Peter S. Feibleman (1930–2015)

I have collected all the hardcover Foods of the World books and am reading them all cover to cover in COVID-19 lockdown in lieu of any other travel that wouldn't be possible now. The third one I read is this volume, Spain and Portugal.

I happen to have read the Creole and Cajun volume right before this one, which is written by the same author, Peter Feibleman. Feibleman was a novelist and an outstanding travel writer; his writing is exceptional among the Time Life Foods of the World books. He really brings the experience of traveling through Iberia in the late 60s to life. However, Feibleman is from New Orleans and I think that volume is stronger because he was a native and wrote so lovingly of it. He lived in Spain for some years and clearly had high esteem for its cooking but it's not quite the same as hearing from someone raised in the culture and with the food. Still, there are mouthwatering recipes and beautiful photos as always. I particularly like seafood and don't really eat much pork, so dishes from Spain and Portugal are kind of a mixed bag for me, but I still found myself googling around for any Spanish restaurants nearby as I read. I also particularly liked the descriptions of festivals and people, from peasants to countesses, that Feibleman met on his travels. He certainly was able to find unique experiences in this part of the world and his enthusiasm is fun to read.

I found several unique ways to prepare fish in the recipes section which I plan on making, but other than that I am interested in making fewer dishes than I usually do after reading one of these books. Still, I enjoyed this volume very much and am more interested in someday visiting Spain having read it.… (más)

I collected all the hardcover Time Life Foods of the World books and while I have occasionally cooked from various volumes, I'm now actually reading them all cover to cover. This is the second one I read.

My last vacation was to New Orleans and I knew I would love this volume in particular because I have such fond memories of the trip and because I developed an obsession for Creole food while there. I think I would have especially loved this volume even if I hadn't recently been there because it is so lovingly written. The author was raised in New Orleans and he has wonderful stories and a deep affection for the area and its people. I like reading these books because they often paint such a vivid picture of a place that it is like traveling and I think this volume is one of the best at that. The photos are great, although not the greatest in the series. The pictures of NOLA restaurants and their proud staff are among the best, along with the photos showing how Tabasco sauce is made.

I adore shellfish so there were plenty of recipes that I flagged in this book to try. They look very approachable. It seems like every savory recipe contains ham which I don't eat much of, although it plays a supporting role and I think I can sub it out in many dishes. Probably not the best volume for a vegetarian. For a book covering New Orleans food, only a few of the city's famous cocktails are covered (Sazerac, café brulot) but I think that's because there's a separate volume for wine and spirits.… (más)