The best book on authentic traditional Hungarian cuisine I have seen so far. Very well written and illustrated. Aniko Gergely did an excellent and thorough job on covering the origins and traditions of temporary Hungarian cooking that developed during the last centuries. The list includes ALL the food that I would consider Hungarian and enjoyed when grew up in Budapest. I found the information accurate, the photos abundant and of very good quality. Any serious culinary traveler planning to visit the country and stay away from burgers would benefit too. If you need a single book to understand the soul and culinary traditions of the Magyars, this is it.
Recommended without hesitation.

Very comprehensive! I'm impressed.

I purchased this cook book for my father as a Christmas gift. My father is from Serbia. His mother came from small town nestled between Hungary and Romania called Novi Knezavac, so Hungarian cooking was very much apart of my fathers family upbringing. This cookbook was the perfect gift for him.

The book is comprehensive, in that it explains the differences and origins of certain ingredients, like peppers, and ground paprikas. I know my father only cooks stuffed peppers in Toronto when he is able to find certain stores in the city that carry Hungarian peppers towards the late summer and early fall seasons. There is a very good reason for that... and the book explains this. Some peppers hold their shapes better during cooking, but more importantly some don't over power the dish as virtually all other peppers would. The book also talks about many other ingredients such as plum brandy (and how it's made), cheeses, wines, and wild mushrooms etc etc.

"Terroir" is a word the French use to describe how the natural characteristics of a place influences the taste of whatever is grown there. This term is certainly not lost in this cookbook. Whether it be the cherries, apricots, plums, paprikas, wines or even wild mushrooms, this book describes the different varieties that are found throughout Hungary.

This book is a gem. Of special note are the recipes for goulash, dumplings, strudels, sauerkraut, beigels (walnut or poppy seed loafs), or my all time favorite cake "Dobos torta". The first time I had Dobos torta was in a Opatija Croatia back in 1965. I fell in love with this cake. There are perhaps only 5 bakeries in Toronto that make this classic cake. I only have one very old French cookbook that has a recipe for it... and at that there is only one picture. Well to my surprise this book has 15 pictures of the finished cake and photo's of how it's made. I've been looking for a comprehensive recipe for this torta for years. To my surprise this book has the best one I've ever seen. Not only that... the origins or history of this cake is in this book too. My fathers family had always known this cake was from Hungary... but no one seemed to know how it got it's name. My late uncle said it was derived from the word "drum" or "dob" in Hungarian, because the caramel topping when hard looks like the skin of a drum. Well this commonly believed story is not true. The cake is named after a late 19th century master chef called Jozsef C. Dobos. His famous recipe for the cake was passed onto the Budapest Trade Association after his retirement in 1906. So this famous torta, popular with the Austrian royal family finally became known to the world... a very interesting story behind the creation of one of Europe's classic cakes. This is just one of many tidbits this book contains.

The book contains a great deal of very colourful and beautiful photographs (a must for a good cookbook). To sum it up... this cookbook is one of the best I've purchased in years. If you are serious about Hungarian cuisine. Then this book is for you.

What an amazing book.I would give it a sixth star if I could. I grow up in Hungary and left the country 15 years ago. I have been searching high an low for a good cookbook.This is the one. But this book is so much more than a cookbook. The whole hungarian foodculture is there,the traditions, everything. I warmly recommend it to anyone who wants to try the hungarian cousine and are ready to learn a little bit about the country as well.

A very subtle but eye opening look into why death is not something to be feared. I feel much better for having read this book.

Not much to say, besides that this book helped me in a low moment to go on with life, no matter what...it's true stories of people who were 'between a rock and a hard place'. If you know very low moments in your life, read this!

The year 2001 was an incredible year, filled with shaking world events, but also with much that united us in our common humanity. As September 11th forced us to realize, we all grapple with weakness and fear, even as we cling to hope and faith and joy. As I witnessed in New York after the September 11th attacks, suffering brought forth an incredible strength of character in many people. It gave me hope in the ultimate triumph of Good like never before. And I found this message reinforced and echoed in every page of "Be Not Afraid."
After the events of this past year, including the wars now raging in many parts of the world, I cannot think of a more timely, more important book than this work of hope by Johann Christoph Arnold. As the subtitle suggests, the central theme is overcoming the fear of death, and yet the book is overwhelmingly about life-about living with joy and faith, no matter what meets us.
Through a treasure trove of personal stories that make the book near impossible to put down, "Be Not Afraid" meets the age-old human fear of death head on, with a power and intensity that leaves one changed. Again and again, the reader encounters a great and loving Power, far greater than the need and fear and weakness of human beings-a Power that draws especially near to the suffering and dying. We see glimpses of a reality so wonderful it takes one's breath away. I came away convinced: Death is not the last word. And the great Power in control of all things is telling us: Be Not Afraid!
The people whose stories fill the pages of "Be Not Afraid" have faced staggering obstacles and extracted life's deepest truths from them. If you want a true guide for the New Year (and the rest of your life), read this book. It is an extraordinary edifier of hope and faith-one that has the power to banish fear, even of the "last enemy," death.

Just a follow up to a previous poster, ISBN 1879751372 is the translation by Schultz-Behrend (the one you consider poor).

The other reviewer is much more knowledgeable than I am. All I can say is that I found this book, regardless of the translator, hilarious and remarkably rich. It tends to drag a little if you read too much at once but is great fun when you spread the sections across a number of days. Very readable and wicked clever.

Simplicius Simplicissimus is an artful and stunningly humorous account of the adventures of naive and utterly simple idiot boy who acquires a rich knowledge of life through a series of amazing adventures. This book was written in 1669 - nearly 100 years prior to Voltaire's Candide. Unfortunately, Amazon.com does not list the name of the translator of the offered edition. There are several English language translations available. The British translation by Walter Wallich is excellent and true to the original, preserving both the author's wit and creative prose. An American translation by George Schulz-Behrend is utterly lamentable and should be avoided at all costs - it completely sterilizes the author's humor and has the appearance of having been translated under the close and fastidious censorship of a puritan sect. It is not advisable to purchase the version offered by amazon.com, unless and until they can clearly specify the name of the translator.

Knowledge makes love fruitful in service. God calls us to be the instruments of salvation for others(evangelization). That is the work of the Church. Far too many of us find ourselves involved in church work and not in the work of the Church. This little book will help straighten out the misunderstanding.

"Loving the Church" is a series of meditations on the Church given as a Lenten retreat(1966) to the Holy Father and his staff. The aim of the book(retreat) is to instill a more profound sense of Church(that's our reason for reading the book). I can imagine the difficulty of retaining a sense of mystery in the Church when such as a papal staff is unceasingly confronted with the practical, day to day, sometimes mundane requirements of a visibile and functioning organization. Yet the Church is fundamentally a mystery, founded in the mystery of Christ himself, human and divine. We are put into communion with this mystery through communion with Christ. I believe this to be a fundamental point for our author, Christoph Cardinal Schonborn.

Although the whole is always the sum of all its parts, two "chapters" alone are worth the price of the book. In "The Mysteries of the Life of Christ," Schonborn anchors us in God's plan for us; to be united to himself in the Son's humanity. That humanity, in Schonborn's view is "radically filial" not "sevile". By God's design we are to become "sons(daughters) in the Son". In the words of the Fathers of the Church, "divinized". For Schonborn becoming Church means, at its deepest level, this very participation in the Sonship of Jesus.

The other "chapter" which excels is "The Communion of Saints". Its key understanding is that "the Church does not come to an end at the threshold of death." In Christoph Schonborn's words, "She(the Church) is the communion of ALL who live in Christ." A more compelling explanation on the communion of saints than in this meditation will be hard to find anywhere.

A repeated emphasis found in "Loving the Church" is that our participation in the Mystery of the Church is reality and not theological theory. It is based on fact, the fact of the Incarnation of the very Son of God in the real womb of a very real woman approximately two thousand years ago, Mary.

Though I found the first part of the book a little slow. That may just be me or the fact that the Cardinal was preparing the ground, tilling the soil as it were. However, no one will come away from this book without having been abundantly enriched.

A must read!

This is a man who talks about the Catechism and Scared Scripture in such a way that the reader almost hears a kind of heavenly music in which the heart wants to sing! Beautifully written, the book offers insight to scripture par excellance! The author sees all of creation and salvation history as a prefiguring of the "Church" as only Catholics can understand that term. Compelling, I could not put the book down until I finished it and then couldn't wait to give it to my parish priest. A true treasure to read for Lent! Cardinal Schonborn may indeed be our next Pope.

One delightful tip is to read these exercises and then read the catechism sections they refer to. Christoph Cardinal Schonborn is the general editor of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and might possibly become our next Pope. These reflections were actually preached for Pope John Paul II; you can't get more orthodox or reliable than that.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church can be a heady book, very long, a bit technical for the layman. But it will spring to life for you in reading these spiritual exercises. This book taught me not just how to read the Catechism, but how to pray it.

Cardinal Schonborn's great gift is the intense spirituality of his writing, which is deeply rooted in traditional Catholic theology and ancient Catholic scriptural exigesis. Christoph Schonborn will teach you to see the Church as she sees herself, as Bride, as victim, as the great cloud of witnesses which is the mystical Body of her Divine Spouse; in short you will see the Church as the communion of saints in Holy communion with the Lord. You will see the Church as Christ sees her--and if you're a convert, as I am, you will fall in love with her all over again.

If you want to read a more complete book check out Arnold's newest book on forgivness. "Why Forgive" This is all of Seventy Times Seven and much more. You have to get it.

Seventy Times Seven is a treasure trove...It is beautiful. Seventy Times Seven is simple, transparent, and caring. Everyone who reads this book will delight in it. It is simple and direct. An awsome Christmas and Anniversary gift.

This is an awsome book. A must for every serious reader. For it covers a subject virtually everyone of us wrestles with. Seventy Times Seven is full of honest and touching stories - many based on personal experiences of the author - These stories model forgiveness in a deeply and profound way. This book is available now and would make excellent Christmas gifts. I have ordered and received copies for every member of my family.

This book comes to the remarkable conclusion that we only hurt ourselves by failing to forgive those who wrong us. Forgiving often seems impossible, but the stories in this book show how the inability to forgive destroys our own lives with bitterness. On the other hand the book makes it quite clear that forgiving is not the same as excusing or forgetting.

This series of moving stories shows how a wide variety of people forgave in seemingly impossible situations: a woman who husband molested their daughter and then divorced her, a police officer paralyzed from the neck down, and the families of the victims of Oklahoma City and Columbine. These stories challenged me to examine my own lack of forgiveness. I highly recommend it for anyone who feels hurt or bitter.

Why Forgive? Hard as it may be this book shows in a simple and powerful way that the only way to true freedom is through forgiveness. While bitterness seems the roads to take and hatred towards those who have hurts us the excepted emotion, Arnold dares to tells us the true stories of people who choose the road less travel and in the end found the freedom to let go and change their world by forgiving. He also gives us a look into the lives of those who choose to be angry, only to destroy themselves. This book is moving and powerful, it is a striking lesson of something most people and talkshows refuse to speak about. I only pray that people out their struggling with bitterness and revenge read this book and know there is another way.

A powerful, emotionally driving book, "Why Forgive" provides a framework of forgiveness that not only defines why it is important to forgive, but also how not forgiving eats at us like a cancer until it kills our happiness and our very essence.

With true life stories of amazing acts of forgiveness, the book shows how forgiveness is required before truly moving on to complete healing when you have been wronged. The extremely powerful stories show how forgiveness has allowed individuals to regain their lives after severe tragedy has entered their lives. Instead of taking the easy path and allowing anger and hate to destroy them, they make a choice that results in a deep peace. Pick up the book, learn to forgive, learn how it is necessary for true peace, choose the road less travelled and choose forgiveness. If there is a book that should be required reading for everyone, this is a contender for that book.

I originally bought this book as a back-up source of information, but it quickly took it place as my primary reference. I keep it on my nightstand and reread sections every night. I enjoy the format and find it very easy to look up information or just read through the section on my current stage. I was a little concerned that it was not published in the past year, but found that the information is up to date and accurate.

As we know, doctors have become increasingly busy. You are lucky if you can get all your questions answered. To be well informed about pregnancy and birth, it does help to read as many books as possible on the subject.

The information presented here covers every stage of pregnancy from conception to childbirth. It also covers the baby's first six weeks. The advice is given by a team of two obstetricians and a midwife in a highly accessible format. Dr. Christoph Lees specializes in obstetrics, Dr. Karina has practiced in various teaching hospitals and is also a consultant. Grainne McCartan has worked as a community midwife.

The book is organized into eight color-coded thematic sections for easy reference. Being pregnant today is far different than being pregnant 25 years ago. Today's mother prepares for pregnancy, takes prenatal care very seriously, understands how her baby is developing, is well-informed on changes in her body, knows how to stay fit and healthy, understands issues in pregnancy, is prepared for labor and birth and has all this information at her disposal in this handy reference.

New mothers who did not plan their pregnancy will be happy to learn that the birth control pills they are taking will rapidly clear from their bodies and won't hurt the baby. What happens at a prenatal visit? Did you know that Toxoplasmosis is a parasitic disease passed on to humans by domestic cats? A good reason to make your husband change the litter box. I didn't realize that pregnant women should also wear gloves when doing yard work.

You will enjoy reading about which herbal remedies are fine to take in pregnancy. Ginger can help the digestive system and prevent nausea. There are so many items in this book you will want to read about. It is better to be well prepared for all the items in this book. What happens if you have a breech birth? What are the stages of labor? What if I am having twins? How do I breastfeed? What happens if my baby must be in intensive care? How should I exercise before and after the birth. Can I have sex at all stages of my pregnancy? What happens in the first, second and third trimesters? What does my baby look like as he/she grows? Should I refuse an invasive test? How will my family adjust to a new baby? What is postpartum depression?

Pregnancy and childbirth is uncharted territory for new mothers-to-be. With this book in hand, you will have the guidance you need to help you have a happy, healthy pregnancy and labor.

I used this book more than any other book during my pregnancy. I have given it to all my friends that are pregnant. It is a great step by step of what is happening with your baby and your body.

Pro's :

This book is excellent in historical, pictorial, and reseach. Very interesting written. Very helpful for shopping,what items are indigoues to each country. Great tool for teaching purpose.

Contra:

Some of the recipes are not working to well accuracy, refinement, would need some revision.

Sincerely M.B. Instructor

This book is excellent! It is thorough, comprehensive, beautifully illustrated, and even includes local dialects. I highly recommend it to any fan of Germany, German cooking, or cooking in general.

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!

I have read many books about dying, but this is the one I would give to a person approaching death or facing bereavement. From start to finish it shines with hope. I want a copy beside my bed when my time comes." Paul Brand,M.D. author, Pain: The Gift Nobody Wants

A Little Child Shall Lead Them; Hopeful Parenting in a Confused World is really the best book that is out there about children, about parenting, about every and any aspect on children. We live in a very confused world. There is so little good and helpful stuff out there. Dr. Spock and Dr. James Dobson, Focus of the Family are getting a little out of date and stale. That is why: "A Little Child Shall Lead Them" is such a refreshing change. Boy your mouth will drewl when you get a copy and see how modern day educators are raving about this book. Get your copy now. It is available at l-800-521-8011 David Wipf

"I Tell you a Mystery" is a beautiful book of surpassing dignity and tenderness...I hope it will be widely read, not only by those who call themselves religious, and I hope it will be shared with children also. Although written with great simplicity of style, it is nonetheless a work of moral mystery." Jonathan Kozol, author of Amazing Grace