America: The Cookbook

This is a remarkable survey of American cuisine, covering not only "traditional" American food but also regional cuisine introduced by recent waves of immigrants. This is a novel approach by the author, a well-established and talented foodwriter. A good concept is one thing, but execution matters, as well. And here, Langholtz and her team have done their homework, unearthing and testing scores of recipes. There's something for everyone: whether you want a quick weekday meal or snack, or want to take on a massive project like cooking barbacoa in a fire pit over a long weekend with friends, you'll find it here. I grew up in New England, and know that region's cuisine intimately. Langholtz's survey of New England cooking rings with authenticity and she engaged talented cooks to provide recipes. I marveled how essentially different regional cuisines are -- what we consider to be "American" food is really segmented along regional lines, and a great many dishes from, say, the Midwest were entirely unfamiliar to me til I came across them in "America: The Cookbook." Assembling a comprehensive, inclusive, almost encyclopedic reference such as this one is no small task, and Langholtz appears to have managed the resources available to her to complete this task successfully. I'll be referring to her work for years to come.

I had perused this cookbook before I purchased it. I have tried several recipes and each was delicious. Recipes are listed by topic (main dish, appetizer, dessert, etc.), but by each recipe is a silhouette of the state or region it's from. At the end of the book is a list of states, and an essay by a chef describing the cuisine of the state, and providing a couple of his/her recipes. It's thick, and heavy and so full of really cool recipes. Many are ethnic, since we are such a diverse population. It's currently my favorite cookbook. Cooking is one of my hobbies, and as soon as I saw this cookbook, I had to have it. It's a readers joy as well as a cookbook.

This is a fantastic cookbook, set up in such a simple to understand format, delicious and easy recipes, and so accessible and understandable! I love the regional-ness of it - I've lived in a lot of different places, so I went immediately to the regions I know and sure enough, there were some of my favorite foods! The only problem is that I don't know how I'm ever going to find the time to try ALL the recipes!

I read about this in Bloomberg Businessweek and decided to give it a shot. Glad I did.So far I've made two of the recipes in here. The first was maple-bacon Brussel sprouts, which came out nicely. Then I made "Caldo Verde," a Portuguese soup that uses potatoes, kale (I know!), onion, etc. Also quite good. My wife even liked both and she's a little on the pedestrian side when it comes to food. Next up will be fried pickles!Someone gave this a one-star review because the recipes aren't state by state but rather categorized under appetizers, main courses, side dishes, desserts. That's preferable as far as I'm concerned. . . .I'd give this five stars if it had pictures of every recipe. Granted, it has a lot, but I like to see what my finished meals are supposed to look like.May 2018 Update: I've made the braised turnips, the carrots and honey and the cod roasted with potatoes and onions. All quite good.

I bought this for a friend’s birthday and she loved it. I bought it a few weeks early so I would have time to (carefully) read it myself. I loved the layout and was amazed at the variety of the recipes. It is going on my Christmas list for sure.

I bought this for myself for my birthday and I absolutely love it. It truly encapsulates the best food in America and celebrates the incredibly inventive new foods as well as the melting pot of immigrants that create new twists on traditional foods in the US.

Great recipes, varied and detailed, lots of cultural info too, I love it! Everything made from scratch!

Great recipes! Love the history and facts in it accompanying each state. One of my favorite cook books! Also for authentic American cooking this book nails it!