A Taste of the World

I received an ARC of this cookbook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderful cookbook with delicious, interesting recipes!

There are many ways to encourage kids to learn about the world. I think that through cuisines may be one of the best and most fun. This book will hlep families to do just that.

This cookbook is divided by world regions including Asia, Europe, Africa, The Middle East, and The Americas. Within each of these are a number of countries. To name one from each section, there are Singapore, the United Kingdom, Ethiopia, Lebanon and the U.S.

The book begins with some general information and advice before moving to the recipes. Some of these are for Broiled Salmon with Spinach and Rice, Shepherds Pie, Breaded and Fried Chicken or Tofu with Vegetables and Arugula Salad, and Ground Beef, Lamb or Vegetable Stuffed Zucchini Canoes.

Recipes are organized with information like what you’ll need, time to make, allergens and more. There are generous illustrations throughout.

While this book is geared toward children, it would also be a good resource for anyone just learning to cook. It is a good resource.

Many thanks to NetGalley and The Collective Book Studio for this title. All opinions are my own.

This book was published in February 2024.

A Taste of the World: Celebrating Global Flavors is a cookbook geared toward children in the kitchen, and includes recipes gathered from areas all over the world. It includes some hints for cooking with children, and notes for making the dishes successfully. However, all of the recipes require an adult in the kitchen. This isn’t a bad thing; rather, most of us don’t spend enough time with our kids, and this is an invitation to spend some quality time with them.

Scherer has included dozens of mouthwatering dishes, many that wouldn’t appeal to most children, but recipes that will give them the excuse to taste new things. Most of the dishes are very appealing to adults, and even though this cookbook is geared toward children, I love it and I love the recipes which are very temping and are definitely mouthwatering.

The recipes are written in the traditional manner with the ingredients listed first, followed by step-by-step instructions. There are also comments at the beginning of each recipe which are not only helpful, but educational. This is a cookbook that is well-written and will tempt all of us, older children and adults, to curl up in a corner and read it cover to cover. Even though I’m an advanced cook, have had years of experienced in the kitchen, and traveled to most of the countries where the recipes are from, I fell in love with this cookbook and want to learn more about the countries featured and feed my friends and family the yummy dishes.

All told, even if you aren’t a child, or don’t have one to give a copy as a gift, this one makes an excellent addition to the cookbook shelf.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

A Taste of the World by Rowena Scherer is a wonderful collection of recipes that really provides a taste of the world! I enjoyed the facts shared about each featured country before the recipes, and especially appreciated that the recipes are accessible and appealing to a wide audience of culinary preferences. My daughter will enjoy trying out more of these recipes. Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ARC!

I wish I liked this better, because the recipes actually sound great, and I love the concept.

Unfortunately, while the graphics are great, they feel a little young for a book where at least one step in most recipes requires someone "15 & older" based on the key at the beginning, and every recipe has at least one step for the "9 and older" group, even though the graphics and topics seem to skew a little younger than this.

Ultimately, this feels like a book that would have benefited from catering to the 10 and younger crowd OR catering to the middle-high-school group (with more realistic pictures, and facts that are more age appropriate).

I don't know if that includes more "process"/"technique" photos, or steps split by child led and adult led skills, but in this format it feels like its trying to be all things to everyone, and the breadth of the scope here ends up making it a weaker cookbook.

You will find recipes from all over the world, in this book they are separated by regions : Asia, Europe, the United Kingdom, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas.
You will be told how to prep the ingredients by examining, cutting or filleting the vegetables or meat, how to prepare gravies, sauces and condiments, and also how to make any appetizers or accompaniments to the meal such as breads, muffins or noodles with very detailed instructions so your meal can be a success!
Enjoy preparing Soy Chicken with Chinese Broccoli and Garlic Sauce with Rice, Meatballs and Spaghetti with Caesar Salad, Ground Lamb or Beef with Vegetables Topped with Mashed Potatoes, Spiced Lamb or Chicken Flatbread with Tomato and Mint, or even Brazilian Savory Meat Pastries with Tomato and Watermelon Salad.
Enjoy making a special dinner with your family!

This is a cool kids’ cookbook with a fair amount of social studies mixed in. The recipes are divided by region and there are photos of every recipe and the steps. There tend to be a lot of vegetarian and gluten free alternatives offered. I honestly found the format overwhelming, though. It is so detailed that each recipe takes three pages (followed by a one page fact about the region) with lots of steps. I prefer recipes that are one paragraph and could fit on a recipe card. There also is no nutritional information, which is always a no for me when purchasing a cookbook.

It will be a good fit for homeschool families who want to use it for country studies, though I did not find it especially representative of the countries. For instance, the Mexican enchiladas were stuffed with broccoli and spinach, which were not traditionally grown in the region the way vegetables like cactus and corn were, and spaghetti squash with bolognese sauce was listed as a traditional American recipe. Still a fun resource.

I read a temporary digital copy of this book for review.