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Tava

Eastern European Baking and Desserts From Romania & Beyond
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( 90 ratings, 11 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Tava is a meticulously researched baking book celebrating centuries of cultural diversity in Romanian cuisine. The title, meaning 'tray' in Romanian, symbolises a rich culinary landscape presented through recipes like Armenian pakhlava, Saxon plum pies, Jewish fritters, and Hungarian langoși, alongside traditional Romanian favourites such as plăcinte pies and alivenci corn cake.

Featuring beautifully photographed, easy-to-follow recipes, the book connects the past with the present, offering readers a journey through the comforting and homely feel of Romania's baking heritage.
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Format: Hardback
$6000
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for food lovers, cultural historians, and baking enthusiasts interested in Eastern European and Romanian cuisine looking to explore traditional recipes alongside historical context.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Tava is a meticulously researched baking book celebrating centuries of diversity and overlapping cultures that form today’s cuisine in Romania. The author’s aim is to also share the story of those dishes that have come to represent the identity of different cultural communities across the country.

Tava means tray in Romanian, a metaphor for how a whole culinary landscape is presented to the reader.

You will find Armenian pakhlava, Saxon plum pies, Swabian poppyseed crescents, Jewish fritters, and Hungarian langoși alongside plăcinte pies, alivenci corn cake, strudels, and fruit dumplings. Rice or pearl barley puddings, doughnuts, and gingerbread biscuits come with their own story, while chocolate mousses, meringues in custard sauce, and coffee ice cream introduce you to the glamour of famous Romanian and Eastern European pastry shops.

The book is written with integrity and respect towards this rich heritage connecting the past with a present which can be encountered by the reader when travelling in Romania. The recipes are easy to follow, beautifully photographed, and tempt the reader to embrace the unfamiliar as much as the familiar, while enjoying their comforting and homely feel.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Praised by Tom Parker Bowles as enlightening and irresistible, Tava is celebrated for its deep exploration of Romanian history and culture through baking. Felicity Cloake highlights the book's fascinating stories and recipes, while Richard Bertinet notes its role in shining a light on Romania as a gastronomic destination. The vibrant photography and rich cultural layers have been applauded for adding allure beyond just the recipes.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781784885441

Publisher: Hardie Grant Books (UK)

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 27 October 2022

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Hardie Grant Books (UK)

Illustration: Full Colour Photography

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 31.0mm

Width: 199.0mm

Height: 256.0mm

Weight: 1127g

Pages: 272

About the Author

Irina Georgescu is a Romanian food writer and author of Carpathia, a book that celebrates Romanian home cooking. Irina's recipes draw on her Eastern European heritage – she has always felt very strongly about exploring the world through food and understanding people through what they eat. Her love and commitment to talking about Romanian culinary traditions encouraged her to pursue her dream to write about Romania, its food and its heritage.

Also by Irina Georgescu

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  • Carpathia
    Romania is a cultural melting pot. Its character is rooted in many cultures, from Greek, Turkish, and Slavic in the south and east, to Austrian, Hungarian, and Saxon in the north and west. Carpathia, the first book from food writer Irina Georgescu, aims to introduce the reader to Romania's unique, bold, and delicious cuisine: an amalgamation of all its cultural...
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  • Danube
    This is an utterly magical book. – Nigella Lawson A culinary journey with easy-to-make recipes from the enchanting Eastern lands of the Danube River. In Danube, the James Beard Award-winning food writer and cook Irina Georgescu takes you on a gastronomic adventure as you journey along the Danube River, unearthing the hidden gems of Eastern European cuisine. With over 80...
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