Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #311838 in Books
• Published on: 1998
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 384 pages

Amazon.com
Sabbats, festivals, and informal gatherings all have something in common--food. But choosing the right food for the occasion can be difficult. Celtic Folklore Cooking takes the guesswork out of planning a feast, with plenty of sumptuous ideas for an entire meal, from soup to dessert and even drinks to accompany your food. (Consider baked trout for Beltaine or Lammas cookies for Lughnasadh.) Joanne Asala gathers generations-old recipes from Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland, and England, associates them with appropriate festivals and times of the year, then sprinkles a dash of folklore between them. Perhaps you would like to learn the 400-year-old "Song of Harvest Home" while making Marigold Buns. Celtic Folklore Cooking is like having centuries of Celtic tradition in your kitchen, and it will help you find just the right flavor for your festivities. --Brian Patterson

Customer Reviews

So much culture mixed with recipes
I love this book. It's like sitting down with Grandmother and hearing old time stories mixed with family favorite recipes. This is as much of a good read as it is a good cookbook. Worth every penny!

Unique and educational
"Celtic Folklore Cooking", by JoAnne Asala, is a unique blend of recipes and lore from the British Isles. Part history lesson and part mythology class, this text weaves stories and folklore together with timeless recipes in a seamless, easy-to-follow fashion.
The book is organized into sections based on the main recipe components (such as "Meat and Wild Game" and "Breads, Porridges, and Breakfast Foods") and further grouped into similar dishes (i.e. porridges and furmenty, fritters, pancakes, and so on) regardless of their sometimes unusual names and origins. This makes for a convenient reference if you know the basic dish you'd like to prepare. However, for more Pagan-minded individuals, the detailed Index in the back of the book has suggested recipes for Celtic holy days as well. There is a bibliography which proves just how much detailed research Ms. Asala put into this excellent cookbook, as well as a glossary of terms.
My favorite part of the book, though, is the simple but effective description of the Celtic Wheel of the Year, and a page on each holiday and esbat which includes associated dieties, customs, symbols, and sacred food for the event.
In all, this is a fabulously well-research cookbook for any enthusiast of British history and mythology, Pagan cooking, and those who want to try their hand at ancient and tasty dishes.

an absolute favorite
This book is an absolute favorite of mine. Normally I love big glossy photos in a book- but this one just has something special. It is like the Joy of Cooking that way- it doesn't need it. The writing style draws you in and recipes are wonderful. Pumpkin bread, sorrel soup and cock-a-leekie are loved by people who don't think they like 'that kind' of cooking! Hearty country fare, but with wierdly wonderful herbal additions and old time drink recipes sprinkled with bits of folklore. Contains both things you can use in your regular cooking rotation and special recipes to try once in a while for historical interest.