Pharaohs Feast by Oswald Rivera
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Pharaoh’s Feast by Oswald Rivera

* Publisher: Perseus Publishing
* Pub. Date: November 2003
* ISBN-13: 9781568582825
* 277pp

 

The Overview from the Publisher:

Drawing on written sources from the fifth century, B.C. to today, veteran cookbook author Oswald Rivera recreates ingredient lists and recipes to allow modern cooks to prepare historic delights from Esau’s biblical mess of pottage to contemporary pasta primavera. Packed with fun facts, this culinary history includes such treats as a seven-course dinner from King Srenika’s royal bash in first millennial Indus Valley, Colonial New England’s Johny Cakes and the modern era’s meatloaf. Black-and-white illustrations accompany this lively history of cooking.

 

Editorial Reviews:

“Shows how cooking has evolved throughout history–complete with over 100 recipes and packed with fun historical information”

 

Midwest Book Review:

5 stars Highlighting the history of food preparation, April 4, 2004

Impressively compiled and presented by Oswald Rivera, The Pharaoh’s Feast is a unique and impressive collection of 110 simple recipes that have been passed down from antiquity to the present day. The recipes comprising this enthusiastically recommended addition to any adventurous cookbook collection range from Pears Cooked without Coals or Water; Pigeon Stew; and Poached Sturgeon; to Indian Pudding; Baked Frankfurters with Stuffing; and Tropical Salad. Highlighting the history of food preparation from a biblical Mess of Pottage to colonial American Cornpone and Johnnycakes, The Pharaoh’s Feast is a unique source of culinary inspiration and a heritage recipe collection for cooks of all passions to sample and better understand longstanding culinary traditions and sources from around the world and down through time.

 

Many Stars : Hammerbooks.org:

Oswald Rivera accomplished his mission: to cook his way through history. With a unique blend of fact-based storytelling and recipes that range from Pigeon Stew to Victory Pudding, The Pharaoh’s Feast invites history to the dinner table, giving readers a taste of our culinary heritage.United States [Book Cover]and China, Europe and India, the Middle East and South America.

Both recipes and stories are an eclectic mix of the obscure and the familiar, from Esau’s biblical Mess of Pottage to Irma Rambauer’s Classic Meat Loaf.

Drawing on written records from the middle of the fifth century B.C. onward, Rivera, a veteran cookbook author, simply (and as accurately as possible) recreates ingredient lists and recipes so that today’s home cook can prepare historic delights. Rivera adheres as much as it is practical to the standards of yore but isn’t opposed to utilizing more modern methods that will yield similar results. Where ingredients aren’t available, he will substitute, with his careful cook’s pallet set on rendering the same flavor.

The perfect cookbook for the culinarily curious, this fact- and fun-filled history includes the following recipes: Tarru-Bird Stew, Bamya, Barley Bread, Roman Sauce for Boiled Meat, New Peas for a Fish Day, Gazpacho con Ajo Blanco, Mongolian Hot Pot, Poached Sturgeon, Corn Pone, Indian Pudding, Potato Pie, and Cheese Fondue, among many, many more.