other authors?

[eking]

You have been scouring the Mediterranean basin for special recipes for more than 25 years now - all the while, there has been an enormous commercial publishing boom focussing on the region. Your bibliographies in your books (a rare and admirable feature, when you started writing!)have led me to a number of other wonderful authors, but I am wondering if there are any recent books by other authors that you would especially commend to our attention. Or any books you might wish that you had written, Including books on cuisines other than Mediterranean.

[Wolfert]

I modestly confess I'm one of the fortunate "happy few" who's managed to write only about what's interested me. Otherwise, I don't think I could have survived the vicissitudes of a free-lancer's life. I've also, I confess, sometimes "stretched the rubber band" while explaining why I think the Caucasus (Republics of Georgia, Chechniya and Dagostan) are mediterranean in regard to the spirit behind their cuisines. I like to think I've made a good case for this. Though numerous pairs of eyebrows have been raised, I believe the recipes are the proof. The food has a Mediterranean spirit, and this is the region where wine was born. No olive oil...but plenty of garlic and wine. Sounds "med" to me..

The bibliography in my new book should get you started on some new sources.

As for the books that I liked this year: Tamasin Day Lewis on tempered food; Paul Bertolli's new "Made By Hand", and last year, Judy Rodgers "Zuni Cookbook. Also the new book by Diana Kennedy and David Thompson's book on Thai food should be in everyone's library.