Customer Reviews

A Taste of Heaven: A Guide to Food and Drink Made by Monks and Nuns

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A rare gem of a book that both cooks and anyone who enjoys a good meal will appreciate. The stories, the travel, and especially the food, made this a great addition to my library. I used this as my coffee table book at my last party, and had so many people interested in getting a copy, I ended up giving a few more as gifts. This is my pick of the year. Enjoy!

This book will make a marvelous gift for anyone who enjoys both good recipes and cultural richness! Catholic monastic life, in silence, prayer and traditional simplicity, have created the best culinary treats through the centuries: this book is a window into this heavenly-tasting world. I personally applaud the author for including the cultural, geographical and historical descriptions of the monasteries, making this book a one-of-a-kind volume.

A Taste of Heaven is a unique mix of travelogue, buying guide, and cookbook, with a healthy dose of inspiration for good measure. Madeline Scherb infuses her descriptions of the products made by nuns and monks with her own observations from contemplative retreats at the abbeys and monasteries. Her book is both an armchair read and one to prop up on the kitchen counter, as it contains several recipes created specifically for the book. Everyone who has looked through my copy has been intrigued - an excellent book to give as a gift!

Part cookbook, part travel guide, this wonderful collection of recipies of food and drink products made by monks and nuns is my choice for the Christmas gift I'm giving to everyone on my list! Catholic culinary expert Madeline Scherb traveled the globe to visit monks and nuns in monastaries and abbeys in France, Germany, Belgium and ofcourse the US to track down these delicious recipies. She also offers fascinating histories of the monasteries and advice to those who plan to visit. Even if you're an armchair traveler, you're going to love the hevaenly decsriptions of the places she visits and the people she meets. This is a real treat for foodies and travel buffs! I hope there's a TASTE OF HEAVEN II in the works!

great book.
recipes are great, illustrations are wonderful, and it's educational too. also, a section dedicated to cooking and drinking with Chartreuse!

As I read A Taste of Heaven I felt as if I were transported to each location described. Madeline gives a peak into an otherwise 'secret' yet simple lifestyle. For me it created a more personable perception of Monks and Nuns. I had been unaware of the fact that I could actually visit these places and stay there too. This book is a great 'vehicle' that sheds light on a very ancient and simple way of life that prior to reading the book seemed cold and unreachable to me. I'm glad I read the book and am going to try to hunt down some of that real Abbey Ale she writes so highly about!

Your kitchen can't be without this book. Nor should your friends kitchen. An array of delicious receipes with wonderful information about the Monasteries that inspired the receipes. For me, it was delightful to read about the places, persons, and sense of place. My kitchen came alive with the smells! Many times it felt like I was traveling, and cooking, with the monks and nuns in Belgium, France, Germany, and the US. I have shared the tasty meals or desserts with family and friends. I highly recommend the book.

Although it is difficult to communicate it without including an entire chapter here, this book covers much more than indicated by the subhead "A Guide to Food and Drink Made by Nuns and Monks."

On one level, this is a guidebook to finding delicious viands made the really old fashioned way in the U.S. and Europe, by techniques honed over hundreds of years in some cases. Not only do we find foods to purchase but recipes have been included which either use featured items as ingredients or which duplicate fare one would likely eat while visiting.

On the other hand, it is a tour guide of interesting, historical monasteries, abbeys, and convents to visit. Scherb gives a good sense of place for each site, some of the area or order's history, and tips from food authorities. For example, in the Holy Cheese section, tips are featured from master cheesemonger Steve Jenkins for selecting and buying the best monastery cheese. Additionally, the author is thoughtful enough to include suggested itineraries for areas that have a lot of sites one might want to visit.

The greatest treasure in the book, however, from my point of view is that Scherb doesn't look at these places simply as purveyors of excellent food and drink. She is careful to consider each place as a whole, for not only what they can offer our bodies but also our souls. Necessarily this includes Catholicism as that is the basis for the religious life in these places. However, Scherb does an excellent job of providing each person with food for thought no matter their religious leanings. Consider this from the introduction.
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"Perhaps the greatest lesson to be learned from the example of monks and nuns is that a life lived simply can be both rewarding and sustainable. Monks and nuns don't live to work, they live to pray. They work only as much as they need to, but they give it their best effort every day. They work whether they are young or old according to their abilities (an octogenarian nun was recently spotted making chocolates at Bonneval, while monks of a similar age staff the reception desk at Gethsemani).

More specifically, this example from the entry about Our Lady of Guadalupe Abbey in Oregon shows that periods of quiet and contemplation away from the busy world benefit us all.

Dawn is the perfect time of day to read and contemplate. One can sit in a rocking chair in one's room and gaze out at the pond and forest while reading from J.R.R. Tolkein, Thomas Merton, or Thich Nhat Hahn (all are available in the bookstore). Or one can read Saint Therese of Lisieux (whose photo hangs in the monastery's book bindery) and contemplate just how different the world might be if everyone who visits a monastery were to practice a thousand little acts of kindness when they go home. ..."
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There are many benefits for both body and soul through A Taste of Heaven.

Part travelogue, part guidebook, part cookbook, part history, A Taste of Heaven is a fascinating read. The author writes about her pilgrimage to sample the foods made by monks and nuns in contemplative monasteries.

Each chapter explores one type of food (beer and wine, cheese, sweets and other delectables). There are insights by food experts and profiles of various monastic communities and the foods they make. It was enlightening to read about the abbeys in Amity, Oregon (fudge and truffles) and Lafayette, Oregon (fruitcake) where I have visited (and whose fudge and fruitcake I eat when I can). The author also gives contact information for the communities if you'd like to stay there, where you can buy their foods in the USA, ideas on hikes near the communities and what monastery-made foods to take for a picnic.

After you read this book you will understand more about monks, monastic communities and their lives of prayer. Contemplative monks and nuns live to pray. They work to support their lives of prayer, to be self-sufficient and as a way of using God's creation to share God's love with those who partake of what they make. And you will know much more about monastery-made beer, ale, wine, cheese and fruitcake. Like me, you might go searching for these foods in your local stores.

I would have loved to have done the research for this book! The author covers foods made at convents and monasteries around the world. Plus she lists ways to order some of these wonderful-sounding items.