The Ethnomusicologists' Cookbook
Complete Meals from Around the World
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- $49.99
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- $49.99
Publisher Description
Named one of New York Times Top-20 Cookbooks of 2006.
Have you ever wanted to host a full evening of Indian food, culture, and music? How about preparing a traditional Balinese banquet? Or take a trip to Cairo and enjoy an Egyptian feast? The Ethnomusicologists' Cookbook takes you around the world on a culinary journey that is also a cultural and social odyssey.
Many cookbooks offer a snapshot of individual recipes from different parts of the world, but do nothing to tell the reader how different foods are presented together, or how to relate these foods to other cultural practices. For years, ethnomusicologists have visited the four corners of the earth to collect the music and culture of native peoples, from Africa to the Azores, from Zanzibar to New Zealand. Along the way, they've observed how music is an integral part of social interaction, particularly when it's time for a lavish banquet or celebration. Foodways and cultural expression are not separate; this book emphasizes this connection through offering over thirty-five complete meals, from appetizers to entrees to side dishes to desserts and drinks. A list of recommended CDs fills out the culinary experience, along with hints on how to present each dish and to organize the overall meal.
The Ethnomusicologists' Cookbook combines scholarship with a unique and fun approach to the study of the world's foods, musics, and cultures. More than just a cookbook, it is an excellent companion for anyone embarking on a cultural-culinary journey.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
To savor better its fascinating essays on culinary rituals across the globe, this cookbook is one to pore over in the living room instead of the kitchen. Recipes are attached, but are not the primary pleasure; instead, it is learning about the ceremonial drinking songs of Namibia, or the meals that celebrate the return of the swallows in Korea. However, the recipes serve as worthy accompaniments to the accomplished essays: Dates Stuffed with Almond Paste, from Judeo-Spanish Morocco, are sweetly irresistible, and Bolivia's addictive Avocado with Uncooked Salsa begs to be downed with a bucketful of chips. A sophisticated Palestinian Baked Chicken is served alongside flat bread, the chewy bread a foil for the chicken's pleasant spiciness. And, from closer to home, Appalachian Leather Britches are green beans awash in delicious porky broth-a brilliant way to get kids to eat their veggies. While some recipes demand ingredients that might be difficult to find in American supermarkets, for the most part they're easy to source and require few unorthodox cooking methods. Williams, a professional ethnomusicologist, includes listening suggestions alongside the recipes; if it proves too difficult to scrounge up some konyaku for Soybeans With Vegetables, you can still get a taste of Japan by listening to the Satoko Fujii Orchestra. 35 b&w illustrations.
