An engaging look at "food prejudices," or why we eat what we eat and why we reject other food sources as unpalatable--with recipes! "This is a unique and engrossing work and, to my mind, an important contribution to the annals of gastronomy. It will not, of course, appeal to all palates . . . but neither do snails and sweetbreads, brains and other oddments of animals." --Craig Claiborne "I read from cover to cover with huge enjoyment. . . I can recall no other book that has covered the subject of strange foods with quite his flair and authority, and I consider the book required reading for anyone interested in the lore of food." --James Beard
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
When I found this book I did a sanity check. I looked up a couple of recipies learned from my stay in the Phillipines. Sure enought they were both there and accurate - balot - a fertilized duck egg, and aso sena - dog stew.
I have cooked a few recipes from this book, but mainly it is a great conversation piece, and just a fun read. Where else can you read about preparing armadillo on the half shell, or grubs.
One interesting feature is that the book is indexed both by main ingredient and by country. Who is the best represented? - France and China.
I have cooked a few recipes from this book, but mainly it is a great conversation piece, and just a fun read. Where else can you read about preparing armadillo on the half shell, or grubs.
One interesting feature is that the book is indexed both by main ingredient and by country. Who is the best represented? - France and China.
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I bought this book as part of my research for a college course/textbook on human interactions with animals. I'm a good cook, and broad-minded, so I tried quite a few of the recipes (the book has many excellent recipes for the "cheaper cuts" of conventional meat animals, and we have a butcher nearby that sells many of them), not just exotic ones (so our dog can relax!). All of the recipes I've tried have been winners!
Our local supermarket recently started selling frozen octopus, and both of the recipes we've tried have been hits. My wife HATES molluscs because of the texture, but she found eating octopus to be "like eating cheese". I like eating octopus because it not only tastes good, but most only live a couple of years and then die after reproducing.
All in all, a great book (and the only one of my reference books that I keep in the kitchen!). Buy it!
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
A fun introduction to foods that we do not usually think of as comestible. No recipes for newt eyes though, but there are recipes for mice, rats, grasshoppers and pretty much anything else that can creep, crawl or walk. People in other parts of the world make do and enjoy many items that may be very tasty which we would abhor the thought of even eating, even when faced with starvation. French fries and hamburgers aren't everything.
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This author knows cooking. You will find reliable ingredient list and techniques for preparing authentic dishes from around the world. I have had a copy since the early eighties, I believe, and find it an excellent resource for most any dish I can think of. I learned to use chicken feet and fish heads for soup stock, both of which are overlooked by many, except the commercial manufacturers. The commentary is wonderful and enlightening. This is a cookbook and a resource for any serious cook. If I had one cookbook, this would be it.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
From udders to eyeballs I enjoyed this book. Mixed in with more common dietary selections are items that would inspire the Adams's family caterer. This is a well presented, well researched, book that is more than just a list of culinary oddities. Mr. Schwabe's introductions provide a wealth of information on food history and customs. He has somehow bridged the gap between a pure scholarly approach and good readability. A keeper
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
By Jim Wilson
Format:Paperback
From a wide variety of ways to cook beef brains to roasted grasshoppers, this book has it all. Although some recipies may cause people some pause (there is an entire chapter on dogs and cats), even these show how limited Americans are in their eating choices. It begs the question, why are some animals only for pets and others only for food? Thought provoking with some truly excellent recipies, this book can do more than just shock and inform.
By Weatherproof
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Just in case you have to cook to survive, this book tells you how to make the most elaborate, delicious meal from unmentionables. YuK, but in a pinch to survive, a YUK may turn into a YUM. A great read anyway.
By Mark Gaskell
Format:Hardcover
the book arrived in great condition, better than expected and delivered on time. would highly recommend the seller.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
Impressive
An impressive collection of food preparations that are difficult to find elsewhere. It truly gives one a sense of the world of food beyond fast food and steaks. Read more
Published 5 months ago by Dr. Barton
4.0 out of 5 stars
Care for some sun-dried grasshoppers?
This book certainly opened my eyes to how little we Westerners eat, in terms of meat products (only muscle tissue for the most part, and only from like four or five animals), and... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Meaghan Good
2.0 out of 5 stars
30 year old cook book
That's all it is. A 30 year old cookbook. Although the publication is a reprint the statistics are all from 1979 as are the prices. I expected a tour of world cuisine. Read more
Published on February 16, 2008 by Miran Ali
4.0 out of 5 stars
When a Big Mac just won't do.. A very special cookbook.
I doubt many folk will buy this book and actually use it. Its great for shock value and as a perfect gift for friends with a slightly warped sense of humor. Read more
Published on July 30, 1999 by Bret Marquis
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 10
books:
See all 10 books this book cites
25
books
cite this book:
See all 25 books citing this book
- Eat Not This Flesh: Food Avoidances in the Old World by Frederick J. Simoons on 5 pages
- Raising Small Meat Animals by Victor Michael Giammattei on 4 pages
- The Meat We Eat (14th Edition) by John R. Romans on page 155, and Back Matter
- Eating in America: A History by Waverley Root in Back Matter
- Stalking The Wild Asparagus by Euell Gibbons in Back Matter
See all 10 books this book cites
- Extreme Cuisine: The Weird & Wonderful Foods that People Eat by Jerry Hopkins on 9 pages
- The Primal Cheeseburger: A Generous Helping of Food History Served On a Bun by Elisabeth Rozin in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Food of China by E. N. Anderson on page 181, and Back Matter
- All Manners of Food: Eating and Taste in England and France from the Middle Ages to the Present by Stephen Mennell in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Raw and the Cooked: Adventures of a Roving Gourmand by Jim Harrison on page 168
See all 25 books citing this book
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