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Lynn Kessel

Published: January 16, 2008

In the midst of moving merriment, I somehow found time to drive to Borders to exchange a cookbook I received for Christmas. I'm miserable at returning things — sometimes a veritable coward and procrastinator. However, when it's a cookbook, no arm-twisting is necessary.

After 45 minutes of chewing my options in the cookbook aisles, I made my way to the checkout clutching "Top Chef" host Padma Lakshmi's newest book, "Tangy Tart Hot & Sweet: A World of Recipes for Every Day." The path to the cashier led me through the bargain book section, where I scanned the cookbooks.

The bold, simplistic cover of "Culinaria Germany" caught my attention. As I've mentioned in a previous column, I take great pride in my German heritage. My grandfather was born in Berlin in 1890 and immigrated to the United States in 1910. His name was Hans Fritz Curt Kessel. How's that for a good German name?

Excitedly, I opened the heavy book and discovered its plain cover is the only simple thing about this country-specific cookbook.

Meticulously researched and densely packed with stunning photography and almost 500 glossy pages, the book is a masterpiece of German cuisine. Chapters are organized by geographic regions and each includes, in detail, the origins of recipes, local ingredients, area specialties, rich histories and regional maps.

As I was savoring the find, I suddenly spotted "Culinaria France," then Italy, Russia and, lo and behold, Spain! Without a second thought, I told Padma goodbye and plucked up the other four colorful reference works — all 20 hulking pounds of them, stickered at the I've-died-and-gone-to-cookbook-heaven price of $9.99 each.

If you're a French foodie who can't make it to Paris as often as you deserve, "Culinaria France" offers a great escape. One of my favorites is the blow-by-blow tutorial on cheeses, several pages of them. You can learn all there is to know about fromage and discover, through illustration, the order to follow when eating an assortment of cheeses.

How do you make a truffle omelet? Find the answer in "Culinaria Italy" among almost 400 recipes, many with step-by-step photographs. The cookbook takes an up-close look at vineyards, rural farms, rolling hills of olive groves and inside cooking pots. You'll meet interesting people in the company of family or friends, at home or in a good restaurant.

At 372 pages, "Culinaria Russia" takes a behind-the-scenes look at the cuisines of Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia. Did you know Ukrainians soak their feet in dissolved mustard powder and warm water as soon as they feel symptoms of a cold or flu? The healing properties of this century-old home remedy have proved that mustard oils stimulate blood flow and have antibacterial properties.

Get to know Spain without setting foot on a plane. Trawl through "Culinaria Spain" to the tapas bars and visit La Rioja, where hundreds of farms produce grapes, or discover a recipe for a fisherman's meal of baked sardines.

But wait, there's more. After I got home, I went online and learned that the "Culinaria" series has been tantalizing home cooks and armchair travelers for a decade. It's published in Germany, but has been translated into English. Some volumes are tricky to find and costly to buy; however, I found a few hardcover books and paperbacks from the collection related to Europe, Southeast Asia, the United States, Greece, Hungary and the Caribbean at www.cooking.com and www.amazon.com.
I can't wait until they show up among the bargain books at Borders.

Lynn Kessel can be reached at lkessel@mac.com or P.O. Box 286, Ruskin FL 33575-0286. Readers are encouraged to send their recipes, comments and suggestions.

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