Dictionary of Culinary & Menu Terms (Wordsworth Reference) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)While this book is interesting to read, it has some fundamental problems that make it more entertaining than useful.
1. It is not a true "dictionary". Some of the words are not spelled correctly, and most importantly, there are no pronunciations! I don't know how this book can even dare to call itself a dictionary when no pronunciations are even attempted.
2. It will have multiple entries for the same word for different languages. For example, there are two entries for the word "blåbær". One says the word means "bilberry" in Danish and Norwegian. The other says it means "bilberry" in Norwegian. Why the two entries when it was already stated that the word was BOTH in the previous definition? It's these kinds of careless mistakes that make the book difficult to use as a reference. Also, do I really need to know the Norwegian word for bilberry? Unless it's a classic ingredient in Norway, I don't need to know the Norweigian word for it. And I wouldn't know if it is used in Norway, because the definition of "blåbær" is simply "bilberry", and the definition of "bilberry" does not tell where the berry is native to.
3. It has misspelled a number of words. One that sticks out in my mind is "pepperoni". The book spells this "peperoni". While it is true that the word "peperoni" is a correct spelling in Italy, it does NOT mean "pepperoni". Peperoni in Italy is a green or red sweet pepper. Pepperoni is the sausage. But in this book, "peperoni" is defined as Italian for both green or red sweet pepper, and also the sausage. This is incorrect.
4. I somehow expected the definitions in the book to include some common kitchen equipment, too. It did not. As far as I can tell, this book only contains definitions for dishes, ingredients, and some types of drinks. (For example, it defines lemonade and tequila, but not mirin.)
It may be a bit nit-picky to bring up these issues, especially given the fact that the book only cost me $7.99 through Amazon, but I think people should understand the shortcomings of this particular book before they purchase. If you're a foodie who just wants an interesting read, this might be suitable. If you're a culinary professional who was looking for a reference text to help you define and pronounce important culinary words, this isn't going to be what you're hoping for.
As a foodie, I would give this book 3.5 to 4 stars, because it is interesting to read from a purely entertainment standpoint. I could not give it five stars because of the mistakes and lack of pronunciations. As a culinary professional, I could only give this book 3 stars. Because of the numerous mistakes, I don't feel confident trusting this book in a professional setting.

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The Wordsworth Dictionary of Culinary & Menu Terms contains over 12,000 entries and should prove useful to budding chefs and gourmands, fascinating to browsers and crossword enthusiasts, and a handy companion for hungry travellers or those wishing to avoid the potential pitfalls of self-catering and ordering meals in restaurants in foreign lands. In short, this book is essential reading for those who want to know the difference between chiorro, chiozzo, choko and chorizo, or who cannot tell a kaboucha from a kabanosi.Rodney Dale has assembled and arranged a rich diet of terms used for ingredients and recipes which are encountered in cuisine world-wide. This pabular vocabulary will be eagerly embraced by all those interested in and engaged in food and its preparation from whatever culture and tradition they may come.

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