9.-BEST FOREIGN COOKERY BOOK

There seems to be fewer books about foreign cuisines. There could be fewer general books, with an increase of very focused cookbooks. This leads to more local or regional cookbooks within countries. Readers seem to want more details and depth, with authors who really know their subject

1998 Germany – U.Holsten (Gräfe und Unzer)

1999 US – Padma Lakshmi (Miramax Hyperion)

2000 Spain – Salah Jamal (Zendrera Zariquiey)

2001 Australia – (Murdoch Books)

2002 Australia – David Thompson (Penguin-Viking)

2003 US – Arthur L.Meyer, Jon M.Vann (John Wiley)

2004 Austria – Florian Harm, Lutz Jäkel (Christian Brandstätter)

2005 France – Fatema Hal (Hachette Pratique)

BEST IN THE WORLD

April 7, 2007

FINALISTS

1.-ARGENTINA

Pasión por la cocina Judía

 Miriam Becker

 (Atlántida – Argentina)

Miriam opens her kitchen and her heart. There are recipes for the family, for the feasts, from old times or with modern adaptations.

2.-AUSTRALIA

Under the Mango Tree

 The People, the Palate, the Pleasures

 The Fiji Islands

 Nadi Bay Resort Hotel

 Chef Jonathan Petueli

 Photographs, designed, edited: Glen Craig, Peter Henning and

Rob Rickman

 (Three Loose Cooconuts-Australia)

This book takes you to Fiji in a second, thanks to its most unusual, fresh and lively direct contact with the reader. It bursts with energy, fun, passion and sense of humour. A little big book.

3.-CHINA

Easy Western Food

 Dalong and Linlin

 (Citic Press)

Western food is difficult for the Chinese. This book is very useful, and well done. It has an open approach and understands both Western and Eastern cultures. This is a real success, which was not easy.

4.-FRANCE

Mes Saveurs d'Asie

Gregory Coutanceau

Phtos : Daniel Renaud

(Collection Escales Gourmandes- Le Cherche Midi)

The Coutanceau family has the two stars restaurant in La Rochelle area which is considered many the best in the region. New generation Gregory is opened to Asia, and to the best of foreign taste.

5.-GERMANY

Dubai – New Arabian Cuisine

 Lütz Jäkel, Ingo Maaß, Christian Jean, Amgad Zaki, Khalil Zakhem

 Available in English or German

 (Umschau)

Dubai is quickly becoming one of the top tourist destinations in the world. Food there can be quite good, and offers a discovery of new Arabian cuisine. This book is a model and benchmark for other tourist destinations around the world who want to motivate tourists through food. This book shows what the Arabian cuisine can be when it is influenced by the European Haute cuisine…or vice versa. The forewords of Chef Ramzi and of Vincent Klink underline this. They might have cooked like that in the palaces of thousand and one nights. 

6.-THE NETHERLANDS

Raïnaraï

 De Nomadische Keuken Van Algerije

 Laurent Med Khellout

 (Fontaine)

From Amsterdam, the chef has cooperated with Oxfam Netherlands Organisation for International Development Cooperation. It gives the best flavours of the Algerian nomadic kitchens of North Africa, in a well designed and colourful book.

7.-PORTUGAL

Sabores Exóticos

 A Chefe Silva

 (Texto Editores)

In Portugal one can find recipes and restaurants influenced, like this book, by the old colonies of Portugal around the world. The book has more focus on Angola and Mozambique. Chef Silvia is very respected in Portugal.

8.-SPAIN-CASTELLANO

Primicias de Cocina Peruana

 Rodolfo Hinostroza

 (Everest)

There are 100 recipes in this book, which can be an introduction to one of the best cuisines in the world.

9.-SPAIN-CATALAN

Del Cuscús al Sushi

 Marta Carnicero

 (Columna)

From Couscous to Sushi, these recipes were foreign, but are now considered regular food by many. Most young people will eat them often.

10.-SWEDEN

Matlådan med smak från hela världen
Gunilla Lundgren, Kerstin Gidfors

Photo: Ann Eriksson

Layout: Victoria Bergmark

(LL-förlaget)

Immigrants present in easy Swedish their own food traditions, and give us their personal backgrounds as well.

11.-UK

Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook

 Recipes from Hunan province

 Fuchsia Dunlop

Food photography by Georgia Glynn Smith

 With additional photography by Fuchsia Dunlop

 Foreword by Ken Hom

 (Ebury Press)

With real insight and talented writing, the author shows her passion for the best Chinese cuisine from Hunan. The reading is very entertaining and informative, and the recipes are great.

12.-USA

The Soul of a New Cuisine, A Discovery of the Foods and Flavours of Africa

 Marcus Samuelsson, Foreword by Desmond Tutu

 (John Wiley)

Marcus was born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, and lives in the United States. His Michelin Stars do not make him forget his African roots, for which he has real affection and even passion. The foreword is by Desmond Tutu, the hero of South Africa. See also in the culinary history category “To the Banqueting House-African Cuisine-An Epic Journey”, published in South Africa, and “Afrika! Afrika!” in the 21A-Photo Category, published in Austria.