Cooking Around the World

[Lady JayTee]

I am now the proud new owner of all 27 of the Time-Life Foods of the World cookbook series (1967-1978) that I started in 1967 (I had two)! After divorce, remarriage (30 yrs now!), I decided to finish what I started years ago and began inquiring/collecting the used cookbooks as described above. Most were written by people who came from the countries described, or who were foreign emmisaries/dignitaries of various types. For example, Cooking of Japan was written by the Aide de camp of General Douglas Macarthur, Faubion Bowers during the postwar occupation. Close enough to the OLD traditions to make fascinating reading! Truly understanding the traditions and culture of cookbooks' various major countries makes for a wonderful eating experience. In today's culture, many of the older ways have dissappeared, but they still were VERY much alive in the 60's, ala Julia Child..... Who else has these wonderful books? I won a prize for Best dessert at our Yacht club annual dinner for my Cassata ala Siciliana (Sicilian wedding cake) which came from the Cooking of Italy (my first book of the two). I FINALLY understood about how to choose Wines and Spirits to go with my menus and exactly how Champagne and Beers and Spirits are made! Who would like to share their "World Travels" via these Cookbooks with me? Lets take a trip around the world and revive those old country recipes!
/j/

 

[Wyogal]

Yes! I have a few; got them from the school district, they were giving/throwing them away. I have: Pacific and SE Asian, Caribbean Islands, African, Spain & Portugal, and Middle Eastern.

 

[Lady JayTee]

Do you have the hard cover version or the accompanying spiral bound, "Recipes: the Cooking of......"? When I won my Ebay auctions, I got a couple of extra copies of spirals that I don't need. If you would like a free spiral cookbook,as the "go with" to the hard cover version, I'd be glad to send it to you. I have: Recipes: for: Classic French Cooking, Wines and Spirits, Chinese Cooking, American Cooking-The Eastern Heartland, the Cooking of Germany and Middle Eastern Cooking. I also have two hard covered: the Cooking of Japan that I would give as well.

We could pick a country, make a dinner, and share how it turned out in this blog. I did Germany (red cabbage w/apples and Sausage) last night and my husband loved it! This morning I made Biegnets (Cajun donuts) for breakfast with fresh fruit. They were incredibly easy and will become a favorite for sure! Cooking is not hard, it's "knowing about what works and how" that we need reminding about now and then. Inspiration, right!

 

[Wyogal]

I have the hard cover books, nah, I don't need the spirals, I have no more room for cookbooks!!!! I use these for inspiration, method, etc, then usually go online for recipes.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I was lucky enough to come across & buy the complete hardcover series (along with a few of the spirals) at the "Green Valley Book Fair" here in VA. Wonderful HUGE place for booklovers that for 2 weeks once a month opens their warehouse of overruns, leftovers, remainders, & sometimes used delights (also sometimes including audio books, CD's, DVD's, & old vinyl records) at bargain basement prices. We go at least once or twice a year & never leave with less than a trunk full of treasures - one of which last summer was a large carton of the Time-Life Foods of the World series. I think I ended up paying $1.00 or less apiece for the hardcovers & they threw in the spirals for free. Couldn't pass that up! I'm waiting for the cold inhospitable winter days ahead to start snuggling up with them & doing some fun food reading.

 

[Lady JayTee]

Culpepper, Virginia! Sounds like a humdinger of a book fair! Wish we had something like that here in Ontario, NY, near Rochester, NY. You were lucky to get them so cheap. I had to collect mine piece-meal (ha!). I started reading Wines and Spirits first, and was so fascinated, I kept it on my night stand. I just finished it last night. I bought a bottle of Sherry, and decided I like it better than mixed cocktails - smoother and about the same (a little less perhaps) alcohol content. I read Foods of India---learned more than I ever knew about this vastly varied, mysterious country! I began making Chutney's lately as a result. I figured that if I like Salsas, I'd probably like a different chunky sauce...so, Sunday, I chopped up some peeled baby butternut squash (my husband accidentally zipped off the vine with the weedeater), added peeled, chopped apples that I picked a little too soon, chopped dried prunes, onions, garlic, jar of put-up figs, curry powder and other spices, sml. amount of sliced banana pepper, Ginger (grated) little orange juice, Red Wine Vinegar, little sugar, Apricot jam, little water...cooked it all up and Marveaux, American N.E. chutney! I honestly could not tell one ingredient that stood out - it was a perfect "blend" of flavors to complement the marinated pork loin chops I grilled! I truly love these books! I'm reading Cooking of England next. I know GB's not "known" for gourmet food, but I love their Beef Wellington, Yorkshire Pudding (like a beef flavored souffle) and cakes and pastries and Trifles. Simple, fresh foods are good too. When I get done, I expect to be able to look at food with a different perspective than just the American view and see more opportunities to be creative. Next plan is to re-vamp my spice cupboard and purchase a new tea pot with cups to match - perhaps some special dessert plates too! Bon Appetit!
/j/

 

[BreezyCooking]

Well, the book fair unfortunately isn't in Culpeper - it's about 90 minutes away in Harrisonburg. But still worth the drive, although we haven't been lately due to the high price of petrol these days.

As far as Great Britain's cuisine - luckily for the natives, it's improved greatly since GB is fast becoming as large a "melting pot" as the U.S.A. You can now get excellent local seafood prepared in ways other than the traditional "fish & chips", absolutely fabulous Indian cuisine - in fact, pretty much anything you might be hungering for.

Obviously that wasn't the case back when the Time-Life series was put out. But many of the traditional dishes still have their place. I LOVE a good Yorkshire Pudding, which I haven't been able to enjoy in many years due to my husband not eating red meat. Maybe I should try making one using poultry drippings - lol!!!

 

[Lady JayTee]

Why NOT try it with chicken - make some nice crunchies while you cook your chicken on stove top (iron skillet?), then put chicken on platter to keep warm, while you bake pudding it in really hot oven....in the iron skillet. Sounds like a plan to me! Thanks for sharing!
/j/

 

[Lady JayTee]

Hey! I LOVED your Blog!! You really are quite the cooker... I'd add photos too if I only knew how??

/j/

I have the hard cover books, nah, I don't need the spirals, I have no more room for cookbooks!!!! I use these for inspiration, method, etc, then usually go online for recipes.