Gatherings and Celebrations: History, Folklore, Rituals and Recipes for the Occasions that Bring People Together

by Burt Wolf

In his latest series, the Emmy-nominated "Gatherings and Celebrations," Burt Wolf, one of America's most respected food journalists, travels the world to seek out the history and traditions surrounding those occasions that bring people together to eat and drink. This companion volume brings all the festivities to life in more than one hundred full-color photographs and a lively, informative text.

Genres: Cooking, Cookbooks

353 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1996

About the author

Burton "Burt" Wolf is an American food journalist and television writer/producer.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writer Burt Wolf published Burt Wolf published Gatherings & Celebrations is a cookbook that also has information about the history, folklore, and ritual around holidays. I am not in a position to judge the recipes of the book. I will focus on other aspects of the book. I find the information about the celebrations very informative. The book mainly covers celebrations in Europe and North America. The book does cover the “Chinese New Year in Taiwan” (Wolf 52-69). The book also covers “the Moon festivals of China” (Wolf 154-169). The book has illustrations and an index. The book has a beautiful layout. Wolf writes, “During the summer of 1994, I set out to discover the history and folklore behind twenty of our most important gatherings and celebrations. Some were major public events, like Easter in Florence, Holy Week in Seville, and Christmas in Germany. Some were much smaller, like a Sunday dinner with a winemaking family in Italy and a romantic supper for two in Verona” (Wolf ix). The Sunday dinner is in “Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the district that covers the northeastern corner of Italy, is known for seafood, asparagus, corn, fruit, and wine” (Wolf 88). Each of the twenty sections has information followed by recipes. I enjoyed Burt Wolf’s Gatherings & Celebrations.