Customer Reviews

Vegetarian Cooking Around the World (Easy Menu Ethnic Cookbooks (Sagebrush))

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

 

 

Now in a completely revised, expanded, and updated edition, Alison Behnke's Cooking Around The World is and international tour-de-force of delicious ethnic recipes, including wonderfully delicious low-fat dishes. After an informative introduction on vegetarianism around the world, vegetarian nutrition, holidays and festivals, and planning the menu, aspiring kitchen chefs are treated to sound advice about cooking safety, utensils, terms, special ingredients, low-fat cooking tips, and a metric conversion chart. From Stuffed Tomatoes with Feta Cheese, Potato-and-Leek Soup, and Curried Chickpeas, to Bulgur Salad, Mango with Cinnamon, and Passover Matzo Layer Cake, Vegetarian Cooking Around The World is a superb addition to any vegetarian kitchen cookbook collection -- especially for young cooks still learning their way around meal time preparations.

Honestly, not that impressed with this book. There are only about 25 recipes, if that. Each "region" has between maybe 1 and 3 recipes? Certainly not a "thorough" survey like I was hoping for. I certainly wouldn't pay the MSRP of $25 for it. I paid about $3 via Marketplace + $4 S&H and got what I paid for, apparently.

On the plus side, it's a fairly attractive book, with a number of full color photos (perhaps the reason it's so expensive?). It includes a short list of "special ingredients" and introductory cooking terms.

I don't think this book is intended for the "advanced" cook, as the recipes are pretty straightforward (if also a bit "basic"). It also uses eggs, dairy and cheese which may annoy some hardcore vegetarians (and low-fat or non-fat eaters). How do those qualify as coming from vegetables? I don't get it. Someone's playing fast and loose with the rules, there!

So far this series has not delivered the robustness I'd hoped for a a cookbook, being far too cursory. I much prefer the Vegetarian Table series, which feature a wide array of dishes and go into the culture from which the dishes come. Also some of the dishes are less basic and a bit more "advanced" (though, not all; a good mix of both). I highly recommend Vegetarian Table: Thailand, Mexico and Italy. Others in that series which are probably good (I'll review them once I get them in the next week or two) are Japan, France, India, North Africa and America