Culinaria: Germany: Germany [Hardcover]

This book is a must-have if you have any interest whatsoever in traditional German cookery. Do not hesitate for a moment to buy this book or give it as a gift. If you've been looking for a book on the gastronomic history and culture of Germany, this is it. I've spent a very long time waiting for a book like this. This is just a completely stunning volume. It breaks the country down into 16 separate geographic regions, and highlights the gastronomic contributions from each of these areas. A great reference if you are going to try to incorporate more traditional German ingredients and skills into your own cooking style. The photography is the best. It is lush, colorful and absolutely gorgeous. Although this is not exactly a 'recipe book' per-se, the recipes that they have included for examples are lovely, traditional recipes. (Including twelve kinds of dumplings!) Luckily enough for us they have resisted the damnable tendency of American food writers to try and "lighten up" traditional recipes for "modern tastes". Bravo! And, they have thankfully included both US and Metric measurements for us poor Americans. The entire book has a lovely European feel to it, with superior printing and binding (of course, since it was bound and printed in France.) This is the cream of the 'Culinaria' series, and without a doubt, the best book of German gastronomy I've ever seen. It will be on my shelf for a long, long time. I loved it!

UPDATE: Here we are, 11 years later and now there's a paperback version of this book available as well. For those of you trying to decide between them, I originally had the hardbound version, which unfortunately was destroyed when my basement got flooded last year. I bought the paperback version to replace it (it was significantly cheaper), and I must say, while the content is exactly the same, it is a good bit smaller print, and the pictures are smaller. I would recommend that you buy the hardback version if you have a choice. Actually, if you're looking at any of the Culinaria books, I would recommend buying the hardbound versions over the paperback versions if you have a choice.

I am the owner of several books in the "Culinaria" set and I have eagerly anticipated the arrival of this newest addition. I have given it a thorough overview and I am very happy with what I have found. I am currently a culinary school student who thirsts for more knowledge in my chosen field. I enjoyed this book because it provides the "how" with recipes and descriptions of ingredients but it also provides the "why" with regional profiles, cultural anecdotes, and general knowledge on subjects such as wine, cheese, and sausage making. "Culinaria: Germany" provided me with beautiful pictures, relevant maps, and usable knowledge. The book offers a different perspective than most "cookbooks" by providing a wealth of additional information. This book gives the reader a fascinating view of the way microclimates can affect the agriculture, the cuisine and the lifestyle of a region. I would recommend this book for students, casual gourmets, world travelers, or anyone else who enjoys reading about culture or cuisine or simply has a passion for the field of Culinary Arts.

...but so much more, too! This is the first comprehensive cookbook about my native Germany that I am completely happy and impressed with. The culinaria country series is very good in general, and one of the great things about this series is the enormous attention to detail that is paid to the research, the photography, presentation and the recipes. The book very gratifyingly captures the many different local flavors and traditions that make up German cooking and let you understand that it is a very variagated culinary landscape. Another thing that I greatly enjoy in all the Culinaria series books is the great attention that is paid to local produce and spices and well as local traditional cooking techniques