France : E. Scotto, Gilles Pudlowski, Marianne Comolli, Michele Carles (Hardcover, 1989)

A bounty of more than 240 recipes from the regions of France reveal the rich and varied produce of the world'srenowned center of gastronomy. France the Beautiful Cookbook gives a rare insight into the less -publicized side of French cooking: a cuisine which has been passed down through families by word or mouth. This home cuisine, so rich in history and tradition -- and so delicious - simmers and bubbles on family stoves and in country inns throughout each region.

France the Beautiful Cookbook takes the reader from the countryside to the table. It explains the vital link between each region's history , geography and culina traditions, story, people who make the food so unique. Without the abundance of oysters, withoutcassoulet withouthochepot, without the bourride without the wines and beers that go with them, France would not be France.

Specially commissioned photographs graphically convey the diversity and beauty of France's terrain: the craggy hills of the south, the coastal fishing villages along the western coast, the lush pastures of the Loire, the colorful Mediterranean, and the alpine regions and volcanic plateaus of the center.

The recipes are recorded in this beautiful book by the Scotto Sisters - food writers Marianne Comolli, Elisabeth Scotto and Mich?le Carles -- who grew up in Paris, spending the summers of their childhood in the French countryside. Each Cookbook is the story of an ancient treasure trove of French regional gastronony eloquently narrated by Author Pludlowski and superbly captured in color by photographers Pierre Hussenot and Leo Meier.