Book Reviews

The Tomato in America

By Andrew F. Smith

Did you know that before Robert Gibbon Johnson ate the first American tomato in September 1820, most Americans believed the delectable red fruit to be poisonous? If you did know that, did you then know that the story of Johnson is largely apocryphal, despite the yearly enthusiastic reenactment of the event carried out by Salem, Massachusetts, denizens?

In The Tomato in America, Andrew Smith debunks quite a bit of the mythology surrounding the love apple, its rise to glory in the American palate, its fall out of favor, and its second coming. From farm-fresh Jersey reds straight off the vine, through tomatoes served in pill form or made into whiskey, up to what we know now as ketchup, the strange and interesting journey of the tomato through American cuisine is meticulously and faithfully documented in this historical study. Included at the end of the book is a section of pre-Civil War recipes, which, while not terribly practical for use in today's kitchen, provides a charming display of early American cookery. Note that these recipes are not necessarily vegetarian, and not necessarily possible, either.

The Tomato in America: Early History, Culture, and Cookery (ISBN 0-252-07009-7) is printed by the University of South Carolina Press. This 193-page book retails at $14.95 and should be available through local and online bookstores.

Reviewed by Meri Robie-Craven.

The Vegetarian meat & potatoes cookbook

By Robin Robertson

The Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook offers a wide range of creative dishes that even die-hard meat-eaters would enjoy. Most of the recipes are vegan, and those that do list cheese or yogurt as an ingredient suggest vegan cheese or soy yogurt as an alternative.

Many of the recipes are gourmet in style; therefore, they contain many ingredients and may take a while to prepare. Never-theless, with recipes such as Mushroom Rumaki (made with chestnuts, vegan bacon, and mushrooms), Faux Pho (a Vietnamese soup made with seitan instead of beef), and Savory Soy Scrapple (made from tofu and cornmeal), you'll be tempted to prepare these dishes. Or you may be further enticed by African Groundnut Stew, Vegetarian Pot Roast, Basque-Style Fava Bean Stew, Shepherd's Vegetable Pie, and Chicken-Out Salad.

Unfortunately, nutritional analyses are not given after each recipe; however, it appears that most of the recipes are not high in fat.

The Vegetarian Meat & Potatoes Cookbook (ISBN 1-55832-205-1) is published by The Harvard Common Press. This 356-page book retails for $16.95 in the U.S. Look for this cookbook in your local bookstore.

Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.

Fruits and vegetables/ frutas y vegetales

By Gladys Rosa-Mendoza with illustrations by Linda Holt Ayriss

I was fortunate to learn Spanish beginning in the first grade. I've been looking for a bilingual Spanish/English book suitable to use with my four-year-old vegan son. I finally found a terrific one! Fruits and Vegetables/ Frutas y Vegetales introduces children to fruits and vegetables in English and Spanish through beautiful illustrations and with relatively simple text appearing in both languages on each page. The book is vegan, and on the last page says, "Fruits and vegetables keep me healthy." Share this book with your Latino friends, or better yet, introduce a youngster to a second language.

Fruits and Vegetables/Frutas y Vegetales (ISBN 1-931398-10-0) is published by me+mi publishing. This book retails for $6.95 and can be found in bookstores.

Reviewed by Debra Wasserman.