The Seven Culinary Wonders of the World: A History of Honey, Salt, Chile, Pork, Rice, Cacao, and Tomato

This book is not only a fantastic read on historical facts, the recipes are unique and unlike what I already had on hand in my cookbook collection.

"The Seven Culinary Wonders of the World: A History of Honey, Salt, Chile, Pork, Rice, Cacao, and Tomato" is an interesting book. I don't think of the origins of food so it was an unusual experience. I had notions about certain foods that proved wrong. It was an education- a fun education. The book was an easy read as I sipped my morning coffee. There are 63 original recipes but they are so basic that I can't say they got me so excited that I wanted to try them particularly. Fleur de sal which in French means "flower of the salt" fascinated me so much that I did additional research beyond the book. I learned that reservoirs are created in France which trap ocean water when it comes in. As the sea water evaporates, it leaves a light encrustation on the rock. French harvesters harvest it by hand using tools that remind me of the tools masons use to smooth concrete. This was just one of the things I found fascinating. I also learned some new definitions of words. A lot of these food items were used as currency. Some of the pork stories were both gross and fascinating at the same time. Here is an example of fascinating trivia in the book: Honey is known to kill more than 250 clinical strains of bacteria including the super-bug MERSA. There are many others, such as a bizarre eye remedy that I won't tell you out of fear of spoiling the book. Let me just say that I had a lot of fun with this book.

This is a fascinating book for food lovers. Easy to read bits and pieces here and there, to learn a little bit more about food and get you thinking about dinner - and what to make for dinner - at the same time. I like it. Any foodie likely will.

Missing ebook in 2024.

This is more a book about food with recipes included rather than a recipe book with background information. I have an early proof so I'm not sure what the final version looks like. In mine, it is completely illustrated with what appears to be either line drawings or woodblock prints. I like the aesthetic, but wish that the recipes featured actual photographs of the dishes. It looks like they may in the final printing.I wouldn't give this as a recipe book to someone (though there are some gems in there). I would give it to a foodie who enjoys reading about food and then would like to try out a recipe featuring it. Granted, of the seven featured here (honey, salt, chile, pork, rice, cacao, and tomato), four of them are more spices or compliments to a recipe rather than the star. Each chapter covers one of the seven foodstuffs with interesting history and descriptions interspersed with recipes. I've tried a few of the dishes and they've all been good, but the real star here is the approachable history and applications of these foods.The Seven Culinary Wonders of the World is entertaining for a foodie like me to thumb through and read. I've enjoyed the recipes as well, though that wouldn't be my only reason for getting Ms. Linford's book.~ Kort

Although there are a lot of recipes here, this does feel more like history than cookbook and it is fascinating.I learned so much about our seven ingredients, making the following recipes and my own culinary adventures a little more meaningful.Though I did love the illustrations, I'll admit that I missed having photos. For me, photos of each recipe are a must for every cookbook.So far we've tried two of the honey recipes, one caco, and two rice - each was easy to follow and quite delicious.

This is a fun book. It does a good job of covering the history and some fun facts regarding the seven ingredients. The recipes included cover a variety of levels of difficulty form simple to more complex and most look delicious. I have only been able to try 2-3 of the simpler ones and they all turned out tasty.

Very interesting read. You don't really think about the history of some of the most common things we cook with! Cant wait to try more recipes

Another well written and researched book from Jenny Lindford. It is a must-have title if you are into food history.