Chinese stir-frys, Spanish paellas, Japanese sushi, Indian thorans, Thai salads, Turkish pilafs, Italian risottos, Senegalese yassas, American gumbos: if rice isn't the heart and soul of all these diverse dishes, rice can be found piled right there at the side of the plate, or in a bowl. To say that Alford and Duguid, authors of the award-winning Flatbreads and Flavors, deliver the world of rice is much too simple an understatement. Your days of buying one rice to serve all purposes will end with even a cursory reading of this lovely book.

The authors are photographers as well as writers, but their greatest skill may be to travel the world at the level of the culture they visit. They seem able to drop away from Western culture and hunker right down with rice vendor or cook, no matter where.

Seductions of Rice opens with all the basics of rice, everything a reader would want to know and then some. Then on to the cultures of rice: Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian, Central Asian, Mediterranean, Senegalese, and North American. Recipes either made from rice or to accompany rice range from Chinese Congee to Thai Green Papaya Salad to Japanese Quick Morning Miso Soup to South Indian Lentil Stew to Cuban Black Beans to Mexican Green Rice.

And in between? The authors fill in all the space between these diverse grains of rice with traveler's tales from the road. It is a luxurious book, a delicious book, a ripe combination of travel and taste. You leave off thinking that the world must be the shape of a rice ball. --Schuyler Ingle


From Publishers Weekly
In their debut cookbook, the IACP and James Beard Award-winning Flatbreads & Flavors (1995), Alford and Duguid explored a wide range of ethnic cuisines using the traditional flatbreads of each as a springboard. Here the authors, who are married, do the same with rice, yielding similarly terrific results. As is explained in the introduction, there are two kinds of rice dishes represented here: dishes that incorporate rice (Grilled Sticky Rice Balls; Central Asian Rice and Bean Stew) and those that are served atop or with rice (Spicy Simmered Tofu; Savory Chicken Finely Chopped). Recipes are organized in chapters by country and region (e.g., China, India, the Mediterranean, North America) and they overflow with the information gleaned by the authors who traveled far in their research, their two young sons in tow. The chapter on India recounts the days they spent observing workers in a rice stall at an open-air market, as well as recipes for Ripe Mango Chutney, Banana Salad and various pachadis (yogurt sauces differentiated from raitas because the yogurt is heated). The chapter, "Gohan, Sushi, Mochi: The Japanese Way," describes the making of miso along with a Salad of Grilled Mushroom and Fried Tofu and Soothing Tea Rice. Unexpected flavor combinations (risotto with beer, Rhubarb-Lamb Stew from Persia) add extra spark to this comprehensive exploration, illustrated by more than 200 photos, which gains depth from Alford and Duguid's personal accounts and their infectious interest in the growing of rice as well as its use (Alford and Duguid are real agricultural geeks, and they love to share facts). This is a must-have compendium for any serious cook. 35,000 first printing; 12-city author tour. Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.


The New York Times
"Seductions of Rice is simply stunning."


Publishers Weekly
"This is a must-have compendium for any serious cook."


Review
Praise for Seductions of Rice:

?Lots of personal stories woven together by their overriding passion for flavour.? -- The Globe and Mail

?. . . a touching and vivid account . . .? -- Food & Wine

?Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid who invented a cookbook genre with Flatbreads & Flavors keep on in a similar way with Seductions of Rice. This is the only book that captures rice as a way of life.? -- Gourmet

?. . . simply stunning.? -- The New York Times


Book Description
From the James Beard Cookbook of the Year Award-winning authors of Flatbreads and Flavors and Hot Sour Salty Sweet comes the paperback edition of what Cookbook Digest calls the perfect book on rice. It is a beautiful, comprehensive, and altogether fascinating overview of this ancient grain.

With a depth of passion and experience and an ability to embrace and convey richness of place and taste, Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid embarked on an excursion to find the world's most essential and satisfying food. Along the way, they experienced firsthand dozens of varieties of rice that offer unimaginable subtleties of taste, as well as a staggering array of foods to accompany them, all providing simple ways to get flavor and variety on the table.

SEDUCTIONS OF RICE is the glorious result: two hundred easy-to-prepare dishes from the world's great rice cuisines, illuminated by stories, insights, and more than two hundred photographs of people, places, and wonderful food.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
Sure, you've probably eaten fried rice at your local Chinese takeout place, and maybe you're a fan of rich and creamy risottos, but do you have any idea of the wide and wonderful variety of rice dishes eaten around the world? Probably not. Let Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, authors of the award-winning Flatbreads and Flavors, clue you in to the infinite variety and appeal of rice. They traveled to the major rice-eating regions of the world and immersed themselves in the culinary culture and daily rituals to write their magnificent book, Seductions of Rice. If you're the kind of cookbook reader who opens a book in the hope of being taken on a journey to another culture, you'll find this one eminently satisfying. You'll find it even more satisfying if you love to cook great authentic food.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

After leafing through these pages, it seems inconceivable that we haven't been eating this way -- the rice way -- all our lives. Here is a stunning book that takes us on an extraordinary adventure, and on the way it just may change forever -- happily and healthily -- the way we cook.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly

In their debut cookbook, the IACP and James Beard Award-winning Flatbreads & Flavors (1995), Alford and Duguid explored a wide range of ethnic cuisines using the traditional flatbreads of each as a springboard. Here the authors, who are a married couple, do the same with rice, yielding similarly terrific results. As is explained in the introduction, there are two kinds of rice dishes represented here: dishes that incorporate rice (Grilled Sticky Rice Balls; Central Asian Rice and Bean Stew) and those that are served atop or with rice (Spicy Simmered Tofu; Savory Chicken Finely Chopped). Recipes are organized in chapters by country and region (e.g., China, India, the Mediterranean, North America) and they overflow with the information gleaned by the authors who traveled far in their research, their two young sons in tow. The chapter on India recounts the days they spent observing workers in a rice stall at an open-air market, as well as recipes for Ripe Mango Chutney, Banana Salad and various pachadis (yogurt sauces differentiated from raitas because the yogurt is heated). The chapter, "Gohan, Sushi, Mochi: The Japanese Way," describes the making of miso along with a Salad of Grilled Mushroom and Fried Tofu and Soothing Tea Rice. Unexpected flavor combinations (risotto with beer, Rhubarb-Lamb Stew from Persia) add extra spark to this comprehensive exploration, illustrated by more than 200 photos, which gains depth from Alford and Duguid's personal accounts and their infectious interest in the growing of rice as well as its use (Alford and Duguid are real agricultural geeks, and they love to share facts). This is a must-have compendium for any serious cook.

KLIATT - Shirley Reis

This multiethnic cookbook takes the reader on a worldwide tour to discover the many nuances of various types of rice and ethnic dishes that either incorporate rice or are served atop rice. It is a fabulous resource that provides a wealth of information about the various cultures that enjoy rice as a regular part of their diet. Recipes are organized in chapters by country and region. Basic information is included about the varieties of rice that are available, cooking techniques, and the history of rice as a staple. Some of the mouthwatering recipes are: Spicy Simmered Tofu, Egg Fried Rice, Autumn Rice with Mushrooms, Green Beans with Coconut Spice, Golden Rice with Shrimp, Louisiana Pecan and Popcorn Rice, Cuban Black Beans, Spicy Cabbage, Kyoto Grilled Peppers and Grilled Red Snapper Salad with Basil. Wonderful photographs accompany this comprehensive book. When reading the parts about various cultures, one really feels a part of that society due to the authors' abilities to describe the regions they visit. This is a must purchase for any serious cook. KLIATT Codes: SA;Recommended for senior high school students, advanced students, and adults. 1998, Artisan, 456p. illus. bibliog. index.,

The Washington Post