A confession: I haven’t read books, other than on philosophy (more than a doctor orders!), since 1980’s. It was around that time I gave up watching television, too. Although I probably have missed many sensual experiences, a lot of mental space has become available for matters I consider important in life. And, don’t worry: I have been informed about the major events from the crumbling of Berlin Wall to the whispering of “I will” between William and Catherine, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Recently I’ve been doing a research on cookbooks. I’m surprised about the number of them. Food seems to become more important, less we have time to stay at home and, actually, to cook! Everyone has an opinion about eating. There are diets of all sorts.
The mood of presenting recipes has changed since the pre Julia Child era when I was young! The bestselling books, today, are often written by non-professional cooks. Without an encyclopaedic authority, they tell a story of family, friends and values. Along cooking instructions, they present a lifestyle.
I would like to discuss with you what is it that you are looking for in a cookbook? What would make you to buy it? Imagine yourself between the shelves in a book store or virtually online: what makes you pick one out of hundreds of books? What are you inspired by?
Do you read cookbooks like any other books, from cover to cover? Or, do you select the recipes that interest you and focus what is said about them? How many recipes do you try out? Are you more, less or equally intrigued by the personal narrative of the author than the collection of recipes? Does it matter to you how complex or simple the recipes are or how many of them there are? Do you read cookbooks on subjects outside your dietary preference?
If you were to compile the content and layout of a cookbook, what kind of book would you produce? Tell me, what is your dream book? What would make it different from the books that already exist? How would it catch your attention and make you grab it outside the kitchen, too, when relaxing in your favourite chair? Or, would you prefer reading it only while cooking? Are there qualifications you expect from an author?
A lot of questions, I know. I’m trying to organize my thoughts. Although I have a personal opinion about the subject, having lived in a barrel for the past 20 years, my experience in reading and buying books is so limited that I would like to understand how you observe the matter. Many of you are cookbook connoisseurs. I would appreciate letting your hair down in a brainstorming mode without worrying whether the idea is realizable or not. There are no right or wrong answers. I appreciate any input from you.
Thank you for your time and interest. And, sorry for the interrogation style!
I buy and read a lot of cookbooks. The pictures are important and help me try to imagine how the dish should and could look like if I make it and they also wet my appetite, so they are paramount. They evoke atmosphere and the feel for a certain cooking style. I love to read cooking books in bed, leading me to dream about what I want to cook for my family. I also love stories around the recipes and a more chatty recipe writing style.
ReplyDeleteAs a bookseller, it's much easier to present books which are not too big, they're also easier to handle in the kitchen. They should not have coffee-table format. Again: pictures lead the customer to take up a book, a good structure within the book (ingredients, seasons, other criteria like colours - Tessa Kiros! - ) and a good balance between pictures and text as well as the feeling of 'I can do that' and the perception of authenticity make the buying decision easy.
I would buy a book written and photgraphed by you any time, within a second, because you so beautifully connect pictures, delicious food and simplicity which comes with authenticity. :)
I fell in love with your writing, Ulrike. I forget the number of times I read your comment :-)
DeleteLakshmi, I have to admit that I do not own many cookbooks except for those came as gifts and I do not read or follow much of them. Not sure if that is a good or a bad thing. The only book I had bought for myself was a Moroccon vegetarian cooking, and that was an instant decision when i saw it on the shelves and I had to give it. Loved the simplicity of the book and the use of ingredients and spices and the little history on how it is traditionally done and how the author changed them to her way. If I had to buy one or really love one (are you writing one Lakshmi? I would not stop to think to buy yours), it had to have stories, history and some information on a cuisine I know nothing about or know a lot. Another perspective is always welcome - with a fluid read,e ven if it is not in a recipe format. It has to be book which I DO not have to refer while I cook, but the kind I could sit with a cup of coffee in the back yard - to relax and read through and draw inspiration from. Then again I do not know if I would read all of it. I do not think there is one cookbook I would like to own...I browse through them in stores and come back home with a million buzzing ideas. The only way I can read and follow a recipe is take a glance and get inspired by what is used in it. Not sure if answered your query, but I sure let myself out :D
ReplyDelete(i don't watch TV either.. not even cooking shows.)
Ulrike - thank you very much for seeing the trouble to write such an elaborate comment. Yes, the pictures are important, and if I understand you correctly, they are VERY important. Would you prefer a book with "how to do" images rather than pictures of the final dish? How important it is to you to see the cooking process in pictures?
ReplyDeleteInteresting point about the size!
I think 'how to do' pictures are nice if the recipe demands the use of an unusual technique. Most of the time, I prefer pictures if the finished dish so I get a feeling of where I should be heading.
DeleteThanks. How to do pictures could probably be done with graphics, too. They don't always have to be photographs. The final images, on the other hand, should be photographs.
DeletePerhaps I'm biased (I used to manage Omnivore Books on Food), but cookbooks are my favorite books to read.
ReplyDeleteI typically read cookbooks from cover to cover, like novels. My favorites are the ones which are autobiographical, rich in storytelling. (Some even have no photos, but simple line drawings. I'm okay with this).
I love beautiful cookbooks – books from Murdoch books, or Quadrille Press, 4th Estate, or Chronicle. I want the paper quality to be high, the imagery engaging (if there is photography)– both lifestyle and real food.
I rarely use recipes from cookbooks, but read them to learn, pick up tricks, inspire my own experiments in the kitchen. For that reason I read a wide breadth of topics, food history, cuisines from all over the world.
Some favorites (ever changing!), Leon Books 1 and 2, Nigel Slater's Kitchen Diaries, Tender Vol. 1 and 2, Teaching Dad to Cook Flapjacks, Honey from a Weed, In the Kitchen With Good Appetite by Melissa Clark, Tamar Adler's "An Everlasting Meal", Moro East.
My dear Soma - we are so similar in many ways! Also in venting ideas :-). Thank you so much for pouring your heart out. I understand you perfectly. I read cookbooks and blogs the same way as you do – to be inspired in order to create something on the moment I’m in a kitchen situation. But, I know many people are studying cookbooks. I also have my cooking bibles l turn to if I want to re-create a recipe that worked before. For Indian sattvic prasadam cooking, for example, I have a special book I’m learning from, because I’m neither Indian nor sattvic by birth :-).
ReplyDeleteIf it is not the recipes and instructions, it has to be the stories and history that makes you open the book while chilling out in your backyard. And, maybe pictures?
Are you perhaps thinking of releasing a book yourself Lakshmi? If not, I think you should because your recipes and aesthetic are simply divine! I don't own a great many cookbooks, but I am passionate about books in general and know what I like. I certainly want to see excellent and stunning photography (much like yours). And yes, a bit of background makes it more appealing than just cover to cover recipes. I was recently given a beautiful book by a friend and I have to say it's my favourite cookbook. It's called 'Under The Walnut Tree' by mother and daughter Anna & Fanny Bergenstrom. You must take a look, so inspiring :)
ReplyDeleteVery interesting, Sam! You read cookbooks like novels! You must demand a decent quality of storytelling as well. Thank you for sharing your angle.
ReplyDeleteYou are making a good point about the paper quality as well. Reading a book is an experience that engages the senses in a sophisticated manner. The smell of paper alone is very attractive.
Thanks for the list of favourites. I will have a look at them.
Leanda - Thanks for the response. I’m thinking of many things, a cookbook being perhaps a prospect at one point if/when the time, place and circumstance are favourable :-). However, right now, I’m trying to understand why we are drawn to books and, especially, to cookbooks. I’m a book lover myself, although I read only philosophy. Books are sacred to me in one level, and I need a very good reason to buy a book, even for the simple reason that a tree (or trees) were cut in order to make paper for it! It is a complicated relationship.
ReplyDeleteI will have a look at ‘Under The Walnut Tree’. The authors sound like Scandinavian. The aesthetics are probably adorable.
When i look for a new cookbook, i look for inspiration. But also for recipes with simple ingredientes and a new fusion of flavours.
ReplyDeleteand by the way...i love this blog!
Ana - Thank you. I would like to know what you consider as simple ingredients? When does a recipe become too complicated? Does it depend on the number of ingredients, the availability of them or the complexity of the cooking process? I like the idea of fusion of flavours.
ReplyDeleteI would usually buy a cookbook if a friend recommends it or if I flip through it in a bookstore and like what I see. Some of the things that would attract me to a cookbook are the visuals (e.g. They Draw and Cook ~ Nate Padavick), recipes I could use (e.g. Sanjeev Kapoor's Simply Vegetarian series), new insights about ingredients (e.g. How the Banana Goes to Heaven ~ Ratna Rajaiah), a unique/pleasant style of writing (e.g. Miss Masala ~ Mallika Basu).
ReplyDeleteI would be very interested to read a cookbook you write, Lakshmi. I imagine your book will have all the qualities I'm drawn to :-)
The Steaming Pot - Thanks for your analysis. What determines the usability of recipes for you?
ReplyDeleteI have always loved reading books but cookbooks I started reading only after I started blogging, say about a year time. Ever since then, I haven't bought a lot of books but which ever I did, I am happy I did. Some of course came as a gift. These days I borrow from the library mostly and then when I realize that it's too good to not have it on my self, I buy it! I don't have any restricted diet to follow but I don't mind reading any particular dietary book too. Recently I read "Gluten Free Girl and Chef's" book and I loved it, manly because of the story. It was truly a love story and I did try some of the recipes too.
ReplyDeleteWhen I borrow any cook book, I don't really read cover to cover. I do give a glance and then I try out the recipes that catches my attention. I don't have any set of rules to follow when I go to buy or borrow cook books. I really enjoy reading memoir too. Recently, I read ' Trail of crumbs' loved it! Very inspirational.
I have been following your blog, I love your writing and your photos and your recipes. So if you ever write a book, I don't have to borrow it from the library to check. I would buy it. That's how I guess I decide :)
I have never really bought too many cookbooks. I have a couple of them that are about very traditional recipes from our region and community which have nothing but recipes. I refer to them whenever I want to cook a family favorite. In the recent times I have bought just a few books, one book which just has soups from all over the world (I love soups), a Thai book when I was in Thailnad, A book on organic grading and cooking (I hope to grow my own food someday) etc... I think I completely deepend on foodblogs for most information, recipes and inspiration though.
ReplyDeleteI have never been the recipes following type so I look at books/blogs mostly for inspiration and sometimes to learn about new ingredients and techniques.
I would love to write a cookbook one day! Though I haven't rurally thought of how I want it to be, it'll definitely be more than just recipes and tips, It'll be a little bit of me, how I think in kitchen and why I cook certain things the way I do...
Hi Lakshmi. I'm in the minority here. I own many cookbooks! Although sadly I don't use many to cook from. The ones I love are the ones that have a picture for each recipe (not that interested in how to pictures although for complicated ones, I especially appreciate them!). Books need to have a spine so they stay open and flat. I like recipes that have ingredients that are commonly found rather than those I need to buy specifically for one dish. I don't like recipes that are too long or have too many pots to use!! I would love to know about the life and lifestyle of the author within the books both in terms of imagery and words. I'm not a great reader if I'm honest so nothign long. Perhaps a short intro into each section and a paragraph about each recipe! If I think of anything else, I'll come back and let you know.
ReplyDeleteHmm.. I like simple recipes and working with fresh, seasonal produce... so sometimes when books are arranged according to seasons.. telling me how to work with the fresh produce of the moment.. I like that!! And simplicity and homey rustic cooking really catches my eye!!
ReplyDeleteHi. Great questions. I collect cookbooks. I think of have 2 categories of books, some that I collect purely for their beauty and inspiration such as anything by Nigel Slater; others that I like to have on hand for quick reference, such as Mark Bittman's books. A new category is cooking applications for my phone and iPad. Again, Mark Bittman's are great because then I can take them with me anywhere I go and he is always updating. Hope this helps! And, if you write a book: Please include your stunning photos!
ReplyDeleteKankana - it seems to me you would be willing to read any cookbook that met your criteria, not only the books that include recipes or diet you usually cook. I would be interested to know what it is about the story that makes it good. Many foodies are not necessary novelists.
ReplyDeleteChinmayie - It looks like the couple of books you have about the traditional recipes are real treasures! They probably have more emotional value than glossy, visual contemporary books.
Regarding writing a book yourself, I have noticed that your approach is exactly how the books are written nowadays. There are two parallel tracks: the recipes and the autobiographical side.
Sukaina - I knew you were one of the collectors! I’m interested to hear from you. A good point about the spine. I’m there with you about the length! I like reading, but to get me hooked, the text must be deep. I enjoy good writing, but get easily bored with descriptive or observing text, even (or especially) if it is about food. There are thousand ways to describe a tomato, but after a while the senses get dull. Clever usage of language is always a bonus, but there must be a message, too.
Baker in disguise - You are right, a clear structure is important. Seasons would work well for me too, although, coming from a country that is asleep for 8 months a year there is not much to offer for the winter than potatoes and carrots.
Dena Testa Bray - Another collector! Great. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I’m so last century that I am yet to figure out what the applications for phone and iPad are :-) but I trust it is something practical because you seem to be organized with categorizing!
It's becoming clear that cookbooks serve as inspirational and informational.
Cookbooks are making large piles in my room so this question took me by a pleasant surprise. I'm one of those crazy cooks who hoards books and stare longingly at the photos but I love reading them too (I've devoted an entire page on my blog for my favorite cookbooks). If I had to name the characteristics of the perfect cookbook, I will have to use examples.
ReplyDeleteIt would have the evocative photos from Nigel Slater's Ripe/Tender. It must have the poetics of MFK Fischer's Consider the Oyster. It should be organized into seasonal,local menus like Sunday Suppers at Lucques by Suzanne Goin. It would be lovely if it had the charm of I am Almost Always Hungry by Zarubin and Traeger. I would also yearn for the historical nature of The Vegetable Book by Colin Spencer. I also enjoy a bit of elusive,remote travel cookery like that of the Auberge of the Flowering Hearth by Roy Andries de Groot. Lastly, it must be healthy like the Splendid Grain by Rebecca Wood.
"What determines the usability of recipes for you?"
ReplyDeleteMy most-thumbed cookbooks are the ones that have recipes made with easily available ingredients, vegetarian, not needing too much effort.
I also love recipes that help me step out of my comfort zone of Indian cooking. In which case I appreciate a style of writing that makes unfamiliar ingredients/cooking processes sound non-intimidating!
Hi Lakshmi. Honestly I don't collect, buy or long for cookbooks. But I do browse through various (ever evolving) online food blogs when I am seeking a recipe. What helps me choose one recipe over the other are elaborate pictures, how food is cooked and most importantly the author's story. Somehow I have come to realize that food blogs have come to give readers some insight in author's daily life (most importantly if it's a woman). Also, food is all about legacy. When some people include stories about how their mothers and grandmother used to cook the same dish, it is just so comforting to get a peek into their era, their history.
ReplyDeleteCall me judgmental but yes cover of the book says a lot about its contents, simple, clean and fresh ingredients always draw my eyes, anything OTT top you can tell the recipes fall into the same category and always overwhelm. Buying a book is an investment in time and space, so I look for books that contains recipes proportionately across various sections like appetizers/desserts etc.. that I can try.
ReplyDeleteAnd when I buy a book and like trust me it’s on my Christmas list for all my friends
Also must add I love the concept of stories against a recipe but thats not what draws me to buy, its the recipes and easy to understand insturctions.
Yes Lakshmi photos too... I took it for granted that there has to be photos, tho a I have appreciated books without. The visual is extra stimulation. But books with too styled photos do not appeal to me, even if I might like them for aethetics. They are "stiff" and do not arouse passion for food. I like the warm, inviting freshness... what better examples than your photographs! It is my dream to get hold of a cookbook written by you, with your photographs and the deep stories. I do not guarantee I will try out all your recipes in a frenzy (:P), but it will be my treasure.
ReplyDeletethe cookbooks i bought were those reviewed by some cooking blogs. but in the end i realized that i rarely opened them, because i prefer blogs!
ReplyDeletenow, i am a person who loves books and loves to read and i have really many books at home, but in cooking i prefer a blog. i have the feeling that blogs are more lively and flexible, i can search through them specifically for a certain ingredient. but a blog is also so much more a reflection of a lifestyle as it contains always some of the cook's personal thoughts and experiences..
your blog for example fascinated me from the very first beginning for its pureness, genuine words, spirituality, pictures. i like blogs that show not too elaborated recipes (that nobody is able to reproduce) and not too exotic ingredients, but seasonal products, possibly organic.
i like when recipes are simple, use left-overs without throwing food away. then now and again one can as well make something a little bit more sophisticated, especially sweets, cakes, etc.
so, to stay in line with the argument:-), i would probably buy a cookbook written by the author of a blog i really like, not only for the recipes, but because i know what is behind. a cookbook is not only a collection of recipes, but really a life style. for me at least.
Dear Laksmi, I imagine I would appreciate a cookbook created by you more for its aesthetic values as a photography art book that just happened to have food as a subject. Which doesn't minimize the value of the recipes. Well, I suppose I'm the last person to speak about cooking and cookbooks, but for what is worth I'll write my point of view and maybe you may make some use of it. My everyday cooking is pretty much influenced by my place in life - it needs to be time-efficient and satiating for my Husband :-) For more sophisticated recipes for some special occasions I'd like to have pics from the cooking process because this would save me some anxiety. The desserts are something totally different because I love making cakes and sweets and I'd love fancy desserts recipes. My idea is if I'm going to eat concentrated calories then at least they should be the tastiest possible :-). So desserts with lots of fantasy.. For such a cookbook I would get a special safe to keep it in :-) All the best!
ReplyDeleteAh, cook books, such an addiction of mine! I own many cook books, scattered in groupings in several rooms. Some are for go-to recipes (The Art of French Cooking by Julia herself or Please to the Table), some for new directions in health (Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon), some for the profound respect for vegetables (Deborah Madison), others for seasons and senses (Nigel Slater). I do love a good read of Nigella Lawson for her off-hand, sensuous style. And I have a special place in my heart for Marion Cunningham's The Supper Book, for its simplicity. I can't live without Madhur Jaffrey for East-Indian, and The Seductions of Rice and Ana Sortun's Spice rank high on my list for the exotic. I have a well-used copy of The Joy of Cooking and my Anna Thomas books are falling apart - David Cohlmeyer had to be rebuilt!Pictures are nice but not necessary. Shiny pages irritate me. A beautiful cover is necessary to draw me in.
ReplyDeleteHello Lakshmi - I do judge a book by it's cover - first - then I am a sucker for beautiful photography - not a problem for you, you already have that covered:) I am very attracted to books that tell the story behind the recipe/ingredients - that give historical information about the food or the country they are from. I like food books with interesting and unusual recipes with intriguing ingredients I haven't used before - and recipes that are written with the voice of the author. If you write a cookbook I feel quite confident it would be a winner. Thanks! Patricia
ReplyDeleteThe title has to attract me or else I won't investigate further. My next step is to look at the contents; am I interested in making these dishes at home? Lastly, I read through a few recipes to see if I fall in love; I'm not a fan of lengthy instructions although I don't mind a lengthy list of ingredients, other times I prefer simplicity.
ReplyDeleteI'm very serious when I say that I must fall in love with the recipes, that is ultimately what I'm looking for.
Hello Lakshmi ~
ReplyDeleteOh, what a delightful topic!
I'm afraid I am addicted to cookbooks. I have a lot. And I am always on the look-out for more. I have well over 50.....I know. This probably seems outrageously self-indulgent. But honestly, I don't watch television and I love books, period.
I've inherited a lot of my books; from my parents, friends, and others that know I love them. Some are very old; I have one from the 1890's. But I read them all like novels. I just love the ones that are clearly well-used; they have glossy pages yellowing at the edges, and are dog-eared from use. I feel as if all the good meals that were prepared from these books makes them magical. The energy of them fascinates me.
I think pictures are wonderful, but for myself....the words and feeling I get from them are most important.
I adore cookbooks that delve into tradition, or traditions of a particular nature. I love reading about foods of a particular place, and how people prepare and eat their food. I'm very entranced by books about ordinary people, eating ordinary food. Peasant food, of the Earth, and borne out of necessity quite often. I'm fascinated with thrift. How people 'make do' with what they have and how they transform it into something special and nourishing for their loved ones.
I love ethnic cookbooks; Southern Indian, Moroccan, Mexican, Spanish, Italian, Persian, and foods that come from your end of the globe as well. Finnish, Norwegian, Swedish....I love it all!
And I'm definitely interested in food politics. I'm interested in how different diets float in and out of political-correctness, and who has a vested interest in making sure that we eat that way. Food is very political. But mostly Poetical. :o)
Right now, my favourite books are 'Nourishing Traditions' by Sally Fallon, 'Full Moon Feast' by Jessica Prentice, 'Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone' by Deborah Madison, and 'World Vegetarian' by Madhur Jaffrey. I also adore 'The Art of Eating' by M.F.K. Fisher. I'm about to delve into a new book that I just acquired; 'Gypsy Feast', a book about traditional food of the Roma. So excited to read it!
Thanks for the thought-provoking post.
Heidi
Hi Lakshmi,
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that would draw me to it would be the front cover, second would be content whether it's vegetarian/vegan, and third would be the pictures. I don't buy cookbooks with overly complicated recipes as I have young kids and time in the kitchen is fairly limited. The one thing I do dislike is when you carefully follow a recipe and it does not turn out, so the recipes must be thoroughly tested. I like abit of background/narrative and useful tips are always good.
I generally pore over every page, then select recipes I want to cook. Because of my burgeoning collection I fear it will take years to cover all the recipes. I like to try out recipes first then experiment with flavours and ingredients.
My dream book...it would definitely have to be a hard-cover and not too big so that it sits well on a stand as you cook. Lots of pictures, not necessarily about the recipe featured and not all recipes need a photo. I recently purchased Jersualem by Ottolenghi and Tamimi and it probably encompasses all I look for in a book. The recipes are prefaced by the authors experiences with that particular dish. The history of the region gets a couple of pages and so does some key ingredients. An easy writing style is important, my husband who is not as fanatical about food as I am started to read it the other day... not the recipes but for the historical info.
I normally don't buy cookbooks that aren't vegetarian/vegan unless the vege recipes stand out. I am familiar with Ottolenghi's work so that said I would purchase anything he produced. A bonus was the presentation, beautifully bound in white with Arabic calligraphy (no front picture!). I think this is the Middle East version (I live in the UAE).
Hope this helps.
The Steaming Pot - Thank you. I’ve been thinking a lot about the point of a book being intimidating. I’m easily overwhelmed by the volume of text and images. A cookbook might be well done, beautiful with doable recipes but I still find it too intense, like standing in the middle of traffic. It has to do with the state of mind.
ReplyDeleteMadhur - It’s ok not to collect books :-). A reference to someone’s life is nice. It makes reading experiential. There is a place for both, blogs and books. However, Internet or computer will never replace books. The forms lead to different experiences. An ambience is created more easily in print, in my opinion. Also, a book is engaging in a distinct way. It is less fast and passionate than Internet.
Sreelu - You are right about a cover. There is a saying, God is in the details. The cover is the first impression: it either makes you to open the book or not. It has to reflect the content and boost interest. Categories make the book practical. I agree with you, the stories are there to support the recipes, unless it is a food novel.
Soma - The point with images is that they have to be real. Otherwise they’ll be another factor to intimidate. What I like is imperfection, vulnerability: something that makes it easy to relate to. We live in the world that is broken and unready, just like us. If it is presented too ideally, you get a sense of being an outsider. Although, spiritually speaking, it may be true; the fact is we are in a conditioned situation. That’s the field we operate from. The tools must be applicable to our situation.
Arianna - Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I find it fascinating that you prefer blogs over books! Internet is a good database of recipes. It is easy to search a specific entry. It is practical. It definitely has its’ place! And, it has revolutionized the recipe publication industry, if you will! It is convenient. One of the problems I see nowadays is that blogs are printed as books. I don’t mind that the character and lifestyle are transferred but, at least for me, book is a different form of communication. It has different features.
Plamena Mya - lovely to see you here A. Thank you for your input. You are not alone with having a limited amount of time to cook. Most of us are struggling with it. A cookbook with practical and simple recipes would serve the purpose. I like your philosophy of eating sweets! It makes sense :-).
Hello- I love to own cookbooks... They are possibly my favorite type of book. I find them inspiring. Often I buy them because of the type of food (eg. I love asian style, fresh food, lots of vegetables...). I also buy books because of the way it is presented...some of the food photography is amazing. I also like books that have a story behind (such as a story about where the individual recipes/food or the whole book may relate to the story of the authors life or some aspect of it). Like most of the people who have replied, it is this extra information that makes the book interesting and intriguing. Though at the end of the day, I buy cokobooks because I like the recipes/food and want to learn to make it. Most of the cookbooks I own are hardcover. I always read them back to front. I think it is important to have well developed or easy read recipes (eg lists ingredients, recommended cooking time, how many people it will serve or some indication of size, clear instructions that are unambiguous). Some of my favorite cookbooks, I have hardly cook from though as they are complex recipes that take a lot of time and effort to find ingredients, they have beautiful stories and imagery. Like yourself, I dont really watch much TV. Rather I prefer to read cookbooks in my down time. Nigella, from the UK, has probably the most extravagant cookbook collection! I wonder what she thinks on this topic....
ReplyDeleteMarianne - Thank you for sharing your addiction with us :-)! For a reader like you, a cookbook serves many purposes. In one sense, it is more than a collection of recipes.
ReplyDeletePatricia - What is interesting to me is that you, and many who have commented here, value the narrative, which shows you are curious and willing to learn about subjects related to food, lifestyles and cultures. It’s great! It’s positive to hear. I have such a narrow field of interest myself that I’m afraid I wouldn’t be satisfied with many cookbooks as a reference point. You mention the clarity of voice of the author as one of the attractions to you. Would you read about a subject less known to you if the writer had the authority to speak about it? Or, would you rather read about a subject known to you? What I’m trying to understand is that how much you are willing to go out of your comfort zone to become acquainted with a new territory? I would think there should be a balance of commonality and difference in order to make any subject interesting. But, what is that balance? How much you would be willing to identify with the standpoint of the author?
Twisted Susan - Hmm, what is a good title? What would capture your interest? And, I’m even more curious, what makes you fall in love with the recipes? Does it happen when you look at it or after you follow and taste it?
Heidi - Hi, I’m Heidi, a cookbook addict :-). Welcome, Heidi! I like what you say about the energy of books. That’s the key to your addiction, I think :-). Would you treat the quality of writing, language and storytelling of a cookbook with the same scrutiny as that of a novel? Or, are you more lenient with it? I’m asking because a cookbook author has begun to resemble a super(hu)man to me. You have a vast scope of interest regarding the topics. It’s great!
ReplyDeleteDawn - Thanks for elaborating! What would you consider a first class book cover you couldn’t resist? You raise an important point of recipe developing and testing. It has to work. Personally, I’m lenient when I see (or write, sorry) a recipe on Internet, but I expect it to be correct in a book. In a perfect world, both should be! What kind of tips would you like to read in a book? I couldn’t agree more about Ottolenghi!
Ruby Awram - Thanks for sharing! You are right; the recipes have to be easy to read. Thanks for the list of detailed information to go with a recipe (amount, cooking time...). Yes, it would be interesting to know what Nigella Lawson thinks about cookbooks! Probably something veeery juicy! May I ask you: what do you consider good food photography? What’s the criterion for a cookbook illustration?
Hello Lakshmi,
DeleteYes, I'm definitely an addict. :D
To answer your question; yes, I would treat the language, quality of writing and storytelling with as much attention as anything else in the cookbook. That's just me. But that's not to say that the language has to be 'grand', or fancy. It just has to be honest, and thoughtful. Sometimes a recipe has no more than five lines to it. But yes, as you say, the 'key' to my fascination would lie within the energy of the words. What do they reveal about the author? The culture, the times? It's all so wonderful to delve into.
Heidi
Makes sense!
DeleteHi Lakshmi, some of my treasured cookbooks actually don't have a photo just a nice font. Personally I don't really like an image of one of the recipes on the cover, I find it stifles expectation of what's inside. If there had to be an image then perhaps a vegetable, fruit, crockery, landscape photo (I have a cookbook with the title "Byron" which is a coastal town in Australia) etc. Tips on what goes well together for instance if zaatar was featured in the recipe then somewhere in the narrative the author might mention that it also goes really well with pumpkin.
DeleteDawn, that's interesting about the cover. I agree with you. I assume food pictures sell because they speak directly to senses: monkey sees, monkey eats. That's why they are used in quantity. A subtle, abstract or minimalistic image/graphic calls for a different state of mind. Although it would attract a person with a refined sense of aesthetics, it may alienate a large group of public. If the author is not well known, a publisher wouldn't probably take the risk. In Jerusalem it works because everyone knows Ottolenghi.
DeleteHi Lakshmi
ReplyDeleteI don't buy cookbooks because I don't cook from recipes, instead I get ideas from recipes, pictures and TV shows which guide me. Though my bedtime reads are almost always cook books and I read an insane amount of them. These books I borrow from the library enjoy the recipes and pictures which lull me to sleep. I don't bake much so I don't a need book for that, as I suspect one needs to follow precise measurements etc, which is why I don't bake! It is however important to preserve traditional recipes, especially from Indian culinary heritage as food is prepared for many reasons other than just feeding the family. Food is used as a daily dose of preventative medicine for long term health, to bring balance to your constitution to satiate the soul to connect with nature by using seasonally available ingredients and many other intrinsic reasons. I am just realizing this. I thought all along preparing food for family and friends with care and attention and making it tasty was good enough.
There is a reason why turmeric is used daily, hing is used to help with digestion, bitter gourd/karela for diabetics etc. I have set up a blog for my mother[private] for her to post traditional recipes many of which I don't prepare. I am going to ask her to get medicinal recipes from my 92 year old grandmother to treat common ailments. So something like this I will follow. I am more likely to buy a 'learn how to or learn about' type of book than one with just recipes.I do have a few cook books, most of which people give me as gifts. I bought "vegan cupcakes around the world' for my entire family as they don't eat eggs and would like to bake at times. It was a great hit and they bake from it quite often, which makes me very happy.
Thank you for sharing your point of view, Sandhya. I was just discussing with my husband today why Indians would or would not buy cookbooks. We couldn’t find any valid reason for them to turn to Western diet or recipes. You have such a complete cuisine and food philosophy that goes far beyond the physical, moral, emotional, cultural and intellectual level of consciousness. Just by understanding the principles of Ayurveda one can live a balanced life, what to speak of the rest of the Veda. You are doing the right thing in preserving the traditional recipes, values and especially the divine legacy that connects eating and serving food to transcendental reality of the soul. I would like to learn from you.
DeleteI will gladly do that, though geography plays a great part in what we should eat for good health. For instance yogurt is had every day and night in perennially 'hot' South India. North India not so much because of cooler temperature but they have a lot of milk, again not in South India, heat + milk not a good combination!
DeleteHere is a simple remedy for tummy ache from consuming unhygienic food/ food poisoning
I teaspoon of whole methi seeds, chased down by 1/4 cup of good quality yogurt with probiotics, if not home made. Happy to say this works everywhere.
Thanks for the tips, Sandhya.
DeleteHi Lakshmi,
ReplyDeleteI am not much of a recipe reader or follower and do not own too many cook books..I do go to bookstore and flip over cook books with lot of pictures and tips/tricks or new techniques. I rely heavily on food blogs and internet sites with pictures for my inspiration. I do not read cover to cover but certainly would go through pictures. I like recipes that use fresh ingredients, possibly less use of ingredients and simple techniques because I would hate to buy one or two ingredients or cooking pots just for that recipe. Simple the better :) I have no idea about my dream cook yet because I have just gotten into cooking/blogging and still discovering what is truly my style and what I really like. I see myself leaning towards simple, fresh cooking so far..
Dixya, thank you for your feedback. I’m there with you about simplicity!
DeleteAn update:
ReplyDeleteI did some heavy HTML gymnastics today and figured out how to add a reply option to each comment. Feel free to use it in any of the comments.
I hardly ever buy cookbooks. My best one is an old notebook in which trought the years I wrote down the recipie I learnt from best cooks I met in my life. This is the only culinary Bible I trust. I knew the cook, I tasted that food, I loved it, I saw how they prepared it, I wrote it down- the best process to learn how to cook- on my opinion.
ReplyDeleteIf I use a cookbook it is from a cook I know and trust.
If it happen I buy a cookbook it is for the extraorydinary photography I find inside- so for me it is more like an album than a cookbook.
I'm book reader in general, my whole family is. Books are for reading them so if a cookbook will have good narrations mostly for reading (recipies will be just editons to it) I will buy one. Actually there was one book which I read in my childhood(do not remember the title) which was like it, it was a story about the teenerger girl and her family life, the most important person in her home was grandma who was excelent cook and housewife. The autor discrubing the story put into the contest so many good recipies and tips. On the end of the book was the index on which page you can find the particular recipie. The book was briliant, I tried (as a teeneerger girl) most of the recipie.Those days this book was the treasure for me.It shown the easy ways to cook delicious meal with all you could get (read almost nothing) in Polish shops during communist time. I have to find it and read it again- thanks for bringing this memory to me be your post.
Laksmi- if you will write a book I'll buy it for sure. It does't need to be a cook book can be any book:-)))
To learn cooking directly from an experienced cook is the best way. Unfortunately, most of us don't have the opportunity. You were blessed with it.
DeleteLooking at the comments here, I’m able to see at least three reasons why we are fond of cookbooks: the recipes, narrative and imagery. Any of them serve either as an inspiration or a learning experience.
The book you describe from your youth sounds like a cooking novel. It is an interesting way to present recipes. I suppose the emphasis is on storytelling and fine language then.
On my research it seems there are three kinds of cookbook authors. The first one is a cook who writes. The second one is a writer who cooks. And the third one, and the most recent one, is a photographer who cooks and writes. He or she may have either photography, cooking or writing as the main strength. It’s rare to find a person, although I suppose there are such multi-talents also, who has excelled all three areas. It is quite an achievement.
I've been wanting to respond for some time now. My young family has prevented me from sharing my two cents. I belong to the category of people who love to read cookbooks from front to back, marking recipes that sparkle my interest along the way. I would say the cookbooks or authors who inspire me the most are the ones who show true love for good food, respect nature and incorporate the changing seasons and its produce into their cuisine. Winter is all about glorifying root vegetables, spring and summer about gorging in the wealth of greens and fruit and the fall about enjoying the abundance of squash. Photographs I would say are the icing on the cake. I don't always need a picture to inspire me to cook. Its also about getting ideas, ingredient combinations and seeing what I have on hand.
ReplyDeleteThe writers personal stamp comes naturally through stories and their own philosophy about cooking. I see that as something that inevitably comes through.Nigel Slater was mentioned before and I think he is very good example of a writer who cooks. His voice is truly unique. I find his writing so beautiful that I think his books can be read like novels. Others are very minimalistic in their writing and their recipes are more outstanding. I also love cookbooks about cuisines from all over the world.I love the books of Ottolenghi, Claudia Roden and Maddhur Jaffrey. I also like cookbooks about special topics like baking bread, fermenting and special diet(vegan,gluten-free). I find such books simply help me to expand my repertoire in the kitchen. Special diets also come in handy when I have guests who are either vegetarian and have some specific allergies. My husband and son are both lactose-intolerant and I have learned to make cheesy dishes without dairy products thanks to cookbooks.Overall I would say that cookbooks connect me culturally to the world. It is something that everyone shares and that is deeply ingrained in our beings.Thanking for your thought-rovoking post.
Thank you and your young family for having an opportunity to comment! I know how valuable time is and I appreciate yours.
DeleteYou are right, food is a cultural pillar. In the modern age, its sensual aspect has been emphasized. It is often viewed as a tool for an instant sense gratification, especially on TV, by the business and entertainment industry. Right now, I feel, the value of food is at the bottom level of human experience. It is popular, it sells well and it is as good subject to compete as running or football, but the mind around it is undeveloped. We don’t have to go back long to understand the cultural and social importance of food, even in the Western world. In old countries, like India, food has a deep, sacred dimension that connects the human consciousness with divinity. It is an access point to the higher platforms of sharing and serving.
Cookbooks have the potential to expand our understanding of eating, cooking and serving food. They could be instrumental in improving the quality of life and values.
when i left america, i left behind many of my cookbooks--it was sad. the interweb is a good source, but not as satisfying as the page. i agree with earlier comments that the two can compliment each other, however.
ReplyDeletei appreciate a book that offers international measures/conversions and when possible, a likely substitute for challenging ingredients. grouping by season is lovely but it is often more user friendly (for me) to "chapter" by the type of food, and within that small, medium, large course offerings...and the web is the perfect place for "timely" recipes. like others, i am inspired by traditional recipes and a bit of "conversation" about the basics and basis.i wonder how it would be to illustrate a traditional recipe and then one inspired and expanded from it? at the core, it seems that i enjoy reading recipes that come from the heart for cooking/sharing, but no so much those that seek to "catch" me with glossy images, offer complicated prose or trend of the moment cooking. i enjoy reading your blog--altho i am new to it--if you choose to make a book i feel that starting with the questions you have posted here brings you closer to "the answer" than many published (or aspiring) authors/photographers/editors.
You are making a good point about the measurements and conversions. It is a challenge, I imagine, to include all information, recipes, instructions, tips, stories and images and to have an uncluttered publication at the same time! Any idea who has managed to create such a layout?
DeleteGrouping the recipes is an interesting subject, too. I’m surprised how many of you like it according to the seasons. I understand the logic behind. But, globally thinking there are some considerations. The vegetables we get here, for example, in the autumn are different from those in Africa, Australia or India. A few comments earlier, Sandhya was explaining that the diet in South India is very different from the North India. The seasonal grouping will work better when the book is distributed in a specific geographical area and climate.
What about grouping recipes according to the time of day? Breakfast, lunch, dinner and evening snack? How would you feel about it? I tend to think it is practical. In addition, there could be a section for special servings or sweets, for example?
Diane, when do you know or feel a recipe comes from the heart of a cook? What are the elements that attract you in it? It is one of the crucial points I’d like to understand. I guess, it takes a cook to know a cook :-)!
hello,
Deleteindeed, the measurements and conversions is a layout conundrum. indicating them within each recipe is user friendly, but bulky. a reference page is good, but organizing it is a challenge. i do not have a good solution, but will peruse and ponder. perhaps sidebars are useful for tips and tiny stories.
i like groupings by time of day-and again there are regional disparities there: rarely see rice for breakfast in new england, but of course it can yummy around the clock. i also search in terms of scale...it is bite or sturdier fare?
eat to live or live to eat? sharing a recipe is a bit like story telling. you have a cast of characters in the ingredients that take a little (or big) journey to the plate. for me a well written recipe honors the reader with the tools to prepare nourishment but also triggers an emotional response. the latter can be a comforting taste memory or challenge to try something new. a recipe from the heart shows respect for the ingredients, for the hands that mingle them and ultimately for the joy--if you are lucky--in sharing that plate.
Thank you for getting back and leaving such a thorough comment. You are right: the volume of user-friendly material is a layout conundrum.
DeleteThank you for your definition of a recipe that comes from the heart. It is endearing.
I adore reading cookbooks. Although reading isn't the exact term I should be using.
ReplyDeleteI don't care much for stories, I just want to see a good recipe preferably combined with a great photo.
The seldom case when I do read a story, it is a short one where a lot of humor is involved.
I'm a vegan, so I usually buy vegan cookbooks (even as a vegetarian I did that). But I also buy vegetarian cookbooks and even omnivore cookbooks, but then they have to be really good. Really good means there have to be awesome recipes in it, that involve a lot of vegetables or are easily veganizable, of course combined with great pictures.
(I have to add that some of my favorite cookbooks don't have any photographs in them, the recipes are just that good)
Thanks for sharing. My most used and respected cookbook, The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking by Yamuna Devi, doesn’t have a single picture either. The size of the book is that of a small dog. It’s large! When I got it 15 years ago, I wished it had pictures. I didn’t have a clue how iddli, sakarpara or malai chum chum look like. Gradually I learnt to trust her written instructions. She is good. Or was: she passed away a year ago. What a great soul! She was more than a cook.
DeleteLike you, I also lean towards stories that are short, to the point and captivating. Humour doesn’t hurt. But then again, I don’t expect a cook to be a literary mastermind. Recipes are more important.
Lakshmi,
DeleteThe Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking is one of my favorites (and I probably have over 700 cookbooks). I love just reading her recipe titles!
I do not read cookbooks. I mostly like to watch and learn a recipe or I like someone telling me how to make something. I do read food blogs but very rarely try out recipes from blogs. Simplicity/availability of ingredients would be a nice thing to have in a cook book. A good number of pictures at various stages and especially of the final stage, as in your blog, helps me relate to the recipe more. How you describe the texture, visual appeal, and taste of the food you made would also appeal a lot to me :-)
ReplyDeleteLakshmi, its tough to say whether I love your writing or your photography more. You are a great person and I love to read your thoughts on this blog and see the pictures. You are an incredibly humane person! God bless...
Manju, thanks for your thoughts. Recently I was watching a cooking program on TV in order to see what’s happening in the field in general. I quickly realized my weakness – in the eyes of the world – when it comes to cooking. To me, food is only secondarily a sensual experience. Primarily, it is a spiritual process that deals with the consciousness food is prepared in. It is also a stronger cultural indicator than sensual. My approach is 100% opposite to what rules the food industry today. To find a common ground and to communicate from a different point of view is a challenge.
DeleteI've always been fascinated with cookbooks ever since I was a child about 8 or 9 years old. My mother's Mughlai Recipe book which included one hand drawn picture of a Mughal court at the begining of each chapter had me studying the book for hours. The book is tattered and is held with an elastic band and close to my heart.The second book was called the Encyclopedia of Cooking belonged to by older cousin which I dreamed of owning when I 'grew up', but never did.
ReplyDeleteToday I own just a shelf full of cookbooks which is less given my long love affaire with food and cooking. I have bought a few that were promising but not expensive and practical, a few that has great pictures and lately some of them were bought to inspire my photography skills and anothew few that have basic techniques to refer back when I need help. But I haven't read any cover to cover.
A book I want to own next is a book that has no pictures. It has history, it has wealth of knowledge and it has recipes that are unadulterated, reconnecting recipies to my culture. The book is called The Calcutta Cookbook. So I guess, a cookbook has many purposes. I believe there can't be just one cookbook to satisfy the senses. I know that if I were to buy a book it had to be something I would want to go back over and over again in search of discoveries. Something I can trust, something unpretentious, something beautiful to look at and something that makes me feel connected to the narratives of the food. I love a book that makes me think clearly. A book that has words of wisdom woven into it, evoking the senses and encouraging a lifestyle. A book that is not forceful yet different. A book that I can age with. And lastly but not the least a book that makes me feel confident in the kitchen.
On another note, I am very happy to have found your blog. When I read your blog post on halva, it remind me of my brother-in-law G. B aka. Santosh, who is a follower of Krishna as well. He has claimed that his religious re-direction began with the halva prepared by ISKON. He used to go back for their halva like bee to honey and then Krishna called him and asked to stay. He is the most gentle person I have ever met. My family members thinks he is the best addition to the family yet. Reading some of your writings and your philosophy reminds me of Santoshda a lot.
I just realized I have written a lot!
What an elaborate comment! Thank you for taking your time and writing. I find your input encouraging and important, and second you regarding the words of wisdom woven into a cookbook. After all, eating, although being a sensual act, has much deeper influence in a cultural and spiritual level. Everyone can relate to it. Every prominent culinary tradition is about transmitting values in the form of food. The book that is missing in the market right now, in my opinion, is the one that takes a step higher from the senses and brings out either the social or transcendental aspect. Luckily, more books that present food as a family affair are coming out, but there aren’t any books that connect eating with such invaluable necessities like liberation, enlightenment or perfecting human life.
DeleteThank you for telling about your brother-in-law, Santosh. It sounds like a story I know very well.