3.-BEST SINGLE SUBJECT FOOD BOOK

More books than before now focus on meat. Last year we had brilliant “Best in the World Winner” from Spain on cherries by Laura Gosalbo and Gerard Solis. We have in 2006 another good cherries book from Portugal. But this is the first time there are also two books on soups, from China and The Netherlands. It is the first time for nettles (Orties in French) in Spain, and for Asian Roots.

1998 Italy – E.Knamm (Bibliotheca Culinaria)

1999 US – Michael Ginor (John Wiley)

2000  France – Alcaren-Lambert/F.Colombey (Huitieme Jour

2001  France – Gilles, Laurence Laurendon (Marabout)

2002 France – Dominique Bouchet (Agnes Vienot)

2003 Canada – Quebec – C.Gauthier, JF Lacroix, P.Lambert (Gesti-Faune)

2004 US – Sharon Shipley (Running Press)

2005 Spain – Laura Gosalbo, Gerard Solis (Elemasge)

BEST IN THE WORLD

 April 7, 2007

FINALISTS

1.-BELGIUM

Food Agenda

 Tilly Gatto

 Kristin Berckmans

 Photos: Marc Wauters

 (Mateos)

A food agenda is always popular: food is the daily single subject for many; even if one should eat to live and not live to eat, as Molière said. This food agenda should be on everyone’s tables after being translated.

2.-BRAZIL

 Culinaria Caprina: Do Alto Sertao a Alta Gastronomia

 Arthur Bosisio Junior

 Photos: Humberto Medeiros

 (Senac)

The development of an economy based on goats is important for the high regions of the Brazilian Sertao. This is a useful book not only for Brazil but for all those interested in goat in cookery. We have seen quite a number of good books on other animals in cookery, but extremely few on goats.

3.-CHINA

Women Soup

 Zhang Ying

 (Beijing Industry University Publishing House)

Soups are served with most Chinese meals, as they are considered very healthy and nutritious. There are Chinese soups adapted to every occasion, situation and need. This book focuses on the various specific needs of women and their health. The authors now famous, and appears.

4.-COLOMBIA

Pasión por el Café

 Patricia McCausland – Gallo

 (Norma – Colombia)

A good book from Colombia on coffee is a natural. It combines pages on coffee as a drink, as well as an ingredient in strong, tasty Latin American recipes.

5.-FINLAND

 Pyttipannu

 Nordic Stir-Fry with Imagination

 Christer Lindgren

 Hannu Konttinen

 Illustrations: Sebastian Nurmi

 (Otava)

Stir-Fry cooking is now popular in many countries. These Nordic recipes show both the roots of this fundamental technique and recipes of today.

6.-FRANCE

 Oeuf

 Lindsay et Patrick Mikanovski

            Photos : Grant Symon

 (Flammarion)

The authors have published several bestsellers, including Potatoes and Tomatoes, and now Eggs. Flammarion is one of the greatest traditional publishers of cookbooks in France. This book shows their capacity for innovation.

7.-GERMANY

Gewürze

 By Ingo Holland

 (Tre Torri – Germany)

New publisher Tre Torri is now producing excellent books. Ingo Holland is a great author. This is a book worth translating to other languages by its depth and wide range of content. Get one spice, his history, a great original recipe, some impressive photos, then multiply the formula 53 times and you get one of the most attractive book we saw on spices. This book is easy to read and helpful for cooking.

8.-HUNGARY

 Muffinok

 Korpadi Peter

 Patyi Arpad

 (Alexandra)

Muffins become glamorous and fashion in this Hungarian cookbook. It is a success for the photographer, and the author, who complement well each other.

9.-JAPAN

Meshi

 Hiroshi Fukuda, Owner Chef of Traditional Restaurant Nabe Ya in Tokyo

 Photographer: Takayoshi Nakanishi

 Art Director: Kazuhiko Tajima

 (Pie Books)

101 Rice recipes of EDO period (1600-1868) – Each rice menu is simple in ingredients and direction but deep in taste, aroma and culture of Japan

10.-MALAYSIA

Fruitastic!

 Mohana Gill

 (MPH)

This is a most innovative book about fruits. It is logical it comes from Malaysia which offers so many different fruits. As many of them are not well known outside Asia, this book helps in understanding them.

11.-THE  NETHERLANDS

Soep om te Delen – Soup to Share

 The book supports charity serving The Homeless Soup.

 50 Soup recipes by les Patrons Cuisiniers.

            (Kosmos)

“Soup to share” is a very special project because of many reasons. The book supports a Dutch charity that takes care of homeless people. One of the charity’s activities is serving the homeless soup. For this book the 10 chefs of Les Patrons Cuisiniers from the Netherlands were inspired by soup, and gathered 50 very special soup recipes. All were photographed by various photographers. That makes the design of this book very interesting as well. To top this of, the books are wrapped in a unique case, made of old blankets.

12.-NORWAY

Kylling – Chicken

 Katarina Nordli

 (Notabene)

With easy to advanced recipes Katarina Nordli transforms a product that has become everyday food into useful and exciting dishes.

13.-PORTUGAL

Elogio Da Ginja (Cherries)

 Paulo Moreiras

 Photos: Paulo Cunha

 (Quid Novi)

The author, who previously published a novel, has been researching cherries since before 2000. The book includes the history of portuguese cherries, and numerous drinks that include it in Portugal.

14.-SINGAPORE

Cooking with Asian Roots

 Devagi Sanmugam

 Christopher Tan

 (Marshall Cavendish-Singapore)

Roots are fundamental in human cookery. They have been one of the basic ingredients for thousands of years. Roots are still very much present in the West in a discrete way, while they are more respected for their contribution to nutrition in the East. The diversity of roots in Asian cooking is also richer than in the West.

15.-SLOVENIA

Truffels and Wine

 Tartufi in Vino

 100 Recipes

 In cooperation with the Order of the Slovenian Knights of Wine

 By Dino del Medigo

 Illustrations Zvest Apollonio

 (Mlandinska Knjiga Zalozba)

The beautiful, happy illustrations give the taste to this unusual book about truffles and wine. This book will probably come as a surprise for those who do not know yet the culinary treasures of Slovenia, food, wine and now truffles.

16.-SPAIN-CASTELLANO

45 Recetas con Ortigas – Recipes with Nettles

 La Propuesta más imaginativa

 De la nova cocina galega

 Martin Alvarel

 (Alvarellos Editora)

The author is the chef and teacher of the Escuela de Hosteleria de Villamarin, a hospitality school in Ourense, Galicia, in Northwest Spain. This is the first book we see dedicated to an herb considered in most countries as a weed. It is mostly known for the burns that it inflict, but the author explains how the formic acid disapears six hours after being harvested. Then he shows how they can be part of a healthy diet, in salads of course, but also as ingredient in the main course or even desserts.

17.-SPAIN – CATALAN

L’Àvia Remei Talla el Bacalla

 Remei Ribas Aguilera

 (Cossetania)

The experienced author is a cultural phenomenon in Catalunya: this grandmother published her first cookbook in 2001, followed by two other bestsellers in 2003 and 2004. She is often on radio and television. Her latest cookbook is the closest to her life, as she runs a cod fish center in Mataro, on the Mediterranean coast.

18.-SPAIN-GALEGO

O Libro da Empanada

 Historia, Tradición, 107 Receitas

 Fina Casalderrey

 Mariano Garcia

 (Gastronomia Xerais)

This is the fourth revised edition since it became a bestseller in 1994. The book focuses on the traditional empanadas, local breaded foods of all kinds that are very popular in Galicia, in Northwest Spain.

19.-SWEDEN

Skrovmål av Ulrica Söderlind

Ulrica Söderlind

Cover: Martin Sellgren

Cover Photo: Michael Neiss

(Carlsson Bokförlag)

An interesting and deep study of food and cooking in the Swedish Navy from the 16^th to the 18^th century.

20.-UK

Steak, by Paul Gayler

 Photography by Peter Cassidy

 (Jacqui Small)

This cookbook celebrates the versatility of steak, both as a family barbecue staple and as a gourmet meal. The innovative recipes cover classic roasts, slow-cooked dishes, pan-fried selections, barbecuing, salads, and side dishes. A detailed introduction discusses the health benefits of steak (and there are many), the different steak cuts by name (also shown in photos and diagrams), the best buys for good quality, storage hints, cooking methods, wine suggestions, and a selection of rubs, marinades, butters, and sauces.

Paul Gayler is executive chef at the prestigious Lanesborough Hotel at London's Hyde Park, where he leads a team of 35 chefs. He has 20 years of experience in some of the most respected restaurant kitchens in Europe and has been an expert chef on many television shows around the world.

21.-USA

 Charcuterie

 Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn

 (WW Norton)

Charcuterie—a culinary specialty that originally referred to the creation of pork products such as salami, sausages, and prosciutto—is true food craftsmanship, the art of turning preserved food into items of beauty and taste. Today the term encompasses a vast range of preparations, most of which involve salting, cooking, smoking, and drying. In addition to providing classic recipes for sausages, terrines, and pâtés, Michael Ruhlman and Brian Polcyn expand the definition to include anything preserved or prepared ahead such as Mediterranean olive and vegetable rillettes, duck confit, and pickles and sauerkraut.

Ruhlman is the co-author of The French Laundry Cookbook, and Polcyn, an expert charcuterie instructor at Schoolcraft College in Livonia, Michigan.