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Extending the Table: A World Community Cookbook
From the Extending the Table is an invitation...to enjoy the gifts of people from Argentina and Bangladesh to Yugoslavia and Zambia. The stories and recipes help us enter into the lives and situations of these people and to be changed by them in significant ways. Food is a medium of communication, but it is more; in a mysterious way, it is part of the message, as Jesus so vividly portrayed in the breaking of bread and distribution of the cup. Extending the Table follows in the tradition of Doris Janzen Longacre's More-with-Less Cookbook , especially her Living More with Less , which I, as her husband, competed after her death. Both books challenged us to learn from the world community, to celebrate with joy, and to care for the earth. Extending the Table presents recipes and stories of people around the world. Many of them live with few material resources, yet they share gifts which point us toward a different and freer way of life. Extending the Table is much more than a cookbook. It will most often be found on the kitchen shelf, but it could just as well fit comfortably on the bedside stand or coffee table for inspirational reading. Let it also find its way onto the pastor's shelf for its excellent sermon illustrations and stories. For all of us, it provides repeated opportunities to take part in the lives of people around the world and to delight in the wealth they have to offer. As we are able to treat other peoples and traditions with respect and tenderness, we too are changed. —Paul Longacre, December 1990
336 pages, Spiral-bound
First published June 1, 1991
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
April 30, 2022
::Screams into a pillow::
Buckle up, friends. We’re going for a ride.
Y’all, I have a raging case of Stockholm Syndrome with this cookbook. International cookbooks with recipes that are easy and inexpensive to make are my jam. Ergo, this title should be my jam and cream.
Alas.
1) This one feels like it’s glorifying poverty and appropriating left and right.
2) White savioring all over the damn place as many of the recipes are predominantly credited to white women.
3) Pictures (especially of people) don’t match up with the recipe on the page. You could be reading a recipe from Ethiopia and the picture would be of smiling Bolivians, for example.
4) Several misspellings (the word THE was misspelled! Like, wtaf?)
5) Gallo Pinto misattributed to Nicaragua when it’s Costa Rica’s national dish.
I must also point out that this book was published by the Mennonites (aka Diet Amish) and ::screams into a pillow again::. I didn’t know this little fact when I hit the “borrow now” button on my library’s website. I grew up in a hardcore evangelical Christian denomination called the Christian & Missionary Alliance (aka The CMA). Mission work to foreign countries is at the heart of their doctrine and, well, let’s call a spade a deconstructed spade — it’s fucking modern day colonization.
What did that side note have to do with this cookbook besides show I’m still working through my religious trauma? Easy. This cookbook is EXACTLY the type of shit the CMA would pull and, well, yes. I was triggered. (Again, religious trauma is real for those of us in the exvangelical community.)
But hot damn if these recipes aren’t right in my wheelhouse and exactly what I seek out when cooking and learning about new cuisines. I craaaaaave learning about any and all cuisines I can and, most importantly, the cultures from which they come. I guess this is my subconscious way of doing penance after having been forced to be involved in such a dangerous denomination whilst growing up.
I just hate that these recipes were introduced to me in this fashion.
Like…how can I rate a book like this? It has recipes and bible verses side by side and don’t even get me started on the patronizing blurbs included from the many white women who appropriated these recipes and then passed them off as their own.
::Screams into a pillow one last time::
Buckle up, friends. We’re going for a ride.
Y’all, I have a raging case of Stockholm Syndrome with this cookbook. International cookbooks with recipes that are easy and inexpensive to make are my jam. Ergo, this title should be my jam and cream.
Alas.
1) This one feels like it’s glorifying poverty and appropriating left and right.
2) White savioring all over the damn place as many of the recipes are predominantly credited to white women.
3) Pictures (especially of people) don’t match up with the recipe on the page. You could be reading a recipe from Ethiopia and the picture would be of smiling Bolivians, for example.
4) Several misspellings (the word THE was misspelled! Like, wtaf?)
5) Gallo Pinto misattributed to Nicaragua when it’s Costa Rica’s national dish.
I must also point out that this book was published by the Mennonites (aka Diet Amish) and ::screams into a pillow again::. I didn’t know this little fact when I hit the “borrow now” button on my library’s website. I grew up in a hardcore evangelical Christian denomination called the Christian & Missionary Alliance (aka The CMA). Mission work to foreign countries is at the heart of their doctrine and, well, let’s call a spade a deconstructed spade — it’s fucking modern day colonization.
What did that side note have to do with this cookbook besides show I’m still working through my religious trauma? Easy. This cookbook is EXACTLY the type of shit the CMA would pull and, well, yes. I was triggered. (Again, religious trauma is real for those of us in the exvangelical community.)
But hot damn if these recipes aren’t right in my wheelhouse and exactly what I seek out when cooking and learning about new cuisines. I craaaaaave learning about any and all cuisines I can and, most importantly, the cultures from which they come. I guess this is my subconscious way of doing penance after having been forced to be involved in such a dangerous denomination whilst growing up.
I just hate that these recipes were introduced to me in this fashion.
Like…how can I rate a book like this? It has recipes and bible verses side by side and don’t even get me started on the patronizing blurbs included from the many white women who appropriated these recipes and then passed them off as their own.
::Screams into a pillow one last time::
March 23, 2008
This is my favorite cookbook of all time. It is put out by the same folks who did the Mennonite classic More With Less a number of years ago. It's like More With Less in that it's got all sorts of healthy, from scratch, down-to-earth recipes... but thoroughtly saturated with ethnic diversity!
And I'm not talking about your typical run-of-the-mill "international" cookbook that offers Americanized versions of Italian veal parmesian, Mexican fried rice, and Irish soda bread. Rather, this book offers recipes for stews that you'd find at a harvest festival in Ghana, pasta that you'd find sold by an Egyptian street vendor, and vegetable platters that an Iraqi mother would arrange.
The reason these recipes are so diverse (and so authentic, I might add) is that they've been contributed by missionaries & national Christians around the world. An added bonus is that many contributors sent in stories of God's provision, and personal accounts of the role of food & hospitality displayed in various cultures around the world. The authors have interspersed these stories amongst the recipes on each page.
A testimony to the authenticity of the recipes occured one time when I made a meal of falafel and tabouleh for a friend who had just returned from a trip to Israel. She complimented the dishes for being "just like what I ate while on my trip."
Another final thing that I've really enjoyed about the recipes from this book is that not only are they from prosperous nations with diets heavy in meat... they also come from countries where grains, legumes and vegetables form a large staple of the diet. This cookbook has served to put me in good stead in knowing how to prepare a wide variety of healthy and interesting meals using low-cost ingredients such as beans and lentils.
--Jen
And I'm not talking about your typical run-of-the-mill "international" cookbook that offers Americanized versions of Italian veal parmesian, Mexican fried rice, and Irish soda bread. Rather, this book offers recipes for stews that you'd find at a harvest festival in Ghana, pasta that you'd find sold by an Egyptian street vendor, and vegetable platters that an Iraqi mother would arrange.
The reason these recipes are so diverse (and so authentic, I might add) is that they've been contributed by missionaries & national Christians around the world. An added bonus is that many contributors sent in stories of God's provision, and personal accounts of the role of food & hospitality displayed in various cultures around the world. The authors have interspersed these stories amongst the recipes on each page.
A testimony to the authenticity of the recipes occured one time when I made a meal of falafel and tabouleh for a friend who had just returned from a trip to Israel. She complimented the dishes for being "just like what I ate while on my trip."
Another final thing that I've really enjoyed about the recipes from this book is that not only are they from prosperous nations with diets heavy in meat... they also come from countries where grains, legumes and vegetables form a large staple of the diet. This cookbook has served to put me in good stead in knowing how to prepare a wide variety of healthy and interesting meals using low-cost ingredients such as beans and lentils.
--Jen
January 14, 2021
Published in the 80's, "in the spirit of More-With-Less," also a Mennonite cookbook, and also ahead of its time. Now, these ethnic recipes/meal ideas seem much more familiar than they must have 20 years ago. If you like ethnic food and enjoy reading stories about people in other countries, this is a great book! It's full of ordinary recipes from other parts of the world and features very easy-to-find ingredients.
May 28, 2025
Written in the spirit of "More with Less" and the "More with Less Cookbook," this book is irritating and helpful in the same ways--but more so. The recipes are good, but the commentary leaves much to be desired.
I could do without hearing about how some people have to make "hard choices"--what a compassionate way to describe someone who's starving her toddler to death because she and her husband have "more children than they can afford to feed." I also was grossed out by the comments on the nutritional value of termites, and how one of the Mennonite missionaries (Mennonites do 2 years of community service all over the world) charitably helped her African women friends spend an exhausting day digging for grubs--you read that right!--so they could have a good meal that night. Then there is the explanation of how in parts of Africa, one eats with one's right hand and may use one's left hand to hand utensils to others. How delicate to omit the fact that one does not eat with one's left hand or use it to handle food because one uses one's left hand to clean one's nether areas after defecating!
Many comments are "woke." The commenters side with the Palestinians and use the West Bank as a geographical location. They appear to encounter only friendly non-Christians, except for those pesky children of Israel. I also find it very interesting that Mennonites--who appear quite prosperous in the US and favor the two-child family--have such praise for people living in primitive conditions and subtly present them as more caring and morally superior to us Westerners.
I got out my trusty scissors to remove as much of this cant as I could, and am keeping the slimmer volume for the recipes. I also will not use the margarine specified in so many recipes. Don't the Mennonites know it is full of trans fats? Too bad the recipes are surrounded by such dreck!
I could do without hearing about how some people have to make "hard choices"--what a compassionate way to describe someone who's starving her toddler to death because she and her husband have "more children than they can afford to feed." I also was grossed out by the comments on the nutritional value of termites, and how one of the Mennonite missionaries (Mennonites do 2 years of community service all over the world) charitably helped her African women friends spend an exhausting day digging for grubs--you read that right!--so they could have a good meal that night. Then there is the explanation of how in parts of Africa, one eats with one's right hand and may use one's left hand to hand utensils to others. How delicate to omit the fact that one does not eat with one's left hand or use it to handle food because one uses one's left hand to clean one's nether areas after defecating!
Many comments are "woke." The commenters side with the Palestinians and use the West Bank as a geographical location. They appear to encounter only friendly non-Christians, except for those pesky children of Israel. I also find it very interesting that Mennonites--who appear quite prosperous in the US and favor the two-child family--have such praise for people living in primitive conditions and subtly present them as more caring and morally superior to us Westerners.
I got out my trusty scissors to remove as much of this cant as I could, and am keeping the slimmer volume for the recipes. I also will not use the margarine specified in so many recipes. Don't the Mennonites know it is full of trans fats? Too bad the recipes are surrounded by such dreck!
August 20, 2017
This is one of my two favorite cookbooks. I have been cooking out of it for years. The recipes are delicious, filling, and sensible. I truly enjoy the variety of dishes from around the world.
If you buy it, get the ring-bound version. It's by the far the easiest to use. The ebook is not very well done, and could use a revision. The only way I have managed to use it is book mark the index and some favorite recipes
If you buy it, get the ring-bound version. It's by the far the easiest to use. The ebook is not very well done, and could use a revision. The only way I have managed to use it is book mark the index and some favorite recipes
March 2, 2019
Interesting book on the foods and recipes of cultures around the world
September 18, 2009
A cookbook!?! So, I didn't actually read it... I have owned this book for less than two months, of that time, I have been home for less than one month. In this short time, I have already used this cookbook more than the scores of other cookbooks that I own. I really love this cookbook. The recipes are doable (even for me, kitchen clutz extaordinaire -- I have wrecked boxed jiffy corn muffin mix). Last night I made Croatian Stuffed Sweet Peppers. They were the best stuffed peppers I have ever had (um, they ware also the only stuffed peppers I have ever had...) but these were wonderful inspite of the fact that I made them.
This cookbook delivers three-fold.
1. The recipes are relatively easy and contain ingredients that are readily available, even in Klamath Falls.
2. The recipes are healthy AND delicious.
3. The recipes are truly international and appear to be really very authentic (Although, admittedly I can't pretend to be an international cuisine expert).
What is more, the book is dotted with a wealth of international wisdom and general gee-whiz type geography/social studies information. Further, this book was commissioned "to promote global understanding and celebrate teh variety of world cultures." It succeeds beautifully. This book along with Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is dramatically changing the way our family eats and thinks about food. With this book, one is armed to prepare affordable, nutritious, fullfilling, and tasty recipes.
This cookbook delivers three-fold.
1. The recipes are relatively easy and contain ingredients that are readily available, even in Klamath Falls.
2. The recipes are healthy AND delicious.
3. The recipes are truly international and appear to be really very authentic (Although, admittedly I can't pretend to be an international cuisine expert).
What is more, the book is dotted with a wealth of international wisdom and general gee-whiz type geography/social studies information. Further, this book was commissioned "to promote global understanding and celebrate teh variety of world cultures." It succeeds beautifully. This book along with Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is dramatically changing the way our family eats and thinks about food. With this book, one is armed to prepare affordable, nutritious, fullfilling, and tasty recipes.
September 3, 2021
I've sampled from this text since the early- to mid-90s.
And not once has it failed to make me appreciate how home cooks the world over feed their families using meager ingredients. Undoubtedly, the least complicated dishes in this book tend to shine brightest.
For example, the idea to combine milk and grapefruit juice offers up a sublime refreshment that I patiently wait for every January/February when ruby red grapefruit come into season. I have to stop myself from drinking gallons upon gallons of this Dominican treat.
If nothing else, the recipes in this book can aid in the process of emptying an overstocked pantry. What to do with leftover couscous or cornmeal? Why, mix them with cooked greens or make a simple vegetable sauce to eat them with. I might not have survived graduate school without this book. It enabled me to live on a meager $20/week for groceries. In DC, that's quite a feat. But, it's possible, and healthy given the right mindset and appreciation for non-animal proteins.
And not once has it failed to make me appreciate how home cooks the world over feed their families using meager ingredients. Undoubtedly, the least complicated dishes in this book tend to shine brightest.
For example, the idea to combine milk and grapefruit juice offers up a sublime refreshment that I patiently wait for every January/February when ruby red grapefruit come into season. I have to stop myself from drinking gallons upon gallons of this Dominican treat.
If nothing else, the recipes in this book can aid in the process of emptying an overstocked pantry. What to do with leftover couscous or cornmeal? Why, mix them with cooked greens or make a simple vegetable sauce to eat them with. I might not have survived graduate school without this book. It enabled me to live on a meager $20/week for groceries. In DC, that's quite a feat. But, it's possible, and healthy given the right mindset and appreciation for non-animal proteins.
January 28, 2010
My dear sister got me this book for Christmas. I love it. It's more than a cookbook. You might say (or should I say "cliche") that "it's a way of life."
The book is an extension of the "More with Less" concept - a cookbook written by Mennonites to explore what food can mean as communion, what food means to the global community, issues of hunger, and how to use less thereby feeding more people. I very much enjoy reading the stories about the communities who created the recipes and, thus far, I have also enjoyed the recipes. The way they are written can be a bit confusing - there is no list of ingredients upfront so you have to read the whole thing to make sure you've got your bases covered and to get a sense of how best to prep. Some of the ingredients (margarine) are a little low-cal and old school for my tastes, but that's easily rectified with a little butter and interpretation.
I still have the section on veggies to read, but I've been paging through before bed and will continue to do so until I'm done reading the whole thing.
The book is an extension of the "More with Less" concept - a cookbook written by Mennonites to explore what food can mean as communion, what food means to the global community, issues of hunger, and how to use less thereby feeding more people. I very much enjoy reading the stories about the communities who created the recipes and, thus far, I have also enjoyed the recipes. The way they are written can be a bit confusing - there is no list of ingredients upfront so you have to read the whole thing to make sure you've got your bases covered and to get a sense of how best to prep. Some of the ingredients (margarine) are a little low-cal and old school for my tastes, but that's easily rectified with a little butter and interpretation.
I still have the section on veggies to read, but I've been paging through before bed and will continue to do so until I'm done reading the whole thing.
August 11, 2009
This is a wonderful cookbook! I would give it 10 stars if I could. Some of my favorite international recipes are in this book, along with pictures of the people from whom the dishes come and stories of the different meals' significance in the country it is from. Most of the recipes are from Africa, Asia, or South America. The recipes are written very well, not too difficult, and decilious. The indredients are not hard to find. The book even includes a "drinks" and a "breads" section that includes a favorite of mine, Native American Fry Bread. Another recipe I have eaten a lot is Egyptian Rice and Lentils. An extra bonus is the index by ingredient, so if you have something on hand you are looking to prepare it is easy to locate a recipe. I love this book!
January 6, 2016
I give an automatic three-star minimum to any cookbook that features Filipino recipes. True, they misspell "merienda," and the picture of pancit has both chopsticks (Filipinos usually eat with fork and spoon, or with hands), and more broth than pancit usually has. Still, I love this book's spiritual, mindful approach as much as its predecessor's, "More-with-Less Cookbook." I've only tried one recipe so far--bunny chow, or bread bowl curry--and look forward to making maqloobeh and other recipes.
January 26, 2008
Superb! Easy to use recipes, suggestions for substitutions, wide variety of dishes from ALL over the world. Recipes taste great. Educational blurbs about different eating habits around the world (with socially conscious info), if you like context. Has basics like: how to make yogurt, chai, salsa, and tortillas. Both geographical and recipe indices.
If I could only own ONE cookbook, this would be it.
If I could only own ONE cookbook, this would be it.
May 24, 2009
Wonderful recipes in the spirit of 'More with Less' - but I'm surprised more people haven't commented on the narrative aspect - it's compelling reading, I sat down and read it from cover to cover, between the recipes and all.
Moving, heart breaking, heart warming, life changing stories, make you want to add the narrative to your own family meals, if not to go out and do something for social justice, if not to change the world.
Moving, heart breaking, heart warming, life changing stories, make you want to add the narrative to your own family meals, if not to go out and do something for social justice, if not to change the world.
October 1, 2011
For being a fairly random collection of recipes from many different contributers, I've never had a recipe in here that I made and didn't like. Maybe there's just enough so I can pick the good ones. [return][return]Also has lots of personal accounts of travel to parts of the world with far more scarcity than many of us in the States are used to experiencing. The accounts come off as pretty genuine though.
September 11, 2008
My favorite cookbook. Recipes from around the world. Everything from party dishes to everyday cuisine. Some are simple and adapted; others are fully authentic. I've made about 130 recipes from the book over the last 10 years.
February 21, 2009
There are some great recipes in this book, and most of them are relatively inexpensive to make. I do think that, like it's predecessor, this book gets a little too preachy at times. It is a great resource, though, and one of my favorite cookbooks.
August 8, 2009
This excellent cookbook uses economical ingredients to make flavorful dishes from around the world. When I make one of the recipes, I get out the world atlas and show my children the location of the country and I read the information about the dish and the local people. We all enjoy it!
September 30, 2009
If you like foods from around the world, this cookbook is for you. I've made dinners with Indian, Ethiopian, and Italian themes all from this book.
Part of a series that includes Simply in Season, a cookbook focused on eating seasonally.
Part of a series that includes Simply in Season, a cookbook focused on eating seasonally.
June 16, 2012
I own this book. It was a gift when we were married. I love it, and use many recipes regularly from it. It gives me a change to learn about new foods, and find new things to make with the same ole stuff.
September 13, 2013
This is a book of every-day recipes from all over the world. They are easy to prepare and generally do not require terribly exotic ingredients. Judging from the comments of people I know from different countries, the recipes are authentic as well (Yes, that's the way we make it...).
September 1, 2007
This is a great book if you like to cook, especially if you like to cook food from around the world and also like some inspiration at the same time.
November 22, 2007
Narratives, recipes and wisdom from all over the world
January 1, 2008
Better even than the recipes (many of which are simply superb!) are the stories that are interspersed with them.
February 20, 2008
Wonderful!
October 16, 2008
We have loved EVERY recipe we have tried! The recipes are relatively easy, but come out tasting like food from your favorite (fill in the ethnicity) restaurant!
August 4, 2011
I don't own this one, but I wish I did!
August 23, 2011
Best around-the-world type cookbook I've ever seen; will be using this in real life and with my children's school.
November 2, 2011
The most exciting of my dad's standard meals is included in this book: Chicken Adobo. Also many thanks to Joetta Schlabach as a pastor as well as a fantastic cookbook editor!
April 10, 2014
Favorite cookbook EVER. Recipes from around the world with ingredients readily available here. Lots of delicious recipes.
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews