Art of Lithuanian Cooking

Rating:
Summary: Good recipe book
Review: It was what I expected, but I was hoping to be surprised. However still a great overall collection of recipies. I would have liked to see more detail. For example the book sais "cook beets separately", well how long do you boil beets? Americans now adays generally just know how to open can, pour and microwave. Also substitutes for ingredients like pike and carp should be mentioned. I know from living in Lithuania that these fish are common there, but not easy to find pike and carp in the grocery stores here in the states. Also, the book often sais to use mushrooms. However Lithuanians are masters at mushrooms. They have different terms for a species of mushroom depending on when they are picked, if they are under, on the side or on top of a log, etc. I personally use cremini mushrooms for Lithuanian cuisine for the more "gamey" nature. To make this book special a professional editor could do wonders. It would be great to see the meals broken down by the regions of Lithuania, and a historical reference of how these foods and spices made their way to Lithuania. However, I guess I am reaching for the sky. I would just like to see a book that gets people focused on the amazing foods of Central Europe. So many times people ignore agrarian cuisine as "peasant food" and fail to see the brilliance of it's simple ingredients mixed w/ expert preparation. With all this said, I am happy I spent [the money] on this book. I will definitely use it as a reference.

Rating:
Summary: Good recipe book
Review: It was what I expected, but I was hoping to be surprised. However still a great overall collection of recipies. I would have liked to see more detail. For example the book sais "cook beets separately", well how long do you boil beets? Americans now adays generally just know how to open can, pour and microwave. Also substitutes for ingredients like pike and carp should be mentioned. I know from living in Lithuania that these fish are common there, but not easy to find pike and carp in the grocery stores here in the states. Also, the book often sais to use mushrooms. However Lithuanians are masters at mushrooms. They have different terms for a species of mushroom depending on when they are picked, if they are under, on the side or on top of a log, etc. I personally use cremini mushrooms for Lithuanian cuisine for the more "gamey" nature. To make this book special a professional editor could do wonders. It would be great to see the meals broken down by the regions of Lithuania, and a historical reference of how these foods and spices made their way to Lithuania. However, I guess I am reaching for the sky. I would just like to see a book that gets people focused on the amazing foods of Central Europe. So many times people ignore agrarian cuisine as "peasant food" and fail to see the brilliance of it's simple ingredients mixed w/ expert preparation. With all this said, I am happy I spent [the money] on this book. I will definitely use it as a reference.

Rating:
Summary: DELICIOUS
Review: No matter how many cookbooks you may already possess, I happily recommend your adding Maria Gieysztor De Gorgey'sto your collection.It's indispensable !