The Food of Paradise: Exploring Hawaii's Culinary Heritage

by Rachel Laudan

Recent winner of a prestigious award from the Julia Child Cookbook Awards, presented by the International Association of Culinary Professionals. Lauden was given the 1997 Jane Grigson Award, presented to the book that, more than any other entered in the competition, exemplifies distinguished scholarship.

Hawaii has one of the richest culinary heritages in the United States. Its contemporary regional cuisine, known as "local food" by residents, is a truly amazing fusion of diverse culinary influences. Rachel Laudan takes readers on a thoughtful, wide-ranging tour of Hawaii's farms and gardens, fish auctions and vegetable markets, fairs and carnivals, mom-and-pop stores and lunch wagons, to uncover the delightful complexities and incongruities in Hawaii's culinary history.

More than 150 recipes, photographs, a bibliography of Hawaii's cookbooks, and an extensive glossary make The Food of Paradise an invaluable resource for cooks, food historians, and Hawaiiana buffs.

Genres: Food, Cookbooks, Food History, Nonfiction, Cooking, History, Food and Drink

296 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1996

Reviews

[Kelsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful read. I thoroughly enjoyed learning more about food in Hawai`i. As successive waves of peoples landed on the islands - Polynesians, Europeans, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Filipinos - they brought with them new foods and dishes. Over time many of these dishes have morphed into variations unique to the islands. Yes, the author provided recipes, but I am using the book to plot culinary stops for future trips to Hawai`i. Shave ice (not the same as a snow cone!). Crack seed. Musubi. Butter mochi. Malasadas with li hing powder. Andagi (Okinawan donoughts). Pineapple kanten. Kukui nuts. Kulolo (steamed taro and coconut confection). There will be carbs. Oh yes, there will be carbs!

[Brooklyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part history, part anthropology, part culinary - this is my kind of book. In fact, it's one of my favorite cookbooks ever, and not just because it reminds me of Hawaii. I often use cookbooks as guidebooks when I travel, because I like to understand the culinary history of the places I go. I used this book on a recent trip to Hawaii - sure, the beaches are stunning in Hawaii - but my lord, the food! It's amazing. Hawaii's food is so fascinating - it i an amalgam of so many different cultures and their unique roles in Hawaii's history. Rachel Laudan really captures this in her book and I can't get enough of it. Can you tell I heart Hawaii? I really do.

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 5 out of 5]

A well researched and engaging introduction to all the various foods that have graced the islands of Hawaii, along with the people who brought them, invented them, and ate them. With recipes, of course, but even if you don't plan to make a single recipe, it's got a whole lot of reading besides.

Of course it will make you (it did me!) want to go there and try all the food you can find. So many things I missed--mochi, crack seed, saimin... And so many that I miss...especially the shave ice. Little did I know how special it was. And the poke, especially the grocery store poke. Tasted great and I could actually afford to pig out on it!

She did a great job making a readable, enjoyable book out of it all. I had no idea how many different people and cuisines collided to make such a medley of wonderful, wonderful food!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an excellent and well researched and engagingly written history of food in the Hawaiian islands. Not only are there lots of great recipes to try, but there's lots here to learn for even those who have spent many years in the islands. I was very pleased to learn about formerly mysterious things such as crack seed, and I'm eager to try using kukui nuts the next time I find some that are ripe.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful cultural exploration with a great selection of recipes. Not what I’d recommend for someone who just wants a casual cookbook, but an excellent choice for someone who enjoys learning about people and places and likes cooking, too.

[Niall Deacon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both a great cookbook and a great description of the combination of cultures that created Hawai`i's amazing cuisine

[Rachelle Bowden · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this book up at the gift shop at 'Iolani Palace. It was kind of expensive ($33), but it was the last copy and looked really interesting. Not to mention it won a Julia Child Cookbook Award. To say this book is only a cookbook, though, would be a big mistake. It should almost be classified as a history book. It tells the history of Hawaii through the history of its food. It seems to be a really well researched book that has chapters on how the Polynesians, Chinese, Japanese, Portuguese, Korean, Filipinos, Okinawans, Puerto Ricans, various Southeast Asian peoples, and Caucasians (haoles) brought together their culinary traditions. Each chapter has easy to read narrative telling stories on the different cultures and food and then each ends with several recipes for the food that was talked about in that chapter.

[Linda Seltenright]

I am really enjoying this book.