Cookbook of the Year

Cookbook of the Year

The International Association of Culinary Professionals has announced the Cookbook of the Year - and the prize goes to Christine Manfield for her cookbook 'Tasting India'.

I haven't heard from Christine Manfield before - but since there are thousands of authors, chefs etc out there who I haven't heard of (and I bet they haven't heard from me either). Reading her profile I remember having read another article about cookbook ghostwriters - yeap, I was shocked as well. Chefs not writing their own books - who would have thought. I was always surprised that chefs like Gordon Ramsay could write several cookbooks in the shortest time (and some of his recipes from *** didn't even work).

I would be interested in knowing how the decision has been made of who to win - and have the judges tried the recipes or just read through. How do you judge a cookbook? 

I know a few food writer and know that recipes are getting recycled - just change one ingredient here, add one here. Food magazines do it all the time. Just keep the magazines for a year and you see the recipe are getting repeated (I mean there are just so many things you can write about Christmas or Easter Dinner).

The only author I recognised from the list of awardees was Claudia Rhoden who won the award  for "The Food of Spain'. All other names didn't mean much to me which doesn't mean that they are all amazing food writers - if they have indeed written the book themselves. I might have to do some more research into these writers just to make sure I am not missing anything interesting.

I haven't seen 'Taste of India' in the shops yet but will have a look out for it. Below is a list of all awardees - let me know if you have any of the books.

Cookbook of the Year: "Tasting India" (Author: Christine Manfield; Editor: Allison Cowin; Publisher: Penguin Group Australia)
· People's Choice: "Art of Pasta" (Cookbook), Shiksa in the Kitchen, Tori Avery (Blog)
· American: "The Apple Lover's Cookbook" (Author: Amy Traverso; Editor: Maria Guarnaschelli; Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.)
· Baking: "Baking Style: Art Craft Recipes" (Author: Lisa Yockelson; Editor: Pamela Chirls; Publisher: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.)
· Chefs and Restaurants: "The Blue Tomato: The Inspirations Behind the Cuisine of Alan Wong" (Author: Alan Wong; Publisher: Watermark Publishing)
· Children, Youth, and Family: "My Family Table" (Author: John Besh; Editor: Jean Lucas; Publisher: Andrews McMeel)
· Compilations: "The Cakebread Cellars American Harvest Cookbook" (Authors: Jack & Dolores Cakebread, Brian Streeter, Janet Fletcher; Publisher: Ten Speed Press)
· Culinary History: "High on the Hog" (Author: Jessica Harris; Editor: Kathy Belden; Publisher: Bloosmbury USA)
· Culinary Travel: "Tasting India" (Author: Christine Manfield; Editor: Alison Cowan; Publisher: Penguin Group Australia)
· The Design Award and Professional Kitchens: "Modernist Cuisine" (Authors: Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young, Maxime Billet; Publisher: The Cooking Lab)
· First Book - The Julia Child Award: "Ancient Grains for Modern Meals" (Author: Maria Speck; Editors: Jenny Wapner & Dawn Yanagihara; Publisher: Ten Speed Press);
· Food and Beverage Reference/Technical: "Ruhlman's Twenty" (Author: Michael Ruhlman; Editors: Bill LeBlond and Sarah Billingsley; Publisher: Chronicle Books)
· Food Matters: "Tomatoland" (Author: Barry Estabrook; Editor: Chris Schillig; Publisher: Andrews McMeel)
· Food Photography and Styling: "The Art of Pasta" (Author: Lucio Galletto; Editor: Alison Cowan; Publisher: Penguin Group Australia)
· General: "All About Roasting" (Author: Molly Stevens; Editor: Maria Guarnaschelli; Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.)
· Health and Special Diet: "Ancient Grains for Modern Meals" (Author: Maria Speck; Editors: Jenny Wapner & Dawn Yanagihara; Publisher: Ten Speed Press)
· International: "The Food of Spain" (Author: Claudia Roden; Editor: Libby Edelson; Publisher: HarperCollins/Ecco)
· The Jane Grigson Award: "Tomatoland" (Author: Barry Estabrook; Editor: Chris Schillig; Publisher: Andrews McMeel, "Inside the Jewish Bakery" (Authors: Stanley Ginsberg and Norman Berg; Publisher: Camino Books)
· Literary Food Writing: "The Table Comes First" (Author: Adam Gopnik; Publisher: Knopf)
· Single Subject: "All About Roasting" (Author: Molly Stevens; Editor: Maria Guarnaschelli; Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc.)
· The Visionary Achievement Awards: "Modernist Cuisine" (Authors: Nathan Myhrvold, Chris Young, Maxime Billet; Publisher: The Cooking Lab)
· Wine, Beer, or Spirits: "Bitters: A Spirited History of a Classic Cure-All, with Cocktails, Recipes..." (Author: Brad Thomas Parsons; Editor: Emily Timberlake; Publisher: Ten Speed Press)