Rating: 
Summary: Much more than a recipe book
Review: In recent years there has been a growing hunger on the part of many readers for more information on the cultural and historical background of food. If you are such a reader, "A Mediterranean Feast" would be a welcome addition to your cookbook library. Along with traditional recipes from many regions, this massive volume offers extensive text on the history of Mediterranean food, including the influences of climate and geography. The book is handsomely produced, with maps and period"~ illustrations adding their own interest to the narrative.
Rating:
Summary: Much more than a recipe book
Review: In recent years there has been a growing hunger on the part of many readers for more informaton on the cultural and historical background of food. If you are such a reader, "A Mediterranean Feast" would be a welcome addition to your cookbook library. Along with traditional recipes from many countries, this massive volume offers extensive text on the history of Mediterranean food, including the influences of climate and geography. The book is handsomely produced, with maps and period illustrations adding their own interest to the narrative.Also recommended: "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen," by Sonia Uvezian. Fascinating text and fabulous recipes make this definitive volume a must for anyone interested in the cooking and culture of the region.
Rating:
Summary: Much more than a recipe book
Review: In recent years there has been a growing hunger on the part of many readers for more informaton on the cultural and historical background of food. If you are such a reader, "A Mediterranean Feast" would be a welcome addition to your cookbook library. Along with traditional recipes from many countries, this massive volume offers extensive text on the history of Mediterranean food, including the influences of climate and geography. The book is handsomely produced, with maps and period illustrations adding their own interest to the narrative. Also recommended: "Recipes and Remembrances from an Eastern Mediterranean Kitchen," by Sonia Uvezian. Fascinating text and fabulous recipes make this definitive volume a must for anyone interested in the cooking and culture of the region.
Rating: 
Summary: A Mediterranean Feast of excellence
Review: rarely ever does one come across a cookbook that reads like a story,this must be one of the great cookbooks of this century,laden with information and clarifications on misconceptions about the arabic influence on our lives.well done.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent Encyclopedic Gastronomy
Review: The Mediterranean is its own country and most positively well known for its cuisine. But it wasn't always like that. At one time peasants would be routinely found dead, face down, their teeth stuck in the earth. Wright brilliantly traces the evolution of the Mediterranean gastronomic sensibility from the times of famine and shows how trade, politics, religion and technology influenced the creation of the cuisine so many of us revere and enjoy. He shows how the Mediterranean psyche finds food a deeply sensual experience, and how appreciation of History and Culture is to be savored in every bite of a dish. He explains also why it's never proper to look down your nose at meat dishes when travelling in these countries. Recipes, most modern, some old, grace the book generously with blurbs on the ingredients and their interactions. Many are just delicious. I tried my versions of the leek stew, the cabbage rolls, and the salted cabbage with mint dressing and simply adored them. I can't wait for what the next three quarters of the book have in store for me, over time. This isn't a volume to just check out of the library. This is one to have on hand for whenever the mood or the necessity strikes you.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent Encyclopedic Gastronomy
Review: The Mediterranean is its own country and most positively well known for its cuisine. But it wasn't always like that. At one time peasants would be routinely found dead, face down, their teeth stuck in the earth. Wright brilliantly traces the evolution of the Mediterranean gastronomic sensibility from the times of famine and shows how trade, politics, religion and technology influenced the creation of the cuisine so many of us revere and enjoy. He shows how the Mediterranean psyche finds food a deeply sensual experience, and how appreciation of History and Culture is to be savored in every bite of a dish. He explains also why it's never proper to look down your nose at meat dishes when travelling in these countries. Recipes, most modern, some old, grace the book generously with blurbs on the ingredients and their interactions. Many are just delicious. I tried my versions of the leek stew, the cabbage rolls, and the salted cabbage with mint dressing and simply adored them. I can't wait for what the next three quarters of the book have in store for me, over time. This isn't a volume to just check out of the library. This is one to have on hand for whenever the mood or the necessity strikes you.
Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL BOOK FOR BEGINNERS AND PROFESSIONALS
Review: This is a doctoral thesis and complete cookbook all in one. This was given to me as a gift and it is not only informative, but the recipes REALLY WORK. I have a lot of cookbooks, but I will never give this one up, ever. IT has hundreds of recipes with very simple ingredients. Even substitutions for ethnic seasonings is already provided in the book. It is healthy, tasteful, easy to cook and you dont need to be a genius to have wonderful meals with this one. EXCELLENT BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: WONDERFUL BOOK FOR BEGINNERS AND PROFESSIONALS
Review: This is a doctoral thesis and complete cookbook all in one. This was given to me as a gift and it is not only informative, but the recipes REALLY WORK. I have a lot of cookbooks, but I will never give this one up, ever. IT has hundreds of recipes with very simple ingredients. Even substitutions for ethnic seasonings is already provided in the book. It is healthy, tasteful, easy to cook and you dont need to be a genius to have wonderful meals with this one. EXCELLENT BOOK.
Rating:
Summary: Food scholarship
Review: This is an amazing resource, a thorough compendium of Mediterranean foodlore. Perhaps the most valuable aspect is the ethnographic research, with many unique folk recipes from the author's own observations. Almost equally valuable is the amazing bibliography, which lists all the significant historical works on food in the region, including medieval Arab titles. The author is far too modest on p. 567 when he claims to be a mere "food writer" and "consumer of scholarship." The scholarship here is superior and incredibly up-to-date on matters ranging from wheat taxonomy to Meccan trade. A few tiny errors have crept in (foxtail millet is NOT panic millet...). I disagree with the negative reviewer, above, on everything except one point: the organization of the recipes in the book is beyond rational analysis. But one can use the indexes, where everything is arranged for the cook.
Rating:
Summary: Food scholarship
Review: This is an amazing resource, a thorough compendium of Mediterranean foodlore. Perhaps the most valuable aspect is the ethnographic research, with many unique folk recipes from the author's own observations. Almost equally valuable is the amazing bibliography, which lists all the significant historical works on food in the region, including medieval Arab titles. The author is far too modest on p. 567 when he claims to be a mere "food writer" and "consumer of scholarship." The scholarship here is superior and incredibly up-to-date on matters ranging from wheat taxonomy to Meccan trade. A few tiny errors have crept in (foxtail millet is NOT panic millet...). I disagree with the negative reviewer, above, on everything except one point: the organization of the recipes in the book is beyond rational analysis. But one can use the indexes, where everything is arranged for the cook.
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