The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean refers both Paula Wolfert' s love of great food and the pioneering spirit that has inspired her to travel across the globe many times over in search of the world' s best recipes. In all of her remarkable books, she delves with tireless enthusiasm into her research and writing, ensuring each recipe' s authenticity and accessibility. In The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean, she brings readers and cooks into the kitchens that produce the healthy home cooking that is the trademark of such lands as Macedonian, Turkey, Syria, and the countries on the Black Sea.

Wolfert' s food dazzles the palate. Her book begins with recipes for sauces and dips, including two walnut and pomegranate sauces; soups include Anatolian Sour Soup and Macedonian Green Cream. Meat, poultry, and fish dishes include eleven varities of kibbeh, Duck with Quinces, and Skewered Swordfish. Her sumptuous recipes for vegetables and grains--stuffed eggplants, pilafs, and pomegranate-flavored vegetables, to name a few--reflect the bounty and healthful eating patterns of the Eastern Mediterranean.

Wolfert' s Middle Eastern grain salads are healthy and rich with flavor. Paula travels into the kitchens of native cooks to ensure that her recipes are as genuine as they are delicious. She takes us into the home of a friend in the Republic of Georgia, whose mother teaches Wolfert how to prepare Chicken Tabaka; to a mountain village in northern Greece where, with a sister food writer, she searches for fine cheese to complete a savory pie; and to a farm in Turkey, where the country' s best bread baker tells her secrets of baking unleavened flat griddle bread.

These delicious, authentic recipes focus on the healthy eating patterns for which the Eastern Mediterranean is increasingly being recognized. Wolfert' s recipes are as delightful to read as they are to use. Armchair cooks and travelers will be moved by the descriptive geography and resonate personal stories Paula Wolfert relates along with her fabulous dishes. Wolfert' s expertise is renowned among food lovers, amateur and professional, and her joy of discovering new ways to prepare food is infectious to her many devoted readers.

"A cookbook by Paula Wolfert is cause for celebration. Ms. Wolfert may be America's most knowledgeable food person and her books are full of insight, passion and brilliance." (-- Anthony Dias Blue, CBS Radio, NY)

"I think she's one of the finest and most influential food writers in this country. Her recipes are done with incredible accuracy. She brings a sense of wonder to matters of taste. She also has an uncommonly fine palate. In sum, Paula is one of the leading lights in contemporary gastronomy." (-- Craig Claiborne)

"Ms. Wolfert does not just writer recipes; she writes about the recipes, and about the food, and about the people who make the food." (-- Trish Hall, New York Times)

"The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean" refers both Paula Wolfert's love of great food and the pioneering spirit that has inspired her to travel across the globe many times over in search of the world's best recipes. In all of her remarkable books, she delves with tireless enthusiasm into her research and writing, ensuring each recipe's authenticity and accessibility. In "The Cooking of the Eastern Mediterranean," she brings readers and cooks into the kitchens that produce the healthy home cooking that is the trademark of such lands as Macedonian, Turkey, Syria, and the countries on the Black Sea. <P>Wolfert's food dazzles the palate. Her book begins with recipes for sauces and dips, including two walnut and pomegranate sauces; soups include Anatolian Sour Soup and Macedonian "Green Cream." Meat, poultry, and fish dishes include eleven varities of "kibbeh," Duck with Quinces, and Skewered Swordfish. Her sumptuous recipes for vegetables and grains-- stuffed eggplants, pilafs, and pomegranate-flavored vegetables, to name a few-- reflect the bounty and healthful eating patterns of the Eastern Mediterranean. <P>Wolfert's Middle Eastern grain salads are healthy and rich with flavor. Paula travels into the kitchens of native cooks to ensure that her recipes are as genuine as they are delicious. She takes us into the home of a friend in the Republic of Georgia, whose mother teaches Wolfert how to prepare Chicken Tabaka; to a mountain village in northern Greece where, with a sister food writer, she searches for fine cheese to complete a savory pie; and to a farm in Turkey, where the country's best bread baker tells her secrets of baking unleavened flat griddle bread. <P>These delicious,authentic recipes focus on the healthy eating patterns for which the Eastern Mediterranean is increasingly being recognized. Wolfert's recipes are as delightful to read as they are to use. Armchair cooks and travelers will be moved by the descriptive geography and resonate pers

Includes bibliographical references (p. 413-415) and index.

Paula Wolfert is the author of Couscous and Other Good Food From Morocco, Mediterranean Cooking,and Paula Wolfert's World of Food.She is married to the crime novelist William Bayer and lives in New York City.