Christoph Büschel

Absolutely wonderful as a coffee table book about German food - beautifully illustrated, and really interesting to read. Not very practical as an actual recipe book, though - it's huge, it's very difficult to find specific recipes (the index isn't much help), and those recipes that I've tried are a bit confusing and vague.

"Culinaria Germany" is a great resource for anybody interested in German food. However don't expect just an ordinary recipe collection. This book is much more than that.

The authors divided the book in 16 chapters- one for each of the 16 German states. Every chapter explores the food history and traditions of that particular state and features its most popular recipes. Some of my favorite recipes include: Koenigsberg Meatballs, Potato dumplings, Kasseler with Sauerkraut, Soleier (Pickled show more eggs), Baumkuchen squares, Kaiserschmarn and Doughnuts.

The authors also do a great job explaining different main ingredients, thus making it a delight for beginning as well as experienced cooks.

"Culinaria Germany" is illustrated with many detailed pictures of food and people. Granted some of the pictures of the actual Germans are a little dated but that's what gives this book even more charm.

Overall a great addition for your cookbook collection. show less

This book is to die for. Not just the food or the fabulous mouth-watering photogaphy, it is a travelogue by food of Germany. Even if you aren't a cook (I'm not) you will be totally absorbed by this amazing book.

difficult to use because of poor organization. Main dishes or desserts are scattered among many many chapters, most of which are only two or three pages each. More of a travelog than a cookbook. Recipes are not as detailed as they should be, and most are peasant/worker/bourgois food rather than haute cuisine, or the fine restaurant/hotel/spa cooking. Worth getting in advance of a trip to Germany, but not recommended as a cookbook.