1,000 Foods To Eat Before You Die: A Food Lover's Life List

The excellent, personal and by turns soulful and snappy writing in this book is deserving of five stars or more, and Mimi's knowledge of food cannot be disputed, as the multiple jacket reviews from celebrity chefs and food writers attest. But as any food person might, I have a few bones to pick over some of the grossly ethnocentric prioritization of western/Euro foods, the chapter arrangements and an all too often ignoring of botanical and culinary provenance, despite to best efforts to be global and historically accurate.Some sections are given more more attention than others. Eight of the 19 chapters are European and some countries are skipped altogether (Ecuador, Sri Lanka and many more.) Naturally, Italy, Germany and France are solid, but Spain's cheeses are chosen, while Switzerland's are not. (In fact, Switzerland is somewhat shortlisted: Birchermüseli, Absinthe, Gruyere, and Cenovis are missing from the list, and fondue is packaged into a "melted cheese" section, an undeserving spot for such an iconic dish.) Mexico is packaged with all of South and "Latin America” into a short 36 page chapter that pitifully lacks the respect it deserves, lacking cuy, ceviche, and even tacos. (The British Chapter is 50 pages; France is about 100). Tomatoes, pumpkins, chocolate, vanilla, corn, all come from Central America. And Japan is given really short shrift and missing notable mainstream dishes like matcha, pork katsu, udon, and ramen, and cult dishes like taco rice, teba, and fruit and whipped cream sandwiches, among others.New York City, the author's home, is given way too much attention, which I would strongly disagree with having lived there for ten years. Most chapters are arranged by geographic region, which make sense, but there’s a entire 48 page chapter devoted to Jewish foods, but no chapters for Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim or other religious food, making the book about as inclusive as the Donald Trump administration. Why not call that chapter “Religious Foods", or omit it altogether and add those foods to their respective geographic region?Many American dishes feel they were chosen because they had to be included, like Key Lime Pie, Salt Water Taffy, The Eskimo Cook Book, while Rosti was a Swiss choice (Swiss Hashbrowns, basically). The inclusion of Wolfgang Puck’s Pizza and Toll House Chocolate Chip cookies begs the question if these are product placements. Does Nestle Toll House still have the definitively best choc chip cookies in 2017? Surely other chefs are making excellent pizzas other than 80s superstar Puck. There are numerous brands and products that make their way into these pages, few of which make sense.A lot of the list are indulgent picks of the author which feel chosen purely by nostaliga. (Oreos and Frozen Milkway candybars). There are several food products up against restaurants and celebrity chefs and vegetables and dishes but the methodology for choosing is 100% personal instead of a more "editorial panel" approach that might have lent some objectivity and scope to the list. As is, it’s a fun read and I’d recommend it to American and European food friends, but would’t dare send it to my friends living in Asia, Mexico, Africa and South America.In short, the book is worth buying for the range of exotic foods Sheraton will educate you about or forgotten foods she'll remind you of. Ambrosia, Ciorba, and Shi Zi Tou anyone? Despite all my criticism, the book offers a ton of advice on foods I’ve never heard of and there are hundreds of dishes I learned about. It’s a handy travel search guide for global food lovers. But I hope a second edition would make some changes and broaden this list a bit more scientifically as an undertaking like this requires more than one person’s perspective. Also, the books lists several places to try these foods, and markets, both of which are a huge accomplishment, but they immediately date the book. New markets that have opened after 2014 are not included. I love the service journalism here, but how will the publishers address this? How often will updates occur? Frequently, I hope.A few dishes I’d personally nominate for the next edition:SwitzerlandFondueRacletteAlpine MacaroniKäse SchnitteGruyere and Appenzell CheeseBirchermuseliCenovisAbsintheCapunsMerringue (Invented in Swiss town of Meiringen)BirnbrotEngadine NustorteJapanTaco RiceTuna SashimiUdon TsukiniRamenPork KatsuSake and shochuSukiyakiUSCranberry SauceGreen Chile CheeseburgerTriscuitsVichyssoiseWild Maine BlueberriesAnadama BreadApple ButterGirl Scout CookiesScallion Cream CreeseThe Breakfast SandwichGrouper ReubenFranceOeufs en geléeReligieuseMexicoHuitlacocheMezcalChiles en nogadaMexican VanillaSouth AmericaNaranjilla fruitEcuador ChocolateCuyPao de QueijoAçaíCeviche

I won't lie. I am a BIG food fanatic. I love learning about all the foods of the world, and this book has got to be one of the best books to date. By country/world region first and alphabetical order second, Mimi Sheraton tells you all sorts of unique foods that all sound intriguing, some of which you may be familiar with (Parmagianno Reggiano, Borsch, Saltwater Taffy, Gazpacho) to foods you've probably never heard of (Cheroset, Borovik Ceps, Molokhia, Struffoli). OK, not all of them sound appetizing, but there are bound to be some you've never heard of that will likely sound delicious. She even lists places to try the foods, where to find recipes and information, and where you can buy the foods (if possible). This book will have you diving in curious and coming our hungry for new things. A definite 5-star book!

OK, it's close to 1,00 pages but it's not a boring reading. It has lots of good information and while some cuisines are covered more in depth than others, nevertheless, all the world's major cuisines are covered here. It is not a cookbook, rather a large but not necessarily comprehensive list of dishes and foods that are considered reference standard for each culture and place. While some complain that it's just a list and dings the book for not having recipes, I am fine with the way it is. When I read it and a dish piques my interest, I can always GOOGLE it for more info. It serves as a gateway into a given culture by means of introduction of the food and dishes. I got my book used, on the cheap. Definitely worth reading if you love cooking and traveling.

Great, interesting, book which made me want to expand my dining experiences. I wish there were more recipes included.

Was a gift for a food lover who has an adventurous palette.

My college roommate and her husband are real foodies. They loved reading about all the foods they haven't yet tried.

1000 just isn't enough when it comes to interesting food. If anything, it's sort of like a book on ethnic cliches except it has to do with food. Some countries feel liked the writer struggled to to put just a few token representatives. It's an interesting enough read but if you are someone interested in food or merely watch shows about it for entertainment, a lot of what you see in this book will seem very Intro to International Food 101.

Great book. It's been great fun to mark off the foods I have eaten and to look for the foods that I have yet to try. Really livens up this boring pandemic existence.

I bought this last year as a gift for my partner. He's a devoted foodie and absolutely loved pouring over the delicacy's from around the world. The history, the regions, the ingredients and recipes kept him entertained for hours, even experimenting with a few recipes. Definitely for the Foodie in your life.

Contiene alimentos muy variados

Nice chapters divided per continents.

Written from an American perspective but none the worse because of it. Very comprehensive especially (obviously) France and Italy. Its my go to Kindle book for when I'm down and in need of a lift!

Good book