That recipe alone was worth the $26.40. And there are dozens more that I can't wait to try. This is food porn at its best.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably Good Recipes., March 7, 2008

By	Tess - See all my reviews

I am obsessed with this cookbook, especially now that I have had a chance to make some of the recipes. If you are looking for new flavors and interesting and challenging new foods to cook then I highly recommend you buy this book. Unlike some other reviewers, I did not buy this book for the travelogue aspect. I wasn't looking for an in depth encyclopedic knowledge of any specific country's cuisine. I was just looking for something new and different and delicious. I'm a cook and a foodie and I love ethnic cooking. This book is a great introduction to the trendiest new food in the US. My favorite so far has been the Crab Burgers, which feature easy black bean crab burgers topped with pickled cabbage and chili mayonnaise. I can still taste how unique and delicious they were. Everyone who tried them was blown away by their flavor, which can't really be imagined before you take a bite. While making all the components was a bit time consuming (but really not that bad) none of the recipes were terribly difficult. But I would say this book is geared more to more experienced home cooks and adventuresome eaters. Those with mundane palates probably should stay away.

In response to an earlier critique, I think that reviewer missed the gist of the book. The idea was to take the cuisine of various African countries and get the basic idea of it but then to expand that idea to something bigger. So the recipes keep a common ingredient but fix it in a unique way or use a technique with a unique combination of ingredients. I love this about the book. Samuelsson keeps techniques, such using a morter and pestle, that can't be matched with modern methods but uses modern technology, such as the mandoline, when it performs the needed task more easily, and in this case if your knife skills are lacking, with better results. I do agree, however, that the photographs that go with the recipes can be misleading. I'm still not sure what the Stir Fry Beef Stew is supposed to look like. The pictures on the pages with the recipe are vastly different and not labeled but both could be the stew in question.

All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves cooking and ethnic foods. The flavors are out of this world and the recipes are highly inspiring.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Daring and Fun, January 11, 2007

By	D. Gruenewald (St. Louis, MO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

If you enjoy "new eating adventures" this is a great source to use.
The author does an outstanding job a giving alternative suggestions for ingredients that might not be easily accesible to you. Loads of great background information on the indigenous countries of the recipes used - I read it cover to cover like a non-fiction!