The Rice Book: The Definitive Book on the Magic of Rice, With Hundreds of Exotic Recipes from Around the World

Containing over 250 rice recipes from around the world, this cookbook also includes information on:

the many varieties of rice

the nutritional value

its history and agriculture

the cults, cultures and myths surrounding it

and its importance through the ages.

Owen, an Indonesian-born food writer and cookbook author who now lives in England, includes a lengthy introductory section covering rice and history and politics, cultivation, and even the myths and folklore associated with this popular staple grain. This is followed by 200 recipes from a wide variety of international cuisines. Many of these dishes are indeed exotic and will be unfamiliar to American readers; some are somewhat complicated or time-consuming, but the instructions are well written and the headnotes informative. Marie Simmons's Rice, the Amazing Grain ( LJ 12/91) includes dozens of simpler recipes, but most libraries will want Owen's more unusual collection as well.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Rice every which way, from cultivation to cooking, is explored in food writer Owen's all-about compendium. A good portion of her book is devoted to whetting the appetite--specifically, by her in-depth research on the physical and nutritional properties of the species sativa, its agricultural impact, the cultural myths surrounding rice, and a worldview of this grain's importance. Then she moves on to the recipes, more than 200 of them, all gathered and tested with an eye not to trendiness but to traditional tastes in any country. She's very precise in helping cooks to prepare to tackle her instructions; she gives generic directions--including quantity, texture, and washing and cooking techniques--before presenting each recipe, each one of which is then followed by descriptive lists of ingredients and other culinary methods such as dicing and blanching. Both familiar and exotic dishes, most of them easy to cook, are included: among them, Greek dolmas, chicken and hot sausage gumbo, pork vindaloo, Korean bibimbab, pumpkin risotto, and black rice sorbet. Barbara Jacobs