7000 Islands: A Food Portrait of the Philippines Hardcover – May 27, 2014

I bought this book because I wanted a cookbook that had some history, a story of the author's reflections how it is memorable in terms of food. I love this book because it offers everything -- amazing and captivating pictures of food, the landscape and the people of the Philippines. There is an introduction and history behind all of the dishes and recipes from "Sawsawan" (dipping sauces) to "minatamis" (desserts) and "inumin"(drinks).This book gives you tips and some secrets from chefs that can make a dish extraordinary. First, I am captivated how Yasmin uses her own photography, and provides tips from her mother's cooking, other food experts and chefs from restaurants to make certain recipes extraordinary. Second, she has both Tagalog and english terms incorporated in her tips which is cool for those who are curious and interested in cooking or making these recipes. Third, the stories and related food history is short, concise and keeps you engaged reading the recipes, and very easy to follow the instructions. Fourth, very well organized and recipes are well balanced where you can find dishes that are common and others that are different but the preparation is similar.This item is a great gift to give for those who is interested making Filipino food at their own home, or give someone who is really interested cooking Filipino food for others to share. Even great for the coffee table or add this book to your kitchen library.As a matter of fact, I am buying a used version and giving it as a gift this Christmas for a friend.

This book is truly a "Food Portrait" of the Philippines. The recipes are easy to follow, with interesting facts like why not to stir vinegar, how to use rice wash for a more flavorful broth, and perfectly cooked garlic (things my mother and grandmother spoke of). It also goes a little over history, and it's influences on native dishes. I love how it ties family into it's recipes because family is truly at the core of Filipino culture.The author really makes it an intimate experience because she shares recipes from her own family and personal experiences. Being half Filipino/German, I know almost all of these dishes already, and love to cook them, but it's refreshing to see how beautifully portrayed my mother's native foods are in this book. I bought it as a keepsake for my two young daughters. It's displayed on our kitchen counter where it will sit throughout the seasons so they can look back when they are grown up and remember this cookbook and my love for all things Filipino! I plan on buying more as a gift to my sisters-in-law and closes girlfriends.

Wow! I don't usually write reviews, but I was compelled to rave about this purchase. I was just expecting the usual recipe book with a few good pictures and recipes. This was a delightful surprise. The author did a wonderful job representing the islands I'm from. The recipes and a brief Philippine food history are well written. It even comes with a helpful ribbon page-marker. And the pictures... my goodness... are alone worth the value of the book to me, that it makes me yearn to book a flight to visit the Philippines again : ) Thank you for including many recipes I have long since enjoyed, especially my favorite- Biko (coconut caramel sticky rice cake) dessert recipe. My Grandmother loved to make this for us often, and I'm happy to say that this book's Biko recipe yields an authentic taste and look. Looking forward to cooking more from this excellent recipe book. Maraming salamat to the author!

A book that shows proper respect for Philippine cuisine and, for cooks willing to eschew shortcuts, a way to make authentic recipes.Poorly bound. A new book that sounds like the binding is already cracking.

I am fortunate to know Yasmin. She is a not only a fantastic cook, but her research/ history of the Filipino cuisine in her book "7000 Islands" is spot on. I also love that she included family members with many of her recipes. Her book is not only filled with fabulous recipes, but a tribute to her heritage, and the history of the islands. I love this book, as I love Yasmin. It is a treasure - treat yourself to this beautiful book.

This is an excellent coffee table book on Philippine cuisines. I was amazed by the content and I can't wait to try the recipes.

Beautiful book! Lovely images that make me miss where I grew up. The recipes are truly authentic.

Beautiful gift, gorgeous photos and stories. Absolutely LOVELY.

Meine Mutter ist Filipina und hat leider nie wirklich von ihrer Mutter gelernt, philippinische Gerichte zu kochen. Zum Geburtstag habe ich ihr dieses Kochbuch geschenkt, worüber sie sich sehr gefreut hat. Leckere Rezepte, die alle sehr authentisch sind. Dazu noch wunderschöne Bilder von den Philippinen!

I saw this book from a hotel. Love it! Great recipe, history and backstory

This book is simply beautiful; so much so that I have it displayed on my "book wall" using those Umbra display shelves that each hold one book facing out. The attention to detail, the quality and texture of the cover paper, the photos and the snippets of Filipino history/culture make it nicer than some of my coffee table books. Yet it's also a useful cookbook with all of the dishes that one who is familiar with Filipino cuisine might expect to find. Given the book's beauty, I'm going to seal it in a Ziplok bag before using it in the kitchen! It would be a great gift for any cookbook aficionado.

I bought this book after reading about it in Market Manila, a popular foodie blog. The owner of the blog was consulted by Ms Newman (author of the book) on a few recipes, which is why he mentioned the release of the book. I became curious about it, and since I have been looking for a good Filipino cookbook for a while, I bought a copy.When I received the book, I was very surprised at how pretty the cover is! It made me want to look inside, and the pictures (which I believe have all been taken by the author...but I'm not sure!) are beautiful as well. Apart from recipes, there are stories about the Philippines and its history, the people and their relationship with food. Having grown up in the Philippines, it made me reminisce of days I spent eating food cooked by lolas (grandmothers), titas (aunts) and yayas (nannies/house helps). Someone always had a specialty dish that only got cooked during fiestas or when I was sick. I was able to relate to a very specific story Ms Newman recounted about her and her brother's many visits to the Philippines when they were younger...that they were oblivious to the "grown-up" aspects of the Philippines like politics, but they instantly learned about the country and customs/traditions through the food. That evening after I got home from work, I went through it with my mouth watering at the different dishes on offer. Needless to say, the meal at the restaurant my partner and I went to didn't satisfy me at all...what I wanted was garlic rice and chicken inasal (chicken barbeque) from Bacolod plus the toyomansi dip!It's not only the pretty pictures and the stories that make this book really good-- Ms Newman also gives options on ingredients to use in case you can't get the native Filipino ingredients. It's very helpful for someone who no longer lives in the Philippines but still very much enjoys preparing and eating Filipino food. Apart from main course dishes (fish, poultry, meat), noodles and salads, this book also has a section on Filipino snacks (meriendas), desserts and 'special' dishes (showstopper dishes that only get brought out during big parties like on Christmas eve). Ms Newman also tells the reader the background behind the dish and which region of the Philippines it originates from.I also bought another copy of the book for a raffle at work to raise funds for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan, and I think that I raised more money because colleagues really wanted to get a copy of the book thus buying a lot of raffle tickets! Colleagues were commenting on how pretty the book is and that they want a copy even though they don't really cook that much at home.I cannot recommend this book enough! I'm grateful to Ms Newman that she brought this out, and I'm sure I'll be trying the different dishes in the book in the coming days, months and years. When I'm not referring to it when cooking, it is such an enjoyable read and it looks pretty as a coffee table book as well.

Toll gestaltet! Leider sind einige Rezepte nicht bebildert. Schade.