Another addition to my library this year is FOODS OF THE AMERICAS (Ten Speed Press, $39.95). Like Mr. Schwartz's book, this is a historical and cultural guide posing as a cookbook. But it is one of a very different food tradition.
Fernando and Marlene Divina, working with the new Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, have compiled the best reflection of original American food and recipes to date. The Divinas, Arizona restaurateurs and consultants, reach north to Alaska and south to Argentina, explaining along the way how New World ingredients like corn and okra separate a Brazilian beef and sausage stew called cozida from its Portuguese cousin. They explore Oaxacan moles and Yucatan chiltomate sauce, a habanero-infused relative of salsa verde.
There are, of course, predictable recipes for fry bread and game birds. But there are also some lovely surprises, like a recipe for Cherokee wild grape dumplings that instructs the city-bound cook to substitute Concord grapes.
The real gems inthis beautifully designed book are essays that provide insightful examinations of Native American cooking and eating styles. The best is a long essay on reservation food by George P. Horse Capture, who was born on the Fort Belknap Indian Reservation in Montana. Mr. Horse Capture, an author who advises the director of the new museum, describes how his family cooked bannock, or wheel bread, in a frying pan and smeared it with "poor man's butter." He takes readers through eloquent tutorials on berry picking and cooking simple dishes like boiled meat and bean soup.
Press Release, November 1st , 2004
THE GOURMAND WORLD COOKBOOK AWARDS
USA
Rating *** (Three Stars) “A masterpiece which will become a classic.”
Foods of the Americas: Native Recipes and Traditions Fernando and Marlene Divina, The Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian ISBN: 1 580008 2599 (Ten Speed)
About the Gourmand World Cookbook awards (excerpt from original press release):
COOKBOOKS AND WINEBOOKS STARS: A NEW PERMANENT RATING SYSTEM
The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards crown once a year the best food and wine books. Over 4.000 books are received during the whole year for the Awards. Upon receipt Gourmand Awards rates each book from 0 to 3 Stars (The Best). These cookbook stars will now be made public. For the celebration of its tenth year, Gourmand announces the list of three star books in its unique permanent rating system, which will be available on-line in 2005. By the end of October this year, we had received 49 food and wine books which we rated 3 stars; approximately one for each 500 books published. There are forty cookbooks and seven wine books with three stars.They come from 20 different countries. More cookbooks are published at the end of the second half of the year, and there will be more three star books among them. This is a second list to be followed by the last one for 2004 before Christmas. The complete list will be on line in February 2005.
THE NEW RATING SYSTEM
The large number of titles make it even more difficult for publishers, authors, bookstores and others retailers, and readers to find the best books. Gourmand is in a unique position to help thanks to the large number of books it receives.
This year a classical three stars system is used:
Three stars: buy and read immediately – a masterpiece.
Two stars : buy now if this book matches your focus, it should present in all food and wine libraries.
One star : a good book if you fancy this topic.
Other : average books
Chef/scholar revives indigenous foods and native traditions in his cuisine
By HSIAO-CHING CHOU P-I FOOD EDITOR
Excerpt from article: QUINCY -- Next door to The Gorge Amphitheatre, where tens of thousands of screaming music lovers descend upon this particular bend in the Columbia River every summer, a quiet movement has taken root.
A chef has cooked up a vision for a place where people of like culinary minds can gather.
Fernando Divina is the executive chef at Tendrils Restaurant at the two-year-old Cave B Inn at SageCliffe. Being the opening chef afforded him the chance to create something from the ground up.
So he planted amaranth, quinoa, orach (mountain spinach), farro or emmer, and Ozette potatoes in addition to garlics, berries, lettuces, melons and numerous herbs. He also discovered at least 30 varieties of sage growing on the property that's home to the inn and the Cave B winery.
Divina put down roots, taking care to propagate as many indigenous crops as possible, and then he gave his endeavor a name: the Center for American Food & Wine at SageCliffe.
Read the entire article...click here.
An entree of culotte steak with wine merchant butter, caramelized sweet onions and potato leek cake as prepared by Fernando Divina, executive chef and manager of Tendrils Restaurant at SageCliffe. Divina also is developing programming with an emphasis on indigenous foods for the Center for American Food & Wine at SageCliffe, which he helped establish. Photo by Andy Rogers / PI.
An entree of culotte steak with wine merchant butter, caramelized sweet onions and potato leek cake as prepared by Fernando Divina, executive chef and manager of Tendrils Restaurant at SageCliffe. Divina also is developing programming with an emphasis on indigenous foods for the Center for American Food & Wine at SageCliffe, which he helped establish. Photo by Andy Rogers / PI.
INDUSTRY RECOGNITION ~ Accolades, Awards and Appointments for Team Divina, owners and operators of Terrace Kitchen 
Gourmand World Cookbook Award