This book is the "Western-wife-of-Moroccan-husband" dream come true, & is the most well-researched, comprehensive manual on Moroccan cuisine I've seen. The high point is Wolfert's very detailed lesson in properly preparing & steaming Moroccan couscous grains (a far cry from our boxed couscous), a lesson often lacking in other cookbooks. Another gem is her extensively-researched compilation of ras el hanout components. She clarifies western-translation of Moroccan ingredients, provides useful preparation shortcuts, & helpfully suggests alternative ingredients & equipment for the western cook. Importantly, she points out ( & even provides a map with detailed examples) regional differences in preparation of many dishes - differences of which many Moroccans themselves may not be aware. This information is vital for the western wife attempting to prepare her Moroccan husband his favorite home-cooked meal.

The book is also a great read, esp. her stories of life in Morocco, & excellent cultural/religious background information. It has tons of useful reference material, including complete menus, specialty-food suppliers in the US, a full discussion of the spices/herbs/waters used in Moroccan cuisine, et al.

Most importantly, after some practice on my part, my picky Moroccan husband has been thrilled with the results!

I would also highly recommend Robert Carrier's "Taste of Morocco" (see his shebbekia recipe); & for helpful, color photos (& recipes of course), Kitty Morse's "Cooking At The Casbah" & Fatema Hal's "The Food of Morocco" (from the "Food of.." series).

Reading this book is a joy for a Moroccophile because Ms. Wolfert is so passionate about not only the foods of Morocco but the kingdom itself. Although her recipes for couscous, tagines, and desserts are often time-consuming (Moroccan cooks spend long time in their kitchen --- I reserve those dishes for a special dinner or dessert party), they always give excellent results. I have tried cooking couscous in the oven and in the microwave, but they didn't come close to the light and fluffy couscous I made with a couscousiere following her instruction. Her Moroccan salads can be assembled relatively quickly, and they make excellent side dishes for any Mediterranean-style meals.
A local Moroccan restaurant owner highly recommended this book.

Amazing book!! The recipes are authentiques and accurates!
Outstanding job.
YF

This is of course a master work, as are all of Wolfert's books. I am only writing here to spell out what the book blurb above fails to make clear: This is a REPRINT of Wolfert's WORLD OF FOOD book, first published in 1988, given a new, ostensibly more sexy, marketable name. So if you already have WORLD OF FOOD, don't buy this -- but do treat yourself to any other of her books -- they're all winners.

I have now bought ALL of Paula Wolfert's cookbooks and every one of them is magnificent. Even if you are the owner of shelves of mediterranean cookbooks this one shouldn't be missing! Wolfert has the gift of writing recipes that make you want to cook. The recipes in this book are original and exciting, but simple in the mediterranean tradition. The book has no color photographs and lacks even the simplest illustration, but you won't mind. Wolfert's writing is more than enough to get your imagination running in overdrive.

There are few books in English on regional French cooking that aren't about Provence, so a work like this is a real find. More important, Wolfert has written with her usual anthropological detail and authenticity. I think this is one of the best books on regional French cooking of any kind. The book is well organized by course and by type of meat. There is a special chapter on cassoulet as well, and very detailed instructions on making a confit that is as good as Madeleine Kamman's. Because most of this is peasant or bourgeois cooking, there are few things in the recipes that will be hard to find, and there is a lot on fascinating new techniques. There's an interesting recipe for mussels in which they're packed upright into an iron pan and covered with dried pine needles which are then set on fire. Also, Wolfert offers some very useful tips on reducing certain kinds of fat content while preserving taste, and what's best is that this is done for the sake of taste and quality, not with all the usual eating-disordered hand-wringing. Anyone interested in some of the real classics of French cooking--cassoulet and confit--will love this book. Most recipes demand a certain amount of experience and comfort in the kitchen, but the payoffs are superb. Great armchair reading too.

I Believe that this book was fantastic although I am familiar with many of the recipies I would like to say your behavior was inappropriate and should be corrected.

I have all of Paula's books. They are my most treasured books and this one is no different. The recipes work and delight the palate with bright fresh flavors. I've always enjoyed her stories of her adventures in these exotic places. If you are interested in raising your palates flavor bar and wowing guests with great flavors dive right into this wonderful book.

I love this book as much for the stories as for the recipes. I also loved Paula Wolfert's Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean. This is not a book about basic Mediterranean cooking that you usually see, nor is it vegetarian. These are wonderful, authentic recipes that taste like they are supposed to taste. I highly recommend this book.

I would have liked to see more recipes from Syria and Lebanon, although the ones that are included are very good. Sources for ingredients are included at the end of the book and the author has also included a recipe for home made yogurt which can really cut the cost of this essential ingredient. Preparation techniques are, for the most part, simple and accessible to American and European cooks requiring little special equipment.