Author: Laudan, Rachel
Brand: University of Hawaii Press
Edition: 1st
Binding: Paperback
Number Of Pages: 296
Release Date: 01-08-1996
Details: Product Description Recent winner of a prestigious award from the Julia Child Cookbook Awards, presented by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Lauden was given the 1997 Jane Grigson Award, presented to the book that, more than any other entered in the competition, exemplifies distinguished scholarship. Hawaii has one of the richest culinary heritages in the United States. Its contemporary regional cuisine, known as "local food" by residents, is a truly amazing fusion of diverse culinary influences. Rachel Laudan takes readers on a thoughtful, wide-ranging tour of Hawaii's farms and gardens, fish auctions and vegetable markets, fairs and carnivals, mom-and-pop stores and lunch wagons, to uncover the delightful complexities and incongruities in Hawaii's culinary history. More than 150 recipes, photographs, a bibliography of Hawaii's cookbooks, and an extensive glossary make The Food of Paradise an invaluable resource for cooks, food historians, and Hawaiiana buffs. Amazon.com Review Hawaii has perhaps the most culturally diverse population on earth. The story of how the Polynesians, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Filipinos, Okinawans, Puerto Ricans, various Southeast Asian peoples, and Caucasians (known as haoles) brought together their culinary traditions on these islands makes fascinating reading. Laudan concentrates on local food rather than the world-class glamour of the Hawaiian regional cuisine cooked up by famous island chefs Amy Ferguson Ota and Roy Yamaguchi. She presents the polyglot world of the plate lunch, Spam, mochi, seaweed, shaved ice, sushi, and all the other dishes that Hawaiians really eat every day. Primarily a living and lively culinary history, this book does include recipes for the most commonplace Hawaiian dishes. Review "A welcome and absorbing surprise." Gourmet "Definitive." Honolulu Magazine "Marvelous." Los Angeles Times "Brilliant." Alan Davidson. Petits Propos Culinaires "I am clued into what has been an almost invisible society to me." San Francisco Examiner "The best culinary ethnography ever written." Sun-ki Chai, Sociology, University of Hawaii "Wonderful." Asian Foodbookery "Rich in unexpected insights, ironic turns of history and off-beat facts." John Thorne. Simple Cooking "A consummate work of anthropology." Kaori O'Connor, Anthropology, University College London From the Back Cover Hawaii has one of the richest culinary heritages in the United States. Where else would you find competitions for the best saimin, sushi, Portuguese sausage, laulau, plate lunch, kim chee, dim sum, shave ice, and hamburgers? Hawaii's contemporary regional cuisine (affectionately known as "Local Food" by residents) is a truly amazing fusion of diverse culinary influences. In The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii's Culinary Heritage, Rachel Laudan takes readers on a thoughtful, wide-ranging tour of Hawaii's farms and gardens, fish auctions and vegetable markets, fairs and carnivals, mom-and-pop stores and lunch wagons, to uncover the delightful complexities and incongruities in Hawaii's culinary history that have led to such creations as saimin, crack seed, and butter mochi. Part personal memoir, part historical narrative, part cookbook, The Food of Paradise begins with a series of essays that describe Laudan's initial encounter with a particular Local Food, an encounter that puzzled her and eventually led to tracing its origins and influence in Hawaii. Representative recipes follow. Like pidgin, the creole language created by Hawaii's early immigrants, Local Food is a creole cuisine created by three distinct culinary influences: Pacific, American and European, and Asian. In her attempt "to decipher Hawaii's culinary Babel", Laudan examines the contributions of each, including the introduction of new ingredients and the adaptation of traditional dishes to Hawaii's way of life. More than 150 recipes, photographs, a bibliography of Hawaii's coo
Package Dimensions: 9.2 x 8.1 x 0.7 inches
Languages: English