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I got this for Christmas - massive tome, very learned on all aspects of Nordic cookery, lots of interesting insights on the region's long history etc, but seriously how many of the recipes are useful to the rest of us?  Has your local butcher got seal intestines and blubber? (p259) Does the supermarket have the crowberries to go with them, and franky if they had, would you want to eat the result?

The chapters on pastries, tortes and desserts are rather more practical, but the book is a very expensive way to pick up a few usable dessert recipes. As a comprehensive survey, 10, as a practical cookery book 2?

RayS

Glad you posted this. I had been considering getting that book, and don't think i'll bother now. Really, what I'm looking for is an everyday Nordic cooking book. Not come across anything yet that has had good reviews.

I really like Kitchen of Light by Andreas Viestad. His salmon with apples and mustard sauce tastes wonderful, and is simple to put on the table on a weeknight. I've had very good sucess with other recipes in the book as well. The recipes are all pretty accessable.

I agree that this book is a paperweight.  Luckily, I checked it out of the library rather than bought it.  I'd be giving a better report if it were at least good eye candy but I didn't even find it appealing enough to browse long.  

That being said, I also wondered if it were a Joy of Cooking type book in Scandinavia.  The copy I received as a wedding gift years ago had recipes for squirrel and lots of other ingredients I couldn't find or wouldn't eat even if my backyard were overrrun with them!

I purchased this book knowing what to expect.  I agree that it is not useful for day to day cooking, except for some of the baking recipes.  However, I am enjoying reading it as a book of food and cultural history.  My grandparents on both sides of the family came to the United States from Scandinavia so I have a particular interest in this, and even though I have not eaten most of the dishes I have heard my grandparents talk about them (and yes, lutefisk was a holiday traditon in my family, although I was never brave enough to try it!)

Sorry to revive an old thread but I have a different take on this volume. It is part of a Phaidon series of comprehensive cookbooks of various countries and regions that are usable as "Joy of Cooking" volumes for immigrant children who want English texts. My greatgrand parents were from Lappish Finland, starting their journey to America behind a reindeer drawn sledge. This cookbook presents precisely the issue addressing all immigrants - how do I cook familiar flavors in a land with different resources? Do I replace reindeer with elk, venison or beef? How do I learn that cloudberries are called "bakeapple" in Canada. Or how do I learn which greens are edible for the frequent use of "wild greens"?

I recently took a class by a Thai immigrant who made pad thai using apricots rather than tamarind. She explained that the tamarind available in our area is picked far greener that it is in her home. In trying to replicate the flavor of home, she found her apricot-citrus sauce was closer than using the traditional ingredients. Think of cookbooks such as the Nordic Cook Book as presenting to us a flavor profile. As cooks, it is our job to translate that flavor profile into what is available in this season and place. That is why I prefer to keep details such as potato or apple varieties visible - I likely don't have that variety but I do know the flavor and textural profile that is intended.

Therefore I strongly recommend and greatly enjoy the entire Phaidon International Cookbook collection:

• The Silver Spoon


• Mexico: The Cookbook


• Thailand: The Cookbook


• Peru: The Cookbook


• India: The Cookbook


• The Lebanese Kitchen


• The Nordic Cookbook


• Spain: The Cookbook


• France: The Cookbook


• China: The Cookbook  et. al.

A quote about some of the more esoteric recipes from the author, Magnus Nilsson, in a New York Times interview:  "I think very few people are going to cook those recipes--but they're necessary to understanding the culture . . ."  He was very passionate about this project and wanted to document the recipes he believed defined Nordic culture.

Not all the books in the Phaidon international series have been well received.  There's an epic one-star review of Mexico: The Cookbook.

Originally Posted by: ellabee

Not all the books in the Phaidon international series have been well received.  There's an epic one-star review of Mexico: The Cookbook.

True :-)

Originally Posted by: ellabee

Not all the books in the Phaidon international series have been well received.  There's an epic one-star review of Mexico: The Cookbook.

I whole-heartedly agree with the one star review of the Mexico cookbook.  I have this book - can't remember whether I read a review and bought it or whether I was given it.  It is huge, heavy and a very slow read.  The recipes that I have made from it haven't been memorable and it certainly isn't the book I turn to when I want to make some authentic Mexican cuisine.  The quantities are off in many recipes, it's difficult to imagine what the result is supposed to be like and it's really hard to be enthusiastic about it.  

However, it does make a very effective doorstop.

mjes - I certainly wouldn't want to knock Phaidon's offerings; I don't know any of the "xxxx the cookbook" series, but the heavyweights Vefa on Greek cooking, 1080 Recipes for Spain, Silver Spoon for Italy are all first class. The French "I know how to cook" is rather basic, but comprehensive - the sort of book to give a newly married couple!