Murdoch Books - "Food of" Series

 

The "Food of Series" is a fascinating seven book series, each of which is dedicated to one particular cuisine. The seven cuisines covered in this series are Indian, French, Italian, Thai, Chinese, Spanish, and Moroccan.

I first came across these books when my cousin gave me "The Food of India" as a Christmas present in 2007. This book had me hooked on the series. What I loved most about this book and the others in this series, is the use of raw ingredients i.e. I was not required to buy readymade pastes from the supermarket.

Making each dish from scratch can be time consuming, however, it allows you to get a true appreciation for the cuisine, and later adapt the dishes to suit your or your guest’s, individual tastes.

I later found "The Food of Italy" and "The Food of Morocco" at a book sale near work. Like its Indian sibling, these books exhibited all the characteristics required to make it a "must buy now" item. Each recipe was easy to follow, beautifully illustrated and the ingredients were relatively easy to find.

These books do an excellent job at demystifying each cuisine. For example, the food of Italy taught me how to make pasta and gnocchi. I remember hearing people tell me how hard it was to make pasta and gnocchi. To be honest, it is not that hard as long as you dust your dough with plenty of flour while you are working with it.

Each book includes a brief overview of the cuisine including a discussion of the regional variations, influences, and food myths. There is also a discussion on the eating style, so that you are able to create a realistic eating experience.

I have since purchased The Food of France, The Food of Thailand, and The Food of China. I am waiting eagerly for them to arrive. I will add individual reviews for each of the books in time and include pictures from my favourite recipes.

Now all I need to buy is the food of Spain and my collection will be complete!