Synopsis
Profiles the food, recipes, and culture of sixty countries.
School Library Journal
Gr 5-8-A disappointing effort. Included are 700 recipes that represent countries, regions within the U.S., and various cultural groups. Along with 10 recipes, each of the 70 entries contains brief sections on "Geographic Setting and Environment"; "History and Food"; "Mealtime Customs"; and other topics. Unfortunately, there are no specific sources given for the many facts and statistics (notably in the "Politics, Economics and Nutrition" sections), or for the recipes. Generalizations include statements such as: "It is tradition for African Americans to eat a lot of food for breakfast" and "Bologna is a popular luncheon meat for many African Americans." Many of the recipes are complicated or the instructions are unclear. Sometimes they are overly simplistic (the recipe for the Argentinean drink "Submarino," or milk with chocolate syrup, instructs "Place the spoon with the syrup in the cold milk, but don't stir it. Drink a little milk, then lick some of the chocolate off the spoon. Continue until glass is empty"). The recipe for "Man-O-Min" lists a measurement without the ingredient. Many of the black-and-white photographs are of poor quality. Two tiny maps are included in each article. There is a single index, which is hard to maneuver. Although recipes are in heavy demand for school assignments, the deficiencies of this set do not make it a worthwhile purchase.-Janice Greenberg, formerly at Brooklyn Public Library, NY Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.