I am an engaged home cook who happened to read a review of this cookbook and then come upon it in a NYC bookstore. I promptly bought it, and it remains, ten years later (?) -- maybe longer -- my favorite cookbook. Excellent, easy to follow recipes with always satisfying results. Just enough other commentary to keep one engaged, along with the overall idea that one ingredient can inform every meal. Buy it -- it's a winner!

One word - AWESOME!!! If that's not enough of a review for you..here goes. This book will take hold of you by your collar and won't let you go till you've finished the last page....and not only that but this book will affect the way you think about rice...even if rice is a staple at your house and you feel like you know everything there is to know about it!
I read this book for 4 hours last night...and couldn't tear myself away from it. The depiction of countries and their people is so true and so touching, you'll feel like visiting those places.
Being an Indian myself, I could see all the recipes featured under the Indian section are 100% authentic...trust me on it. I'm sure the same goes for all the other countries too...do buy this book if you love rice.
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This was one of those cookbooks that I glanced through at the bookstore, liked it, put down and then went on my way yet it never left my mind. I've found when I do that I might as well buy the thing the next time around. So I did and I was not disappointed.

As others have said its part cookbook, part travelouge organized by geography. I found this to be an interesting combination. I bought the thing for the reciepies but find myself enjoying the travelouges while search through it for my next meal. I don't know, it just seems like you get more out of the dish that way.

At the beginning of the book it tells a good chunk about history, cultivation, physiology and processing of rice. This was quite informative. Things like the advantages and disadvantages of hulled vs unhulled rice and rinsing rice before cooking. No perfect solution, just valuable information based on your needs.

The receipies are of course the meat of the book. When I first opened it up I figured it would be 300 ways to prepare rice or something like that. Far from it. Many (say half or more) of the dishes are not rice dishes at all but meals or snacks that you would eat with rice. So while it does have some rice specific dishes its really more of a cookbook that samples dishes from around the world. A good chunk of them are winners, far higher hit rate than I see in most cookbooks.

The receipeis themselves tend to be easy to moderate in complexity. Having its international focus does call for some ingredients that you just wont find at your local chain grocery store. There are some good mail order sources in the back for some of the more shelf stable items. For items that need to be fresh they often suggest substitutes.

Its a great book, I really recommend it and its on my short list of go to books when I ask myself "What do I want to cook for dinner"

The paperback version/publisher's closeout of this book has grainy black and white photos. From other reviews, I gather that the hardback version has stunning color photos. The same great recipes and travelogue are in both books. (I personally wish I had spent more for the book with the better photos.)

Great travel writing, great food writing, great photographs. I never tire of reading this cookbook. The authors stories are endlessly entertaining. We cook a lot from this book, Rice Congee, and Thai Fried Rice are 2 of the standby meals my family never grows tired of.