Food Books

This book is an irresistible read for anyone with a love of food an an interest in the history, geography and culture of regional France and its food products and cuisine. Root writes beautifully and it's impossible not to become as enthusiastic as the author as he shares his vast knowledge of each region of France and its culinary traditions. A book to return to again and again.

Mr Root's overarching theory is that French food can be divided into the three culinary domains of fat, butter and oil. The Food of France reflects this belief and is similarly divided into three main sections, each chapter within a section dealing with the geographical/culinary regions within each domain. Within this structure, each chapter explores the food of a specific culinary region, and highlights the dishes distinct to that region.

Underpinning Mr Root's overarching theory is the premise that food and how it is cooked is intimately related to and is influenced by the geography, history, and culture (agri- and otherwise) of its region. As a result, each region develops a food and cooking style unique to itself. He proceeds to illustrate this with erudition, verve, wit and style. Drawing on his knowledge of French geography, history, and culture, as well as what seems to be his vast gastronomic experiences across France, he makes a fine case for how each have been an ingredient in shaping and influencing the development of the food of each region. The Food of France will not only tell you what goes into an omelette provencale, it will tell you why this is different from an omelette a la nomande or an omelette a la nicoise, as well as consider different theories as to how the omelette got its name.

The book comes with a general index, as well as an index of food and dishes. Dishes are described with sufficient particularity that a good cook could reproduce the dish. I should note that as the book was written in 1958, some of his information is a little outdated (his recommendations for good years of wine) or a little late (his urgings to visit Provence before it becomes too touristed). Notwithstanding this, The Food of France is an excellent resource and wonderful read: perhaps there can be no better recommendation than to admit that I enjoyed it so much that I have gone to buy The Food of Italy, also written by Root.

My Personal Rating Scale:
5 stars: Engaging, well-written, highly entertaining or informative, thought provoking, pushes the envelope in one or more ways, a classic.
4 stars: Engaging, well-written, highly entertaining or informative. Book that delivers well in terms of its specific genre or type, but does not do more than that.
3 stars: Competent. Does what it sets out to do competently, either on its own terms on within the genre, but is nothing special. May be clichéd but is still entertaining.

2 stars: Fails to deliver in various respects. Significantly clichéd. Writing is poor or pedestrian. Failed to hold my attention.
1 star: Abysmal. Fails in all respects.

Now finishing my second reading of this tremendous book, all the while suspecting that Waverly Root was really a well-disguised poseur and not really the erudite man-of-the-world he appears to have been, I have to finally admit that, in addition to being one hell of a fine writer, he must also have been one of the most broadly-informed gourmands ever. True, occassional anecdotes and opinions of his betray the fact that the book was originally published 50 years ago, but the scope and intimacy of his knowledge with pretty much every provincial outpost, grand boulevard, and Basque backwater in France is astounding. I suspect he read and took to heart the 1950s edition of the Larousse Gastronomique, since many of the culinary practices he describes hardly deviate from what the Great Book says, but he provides so many examples of eating experiences that could be nothing but first-hand that I have to conclude that he actually DID spend his 30+ years in France doing little but travelling, eating, and drinking. These culinary expeditions are a treasure now: many of the regions he sampled so amply have been globalized to oblivion. His enthusiastic, almost childlike [but, nonetheless, world-wise] forays into the Haut Pyrenees, for example, record a local tradition of farmhouse cooking that is no more. But he was no mere chronicler of foods: his essays are leavened with witty, insightful, broadly-informed and fascinating anecdotes and contextual notes geographical, historical, literary, and agricultural. In this sense, I believe he was one of the pioneers of the broad, anectdotal form of journalism that remains perhaps the most effective means of presenting the world to an armchair audience. I have to forgive his peculiarities. Even his apparent contempt for Champagne seems inconsequential when I read his descriptions of travelling into darkest Corsica, sampling the wild, unrefined local wines, and immediately perceiving their perfect suitability to the food of the region. I am not aware of any other food and wine writer from that era who so heartily insisted on describing food and wine as a marriage. He wrote 20 years before Richard Olney brought his own sophistications to the table, and, understood in this context, his predilections must have been radical at the time.

I urge you to read this book with a willingness to forgive the occassional signs of age. They are few and forgivable. Please savor the writing, with its erudition, lovely sense of timing and flow, gentle humor and enthusiasm. Please also consider it as the eloquent indictment of globalization that it is. To read a book written in the uncritical heyday of postwar American optimism and to find in it laments that the old world was slipping away, a victim of commerce and centralized policymaking, is a poignant experience indeed. This book is an education like few others.

"The Food of France" is a delicious, exhausting account of the cuisine of France - definitely not reading for those watching their cholesterol level. Highly recommended.

The Food of France, written in 1958, is a wonderfully erudite and relaxed look into French cuisine. Root, who has evidently spent many years in France eating his way through its various provinces, has written a travelogue and a paen to French cuisine.

Root divides France into various gastronomic regions, and looks at the foods typical to each of these regions. His theory, that these gastronomic regions can be collated under three different regions - the domains of fat, butter and olive oil - forms the overarching structure of the book. In each region, he describes both its social and cultural history, as well as its geography and agriculture, in order to better explain why the food of that region developed in the way that it has. His riffs move from the origin of the name "Languedoc" (the language where "yes" was "oc" and not "oui") and "Carcassonne" to the reason for large roofs in the Jura region. While some of this information may undoubtedly be out of date (his urgent plea to visit Provence before it becomes too touristetd is definitely 20 years too late by now as are his recommedations of good years for particular wines), most of the information is still pertinent and interesting.

Among all of this, he manages to describe with luscious wit and warmth the food of the region. He will tell you with authority how snails are cooked, which cities have the best type of pastries, and what goes into the preparation of cote de porc a la vosgienne. If you've ever wondered about the difference between an omelette a la savoyarde (and he tells an amusing and fascinating story of how the omelette came to be so named) and an omelette a la lyonnaise, what a pamplemousse is or what goes into a cassoulet (depends on which region the cassoulet is made in), this is the book for you.

It comes with an excellent general index, as well as an index of food and dishes. Cooks out there might be interested to know that he frequently describes dishes with sufficient particularity that a good cook could reproduce some of the dishes so described, even though details as to proportions and cooking techiques are not provided.

I enjoyed this so much that I went off to buy The Food of Italy also by Root and am anticipating reading that with equal relish. There can really be no better recommendation than that.

I originally bought this book as another of my spontaneous crazy cook book purchase. But then I made this first dish....and it was so good. So I made another, an so on..... All the dishes that come out of this cook are wonderful. The pictures are inspiring. This is a fantastic first Indian cookbook to get.

This book is so wonderful. It is beautifully photographed, designed and well thought out. This might make you think that the recipies were an afterthought; however, they were given just as much if not more attention. This book is a GEM!

With so many Indian cookbooks already on the market, why should the interested home cook look at yet another? It's simple: The Food Of India: A Journey For Food Lovers by Priya Wickramasinghe and Carol Selva Rajah is quite a cut above most of its similar-sounding competitors. In the first place, a team of traveler/food fans join forces to offer exquisite color photos of both Indian foods and culinary scenes across the country, pairing these photos with clear discussions of the seven Indian states and the local foods they're noted for. Secondly, The Food Of India includes a healthy dose of local history and ingredients research, as well as interviews with chefs and food producers. And if this isn't enough, it needs to be noted that the recipes selected for The Food Of India are anything but ordinary: from a Fried Beef Kerala to the Northern Indian traditional Chole Chaat, many regional specialty dishes aren't to be found in competing guides. All these features combined assure a visual treat packed with dishes all levels of Indian cook will relish.

Even though i was from India I amnow in the US where sometimes finding Indian ingredients could be a long lengthy process. This book not only retains the origian taste but also incorporates ingredients easily found in a non Indian environment. I absolutely love the andhra style chicken pulao and the chicken tikka masala. This book has made my mom proud (since she loves to take credit for training me with regards to cooking), little does she know i owe it all to this book.

This is the ultimate Indian cookbook to own.

This book explains in detail the delicacies of various parts of India. As many people know, India has culture, language and practices that differ vastly from one state to another. This book encompasses dishes from almost all the states of India. This book also explains when a meal is eaten (e.g. breakfast, special occassion etc). The photos of people, places, and dishes add good value to the book. I have tried many recipes and are quite authentic. (Since India is a large country, the meaning of authenticity of a particular dish varies from place to place). The ingredients are easily available in any specialty grocery store. If not, you can safely substitute/omit some of the ingredients.

A must have for all Indian food cooks out there.

This is one of those rare books that is as practical as it is useful. The photography and oversize layout--especially the fold-out spreads on cheeses, pastas, etc.--are great for armchair browsing.

But what sets this book apart is that the recipes work: everything I've made has been simple to prepare and delicious; everyone has loved the dishes from this book. The abundant photography helps with more intricate preparations like gnocchi, but the steps are never overly fussy.

I've got books from Marcella Hazan, Mario Batali, the Silver Spoon, and others, but I find I often get best results with the instructions here.

Highly, highly recommended.

I keep this book open on my kitchen counter in an acrylic holder.
The photos are amazing as everyone else noted but they also give rise to great food inspired by the traditional earthiness of Italy. Simple and straight forward all the food I have prepared has been sublime. The Roman Gnocchi, pared with The Florentine Pork Roast is beyond sublime.........Today I am making the Roast Turkey with an Apricot and cranberry "Mostarada di Cremona". You will love this book. My daughter a teaching chef even borrows it for her classes!

This book is amazing. It has all of the classic, basic Italian recipes. I just made the gnocchi and they are divine!

I came across this book shortly after my return trip from Italy.
I have used this cookbook more than any other cookbook I own. The recipes are clear and easy to follow. The photographs are simply amazing. Each time I open this book, it takes me back to Italy. Highly recommend it.

The Food of Italy is by far the most used cookbook on my shelf. Not only do the pictorial essays take you on a culinary journey, the individual recipes themselves are highly user friendly, as they offer step-by-step instructions with corresponding photos demonstrating preparation methods. All of the recipes are given in metric equivalents, however, so if you normally cook using the Imperial standard, keep a conversion chart close by!

I was really impressed with this cookbook because it is so much more than a cookbook. It has history, culture, food background, and much, much more. In face, it is only part cookbook. I have been fascinated with all that I learned about Santa Fe. I originally bought the book because of a research paper I was doing on Santa Fe, but then I fell in love with the book itself.

There are really some colorful pictures of the foods as well as the city itself.

As far as the recipes, they are easy to follow. It would be easy to cook with these recipes.

Having read and tried recipes from several NM/Santa Fe cookbooks, I feel this one is the one to get. This is the authentic stuff. Although a Californian, I'm a NM visitor and southwest food enthusiast. I grow chiles, mail order what I can't grow properly, make my own tortillas, take this stuff seriously.

The recipes for Carne Adovada, Green Chile Stew,Chicken Enchilada filling, Piquin Chile Salsa are totally great and, if you have the ingredients, very simple. The Carne Adovada recipe, while non-traditional, is off the dial. If you've visited Santa Fe and want to re-live the essence of this earthy, elemental cuisine, get this book.

Directions are simple and direct, pictures are beautiful, local ingredients info and historical background is great. First rate.

Food in Santa Fe is a major part of the style and ambiance of the city. New Mexican regional products, especially chilis and corn, and southwestern cooking styles, everything from barbeque to Tex-Mex to authentic regional Mexican and Indian cooking, are strong influences. But Santa Fe has everything from tiny cantinas with home style New Mexican cooking to 5 star restaurants where New Mexico is an influence, but suave professionalism, integration of tastes, and high presentation is the norm.

The Food of Santa Fe takes you there, telling you about the food, the style, and the best restaurants. We've been to Santa Fe many times and reading the book is like taking a brief (and teasing) visit. I have to head for the kitchen and check out the chili supply. It's also a good way to prepare for a trip -- briefing you on what to expect, what to look for, and where to find the very best examples.

There are many Santa Fe cookbooks -- those from Mark Miller and the Coyote Cafe being the best known -- but this is perhaps a better overview, and a very pretty book to read.

We expect to buy copies for our Santa Fe loving friends as Christmas gifts.

Man! This is a GOOD cookbook. I have many many good cookbooks and this one is just to die for. The recipes are gorgeous to look at and even better to eat. One word of caution, if you are not an experienced home chef and a fairly adventerous eater, tread cautiously. These are restaurant-level creative funky recipes with lots of unusual ingredients. If this is just your speed (as it is mine) then go for it!

Dave and Nancy are gods in the hot and spicy food business. As usual you can expect concise information along with mouth-watering recipes. As host of the television series "The Sonoran Grill" and author of 4 cookbooks, I know good food writing when I see it and this is as good as southwest cooking gets. Just click on "All Books" by either Dave or Nancy and you'll see why they are so qualified to write this important cookbook and why I must add a copy of it to my collection

This book makes eating well easy. If everyone followed the book obesity would be gone for good.

This is an excellent book! Its food rating system gives you a nice easy way to see how healthy the food you're eating is for you! After I read through the book and looked at the ratings for some of the things I usually eat, I was surprised! I'm going to make some significant changes to my diet! Bon appetit!

I'm going to make some significant changes to my diet! I was quite surprised at the ratings on some of the food that I've been eating! This is an excellant book. It grades the nutritional value of the food you're eating and provides guidelines, based on what kind of diet you are trying to maintain on how much of a particular food, based on its grade, you should eat. It takes into consideration cholesterol, fats, salt fiber, vitamins and other factors that can effect your health.

This book should have been published eons ago. Not only have I re-evaluated my diet, it has provided me a source reference document to live by for a more healthy and productive life. Kudos to Dr. Yannios. Long live and prosper.

Deciphering labels can turn food shopping into a real hassle for many of us. Thomas Yannios, M.D. makes it easier to decide which products to purchase in The Food Report Card. Dr. Yannios has analyzed the labels of thousands of foods, and compiled his results in a simple grade of A, B, C, or D.

"You can make an enormous impact on your long-term health, and even on your appearance," Dr. Yannios writes, "if you do nothing else during your normal food shopping but select the A- and B-rated foods, and leave the C's and D's on the shelves back at the store."

Dr. Yannios believes that atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) is the number one health problem for many Americans. He says that "food significantly impacts" atherosclerosis, and that we can reduce the negative impact by carefully choosing what we eat. "People are confused," Dr. Yannios says, explaining that he wrote The Food Report Card to help eliminate confusion and enable people to choose foods that are good for them.

He has grouped foods into categories, such as beverages, cereals and grains, milk and dairy products, and meats. Each food within a category is then listed in alphabetical order, such as chocolate milk and vegetable juice in the beverage section. Foods are then evaluated by brand name. For example, five brands of vegetable juice are analyzed and graded. He maintains that pattern for each food category, analyzing 12,000 foods altogether. All you have to do is look up a specific food to quickly determine whether it is an "A" food that you want to consume or a "D" food you want to avoid.

People who want to choose the healthiest processed foods, but don't want to spend a lot of time calculating nutritional values from confusing labels, will find The Food Report Card informative and helpful.

From the original review on [...]: This recently published book is a fine how-to primer on preparing food for the camera. Bellingham is an Oregon-based stylist. Bybee is a Dallas-based commercial photographer. The detailed content runs the gamut: cold beverages, salads, pasta and sauces, burgers and sandwiches, grilled and roasted meat, vegetables, ice cream, desserts, breakfast and garnishing. My only complaint is not about the information on styling - which is comprehensive and easy to follow. Rather, as a food photographer, I am naturally interested in the sets and photo techniques used to create the hero shots. While there are a number of set shots and brief descriptions of how the shots were created, their small size and limited number suggests that they were an afterthought. Again and again, I wished that Bybee's comments on her vision and process had been greatly expanded into the ample amounts of adjacent white space. Clearly, the book was written primarily for food stylists. A more appropriate title would have been Food Styling For Photography. Nevertheless, Food Styling For Photographers is an important read for both students of food photography and styling.

This is the best book of FOOD PHOTOGRAPHY I ever seen! I'm a still life and food semi pro photographer and this is my perfect book.

I suggest this book to all the photographers .. not only for food photographers. Everybody in the sector must have this book.

It's really easy and helpful!
Thanks to the authors to share with everybody the secrets of food photography.

Finally, there is a Food Styling book for Photographers. I took 2 food styling classes in LA before - the purpose was to understand how food was prepared for the camera and also to see how food photographers setup their lights. I love food photography and read many popular food blogs with their work. So when I know this Food Styling for Photographers came out, I can't wait to order a copy and I was very happy after flipping through the book.

This book gives you many tricks of the trade and notes from photographers with lots of setup photos, both food setup and camera/lighting setup. The printing quality and the page layout are very good - the font size is easy to read, the color pictures are clear, clean and colorful. They gives you details on how to buy the food, how to prepare the food, how to assemble the food, how to plate the food, how to decorate the food, etc. They gives you before, during and final photos.

I also own Digital Food Photography by Lou Manna and Working with Plate by Christopher Styler and David Lazarus. In my opinion, if you are interested in food photography, buy Food Styling for Photographyers and Digital Food Photography and you are good to go. Highly recommend these two books.

This book is an excellent way to get started in food photography. It has chapters dedicated to meats, drinks, ice cream, garnishings, and more.

Each with a shopping list of what was used for the featured photo (or photos) for that particular chapter and tips for shopping for food photography in general which I found very interesting.

It does leave out something which would be nice to have, such as how to prepare beer for photograpy but, they mention this would require a full book dedicated to it which I think is fair, I wouldn't expect someone to write a book on every item of food out there.

Bottom line: A very buy. Well worth the price.

My status as a photographer is almost professional, since for the moment i work part-time however I LOVE food photography wich is why I decided to buy this book. I just got it 2 days ago and for what I've read its a must have book. (Also very much recomended: Digital Food Photography by Lou Manna) Just to give u an idea. These r the chapter titles: 1)Intro to Food Styling. This includes simple game rules, shopping tips, planing ahead, list of supplies often used and a how to versions on how to assemble your own food styling kit. 2)Sets and Settings. This includes tips for choosing sets and surfaces for food photography, table setting tips, working fabriks on set, and tips on how to make your image POP. 3)Chilling fact on cold beverages. This includes beverage choises, frosted glass techniques, making a frozen margarita, making and placing bubbles, and more. 4)Making a Salad for the camera. This includes salad ingredient selection shopping and handling tecniques, supporting techniques, fruit salads, how to dress a salad for photography, and more.5) Pasta and Sauces. This includes perfect pasta for camera, sauces and vegetables for camera, building your pasta food additions to pasta...6) Burgers, Sandwiches, and BEYOOOOOOND. This includes prepping tips for burgers sandwiches and patties, shopping tips building tips, on the set tips, bulding a half or cut sandwich for photography.7) Meeting meat..8)veggie perfect 9) ice cream for hot light (very interesting) 10) Desserts. 11) Breakfast for the camera 12) Garnishing basics. Like i said this is to give u an idea of what u will be purchasing. Happy buying and break leg!!

I didn't know how much I didn't know until I read through Poulson's book, which a friend had recommended. It is comprehensive and filled with practical tips on how to navigate through a variety of social situations. I definitely feel more confident and in control when it comes to entertaining and dating - an easy read that taught me making an impression goes far beyond just good manners. The food and wine sections were particularly helpful, thorough but not pretentious.

I decided to get a copy of this book after attending one of Ms.Poulson's presentations and I'm very glad I did. It's one of the best books I've read on how a guy can make a great impression when wining and dining. Her social tips on asking for a date, home entertaining (including simple to prepare candlelight dinners) and hosting business luncheons have all been extremely useful. I also found her compact, quick-reference food and wine pairing section to be invaluable. An excellent guide to modern manners for men.

I purchased this book for knowledge about entertaining. I did not find it to be for Men Only. The information was so informative and interesting, it included all aspects of entertaining, from the serving of food, to proper place settings, even seating arrangements, manners and protocol. I wish more men would read this and take heed, us women would be thoroughly impressed. Common courtesy and respect are a dying entity.
Thanks Naomi, for much needed information
For Men Only: A Gentleman's Guide to Great Entertaining

This is a wonderful book, from brushing up on where people should sit at a dinner party to what to serve and how to serve it. Poulson's book can really help limit the number of fopaux's one might make at an important engagement. It saved my bacon!

This is a concise and easy-to-read guide on the finer points of etiquette and manners for fine dining situations at home or in restaurants. I keep it next to my cookbooks and bar manuals and regularly consult it if I'm going out on a date or hosting dinner parties at home. Poulson keeps things simple, which I really appreciate; there are even tidbits on how to deal with difficult situations at the table that I always wondered how to handle. The recipes and course suggestions are also very handy. All in all, it's a great reference for important but often neglected courtesies; I can entertain with confidence knowing that I'm using the right fork and ordering the right wine. A must-have for any gentleman-in-training!

As Catalans we love cooking and (specially) eating. This book is just the perfect balance between exquisite recipes, excellent presentation and informative reading. Do not miss the chance to get it

I just returned from a lovely stay at La Luna e i Falo, and enjoyed six nights of impeccable meals prepared by Elena and Franco. Our meals included all of the recipes from this cookbook, and I must say, not one of them disappointed! I was able to read this cookbook while at the farm, and made a note to immediately try to find it when I returned home. Amazon is the only place to get it, since it is now out of print. It was only released in America, so you can't even find an Italian version of the book. The other recipes from other cooks featured in the book look equally as good. You can't get more authentic, regional recipes than those that are found here. I highly recommend it!

This is a great Italian cookbook, very different from most of the cookbooks you see. Not only does it have great recipes but it also tells great stories about all the various farms the authors visit. And it also tells you how you can visit the farms yourself. The pictures in particular are very interesting. They are not the usual slick shots. It seems like they were all done on location and they have a feel of food photo-journalism. This book has great recipes and great heart and soul.

I love this book. It is the most unusual cookbook.I have travelled the Italian Countryside many times and this book reflects much of its uniqueness. I bought four copies for friends.

In this world inundated with tomes devoted to Italian cooking, this wonderful book stands out. The author spent years researching, collecting and testing authentic, seasonal farmhouse recipes (from all over the country) made with only the freshest ingredients. (The recipes are full-proof!!) This is one of the few books that allows everyone to make some of the most appetizing Italian dishes--just as the Italians do. Everything is explained in detail--from ingredients to techniques to customs to mail-order sources--in one of the most complete books ever written on the subject. And if this weren't enough, the flavor of the food is beautifully captured in some of the most exquisite photographs ever taken of Italy and its food. This book is a MUST for anyone who likes to cook and/or eat the most mouth-watering Italian cuisine!!

I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for instructions on eating great food that is quick and easy to make. Even if you are not a vegetarian, "Friendly Foods" is the a great gourmet helper. My husband is not a vegetarian and he is crazy about the recipes!

When I used to eat meat, I dined at many 5 star gourmet restaurants. Many of these recipes belong in that category. The food is delicious. The only downside is that some of the recipes may take a long time to make and for the average 8 to 5er, you won't have time to make them after work. You will also need access to a descent health food store as some of the ingredients such as miso and agar flakes are not going to be in your average grocery store. I still highly recommend this book. Besides the excellent recipes, there is some good nutritional information about cooking and food quality. There is also a good glossary in the back for the less common ingredients describing where they come from and what they are used for. Great book for any vegan.

I'm vegan and this is my favorite cookbook. The recipes are simple to make, elegant, and delicious - it's perfection. Ron Picarski is a genius. I have sworn to try out every single recipe before I die. I'm about a third of the way there so I know I've still got some great food ahead of me!

Try it out, there's something in it for anyone and everyone.

Many times I have eaten vegan recipies which are not only bland but unimaginative. When I bought friendly foods over 7 years ago (when I was just turning to a vegetarian lifestyle) I thought I had died and gone to heaven!

The recipies in here are not only nutritionaly well balanced, they are easy on the stomach, delicious and rather easy to make! This book was one of the few that convinced me that eating a non dairy/meat diet would not only be easy, but very satisfying.

Some of the best recipies in this book are the Carob Cake with the Peanut Butter frosting, Tofu Spinach Pie, Hazelnut Glennie and the Carrot Pate.

This book is not only well versed in well tasting vegetarian/vegan recipies, but is chock full of good nutritional advice as well. Although I have not tried all of the recipies in this book, every single one I have tried has been relatively easy to make and the ingredients are relatively easy to get at your local helth food store (and some more enlightened grocery store chains)

My husband and I (both vegetarians) were lucky enough to be on a cruise in 1998 on which Mr. Pickarski was our chef. I had more delicious food during those six days than I ever had before or since! After we got home I ordered every Pickarski item I could get my hands on, this book included.

Bear in mind, these distinctive, gourmet vegan recipes aren't your everyday fare. This is the book you'll want to pull out when you need to wow your non-vegetarian friends. My favorite is the Chocolate Cream Couscous Cake (page 220). Vegan or not, this is one of the most elegant and delicious desserts you can ever hope to taste. Happy eating!

Take a good helping of witty memoir, add a handful of very useful gardening/farming information, & a huge heap of garlic (and recipes) and you have a marvelous book. Highly recommended.

After reading Chester Aaron's Symptoms of Terminal Passion I needed to read a little more. Aaron's Memoir is a little premature, because his is still living and growing garlic more than 10 years later, using the garlic theme in all he writes.

It was fascinating seeing the real-life background for the stories I had read. I'm also looking harder for different kinds of garlics, and even tempted to try to plant a clove or two in one of the pots on our patio.

Strangely, I was reading this at the same time I read Out Stealing Horses: A Novel by Norwegian writer, Per Petterson. It was amazing how the two books complemented each other!

Both are written in the first person in beautiful, engaging prose. (Horses is so well translated that you don't notice that it was written in another language, except for the occasional Norwegian place names.)

Both utilize many flashbacks to childhood, Petterson's Trond mostly to 1948 in alternate chapters, Chester to the 30's in Pennsylvania.

Both have moved to the country to start over after losing their wives: Chester after a devastating divorce, Trond after a horrendous car accident.

Both recall strong relations to difficult fathers, who continue to influence the way they try to create new lives as 70-something "old men." (Their mothers are lurking in the background.) Both fathers are still lurking to show how to do practical things on their farms.

For both books the natural settings (fields, woods and ocean for Chester, forest, meadows and river for Trond) and the weather (wind, rain, and yes, also the sun) provide more than just the setting.

Trond's dog Lyra and Chester's cat Sadie are their constant companions, while sheep, horses, gophers and other creatures also play important roles.

Crops play important roles (garlic, of course, and fruit trees for Chester, trees for Trond.)

Neighbors and other humans provide insight and sometimes help, but occasionally are more of an irritant to their daily lives alone on their farms - although Garlic ends with a wedding!

But only Garlic provides you with numerous recipes for strange garlics, including 2 desserts!

Chester Aaron has something for everyone. His love of Garlic is only matched by his love of a richly varied life. The receipes are are a little simplistic and really a sidebar to the real story which is Aaron himself. I am buying several copies to Give to friends. This book is not a loaner

I have had the pleasure of interviewing Chester on my gardening show on a couple of occassions and found him charming, enlightening and certainly passionate about his garlic. I was thouroughly pleased when I found the book to be an extension of his interviews. This man at 80 something is more full of life than most twenty year olds and he exudes this energy and love of life into print in a way that makes you feel that you are in the field talking with him rather than reading a book. The recipies were devine. An absolute must for the Garlic aficionado.

This is an autobiographical slice of Chester Aaron's life as he waas intoduced to garlic growing and became a garlic devotee. Aaron and his cat take the reader into the world of garlic,its many varities, and how to best grow these bulbs of life. At the end of the book are thirty recipes for tasty garlic dishes. It is a very readable primer on garlic growing.