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notwaverly's review against another edition
4.0
Ok, I really loved this one. I will admit, the later half of the book didn't have me as hooked as the beginning. It felt a little like the author lost excitement, but maybe that's me projecting. Or maybe it's just that she traveled more towards a less-touristy, more slightly desolate part of the Black Sea region towards the end of her travels.
It was extremely good, though. The atmosphere is dark and moody, the recipes look incredible, the pictures are AMAZING, and the design. Gosh oh gee. The design is my favorite part of this entire book. It was just beautifully thought out, from the font to the cover to the colors and layout, it just works.
Some of the essays are great, some of the essays are just ok, and some I could feel my eyes glazing over while reading them, but overall I really enjoyed this, and it was very different from the other foodie books I've read. Definitely going to dive further into the "foodie travels" genre in the future.
It was extremely good, though. The atmosphere is dark and moody, the recipes look incredible, the pictures are AMAZING, and the design. Gosh oh gee. The design is my favorite part of this entire book. It was just beautifully thought out, from the font to the cover to the colors and layout, it just works.
Some of the essays are great, some of the essays are just ok, and some I could feel my eyes glazing over while reading them, but overall I really enjoyed this, and it was very different from the other foodie books I've read. Definitely going to dive further into the "foodie travels" genre in the future.
ryner's review against another edition
4.0
Part cookbook, part travelogue, part history lesson — from Odessa to Trabzon, Black Sea is the story of food writer Caroline Eden's overland culinary journey around the Black Sea.
First, this book is visually gorgeous. I enjoyed the photos and learning about the history of a number of these cities that sounded familiar (looking at you, Odessa) but about which I knew next to nothing. Many of the recipes sounded exotic and mouth-watering, though I admit I attempted none. I hadn't given thought previously to visiting the Black Sea region, but this beautiful book made me want to. I read this title to fulfill the Read Harder category "a food book about a cuisine you've never tried before."
First, this book is visually gorgeous. I enjoyed the photos and learning about the history of a number of these cities that sounded familiar (looking at you, Odessa) but about which I knew next to nothing. Many of the recipes sounded exotic and mouth-watering, though I admit I attempted none. I hadn't given thought previously to visiting the Black Sea region, but this beautiful book made me want to. I read this title to fulfill the Read Harder category "a food book about a cuisine you've never tried before."
mspoda's review
5.0
This is the closest I'm going to get to traveling for a while, and honestly, it's not a bad substitute. Gorgeous photos, daydream inducing recipes, and very relatable stories for anyone who has travelled in this region. Ugh. I want to go back!
halfmanhalfbook's review against another edition
4.0
The Black Sea is a place of contrasts. Not only is it the focal point for a number of countries, but it is the meeting point of continents and a place where different cultures contrast and meld. To discover more about this place in the world Caroline Eden circumnavigates its coast.
The surf barely lapped the shore, making the Black Sea look a solid block of blue…
She travels from Odessa to Bessarabia, then to Romania, Bulgaria and onto Turkey. In each of the places she visits, she picks away at the history and culture and meets the people of that country across a table and on a plate. Memories are frequently formed when on holiday over meals and this is her eulogy to the region. It is a wonderful mix of travelogue and recipe book, adventures as she heads from city to city, restaurant to café, stopping at stalls to sample and purchase the fragrant foods on offer.
I have read a lot of cookery books in my time, and I can recommend this one for the prose and the food and the stunning images of the places and evocative photos of the food she ate on her journey. Also, this is a visually stunning book too, even before you have picked it up. The deep black cover with the silvered waves glisten and the black edges make this a book of contrasts, just like the place.
The surf barely lapped the shore, making the Black Sea look a solid block of blue…
She travels from Odessa to Bessarabia, then to Romania, Bulgaria and onto Turkey. In each of the places she visits, she picks away at the history and culture and meets the people of that country across a table and on a plate. Memories are frequently formed when on holiday over meals and this is her eulogy to the region. It is a wonderful mix of travelogue and recipe book, adventures as she heads from city to city, restaurant to café, stopping at stalls to sample and purchase the fragrant foods on offer.
I have read a lot of cookery books in my time, and I can recommend this one for the prose and the food and the stunning images of the places and evocative photos of the food she ate on her journey. Also, this is a visually stunning book too, even before you have picked it up. The deep black cover with the silvered waves glisten and the black edges make this a book of contrasts, just like the place.
halfmanhalfbook's review
4.0
The Black Sea is a place of contrasts. Not only is it the focal point for a number of countries, but it is the meeting point of continents and a place where different cultures contrast and meld. To discover more about this place in the world Caroline Eden circumnavigates its coast.
The surf barely lapped the shore, making the Black Sea look a solid block of blue…
She travels from Odessa to Bessarabia, then to Romania, Bulgaria and onto Turkey. In each of the places she visits, she picks away at the history and culture and meets the people of that country across a table and on a plate. Memories are frequently formed when on holiday over meals and this is her eulogy to the region. It is a wonderful mix of travelogue and recipe book, adventures as she heads from city to city, restaurant to café, stopping at stalls to sample and purchase the fragrant foods on offer.
I have read a lot of cookery books in my time, and I can recommend this one for the prose and the food and the stunning images of the places and evocative photos of the food she ate on her journey. Also, this is a visually stunning book too, even before you have picked it up. The deep black cover with the silvered waves glisten and the black edges make this a book of contrasts, just like the place.
The surf barely lapped the shore, making the Black Sea look a solid block of blue…
She travels from Odessa to Bessarabia, then to Romania, Bulgaria and onto Turkey. In each of the places she visits, she picks away at the history and culture and meets the people of that country across a table and on a plate. Memories are frequently formed when on holiday over meals and this is her eulogy to the region. It is a wonderful mix of travelogue and recipe book, adventures as she heads from city to city, restaurant to café, stopping at stalls to sample and purchase the fragrant foods on offer.
I have read a lot of cookery books in my time, and I can recommend this one for the prose and the food and the stunning images of the places and evocative photos of the food she ate on her journey. Also, this is a visually stunning book too, even before you have picked it up. The deep black cover with the silvered waves glisten and the black edges make this a book of contrasts, just like the place.