Wednesday, May 6, 2009

BloggerAid Cookbook editing begins

It is exciting times around here as editing begins for the BloggerAid cookbook. All proceeds from the sale of the cookbook will benefit World Food Programme School Lunch. I'm serving as a first editor, one of many, to make a first pass at editing. We look at quantities to see if they make sense and we come up with a consistent measurement system. Because the recipes come from all over the world (I'm editing recipes from Kenya, India, France, England, Cuba and the US), there are fascinating differences in cooking equipment. One recipe called for pressure cooking for two whistles, another for putting water on the lid of a pan, still another for a specialized wok. It is truly fascinating to note the different ways we get to a similar result in the kitchen. The flavorings and spices vary from country to country. It is interesting how many different versions of "comfort food" there are in this world. And yet, there are similarities -- naan, tortilla, crepe, are all slight variations of the same bread.
It is great to work over the internet because I don't have to worry about what time it is for the recipient of my email. They will get it and reply in their own time.
The most amazing part, however, is the variety in cooking techniques. The more I work with this cookbook, the more anxious I am for publication date! This will be a phenomenal book to have in my kitchen. I may not make any of the recipes, although I am fascinated by a mango cooler called Aam Panna, but I don't think I've ever seen such an international effort.

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