The New Mediterranean Diet Cookbook: A Delicious Alternative for Lifelong Health

by Nancy Harmon Jenkins, Marion Nestle (Foreword)

The eating style proven to reduce the risk of heart attack and stroke. Spanning the Mediterranean from Spain to France, Italy, and Greece, with side trips to Lebanon, Cyprus, and North Africa, this revised and updated edition of Nancy Harmon Jenkins’s acclaimed cookbook offers 250 recipes including 92 new ones plus the latest information about the nutritional benefits of one of the world’s healthiest cuisines. Also included is a special selection of traditional dishes prepared for Islamic, Jewish, and Christian holidays that can be enjoyed year round.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Reference, Health, Diets

865 pages, Kindle Edition

First published June 1, 1994

Reviews

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the recipes in the book are good, the author is a relentless snob and misses absolutely no opportunity to disparage the low quality of American ingredients; eggs, mushrooms, whatever -- you name it and she'll tell you they're sooooo much better in Italy (where the author has a house). Lady, just give me the recipes and spare me the commentary, 'kay?

[Donna Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great sounding recipes with interesting commentary. However, there were no pictures!

[Catherine · Rating 2 out of 5]

Quick, convenient, everyday tome this is not. For example, one side dish may have a dozen ingredients and two pages of instructions. These recipes will not fit in with my everyday rotation.

I did keep a few to try, and a lot seemed they would be tasty, even if not flashy.

Don't look for information on the Mediterranean Diet; but, the balance of vegetarian to soups, to meats did seem in line with the diet principles.

[Aprilleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is obviously written by an individual with strong opinions about food, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Most of the strongly-worded advice is consistent with other sources (freshly-grated Parmigiano is always best, for example), and once you've tried it her way you can experiment with alternatives and see the difference for yourself. Some of the ingredients can readily be substituted for less expensive alternatives with no detectable change to taste or nutritional value (there's a bit of food snobbery apparent, but nothing that can't be readily adapted by a consumer who knows their ingredients).

Like many books about the Mediterranean diet, it starts with information about what the Mediterranean diet is and why it's so popular. She covers some basic methods and ingredients right up front, as well as some kitchen utensils that will be useful. Pay particular attention to her advice about selecting and purchasing olive oil, as quality varies considerably, and price is no indicator of quality.

The recipes are not beginner-level. These are authentic and sometimes fairly complicated. The basics are here (tzatziki and minestrone, for example), but there are a lot of dishes you probably won't recognize. This is fantastic, but not really a good choice for a newcomer to the Mediterranean style of eating. Start with a simpler book, and then grab this one to take it to a whole new level. You won't be disappointed unless you try to jump into the deep end before you've got the basics. There are some very interesting recipes here that I've never seen in any other cookbook.

[luv4pez · Rating 1 out of 5]

The retail price on this cookbook is $35 (so glad I got it from the library) and it doesn't have a single picture in it. The author is extremely wordy, even in the directions for recipes. Some recipes go on for four or five pages and the ingredients list often includes other recipes you must make before your make the recipe you want. There are so many ingredients that would be hard, if not impossible, to find. I'm not sure what the original book looked like, but if it is anything like the revised edition, then it should have never been printed.

[Christine · Rating 1 out of 5]

The Kindle version of this book is TERRIBLE. There's no index, no pictures, and the table of contents is worthless. Over 500 pages, but good luck finding any recipes. After several frustrating minutes I returned it.

[Lara · Rating 5 out of 5]

super informational & great recipes

[Margaret Chind · Rating 2 out of 5]

It has been recommended to me to check out the Mediterranean Diet style of eating to boost myself past my current plateau. Coming in to this read, I have already read many articles that talk about how easily the Mediterranean Diet principles fit with being gluten-free. But NOT this book. Again and again, this book states that bread, wheat, and so on are more and more the central and important part of the Mediterranean Diet. This will absolutely not work. This is the first time I have used a cookbook and not walked away with a single recipe to keep. I'm glad it was just a library book. Returning gladly and not ever recommending.

[Vannessa Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was an eye-opener to learn where and how authentic foods are made and what they are made of such as Mozzarella cheese made by hand from the milk of the water buffalo. Reading The New Mediterranean Diet Cook really helped me to learn how to transition to a better diet. I’m looking forward to trying many of the recipes.

[Leonora Estes]

If you want photos and ordinary ingredients, buy a Betty Crocker cookbook.

[Teri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Holy snobby author, Batman! Why didn't someone save her from herself here?
I think there are a few good recipes, I do (several ideas for lentils which I love)--the layouts could have been better so you aren't flipping pages for the rest of the ingredients and having directions that go on for more than two pages is never a good idea (and would some pictures have killed you?) A good pic would have gone much further than her referring to the inexperienced people trying to make a sourdough starter as "earnest yuppies" and then going on to how non-Italians have pronunciations that apparently "grate" on her (and-so she claims-- every other Italians' nerves). She doesn't believe in providing nutritional information and thinks its a stupid way of going about things-fine, you are certainly entitled to that opinion, but funny that she goes to point out that an american pizza place is so bad for you --going off the nutritional value, but then just states for her own recipes that you should "balance" to be ensure things are healthy. People do have legit reasons to want to understand portion sizes and nutritional information, so that was kind of crappy as well. I enjoy learning about other cultures and the history of foods, but there is a way to go about giving information without being an insulting snob, so I give this 2 stars for recipe ideas only and suggest to anyone picking up the book to skip all the wordy extra crap that goes on in this unfortunate book and stick to reading the recipes only.

[Helen Connelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful celebration and love affair of real food, written by someone who understands vegetables, fish, and marrying flavors. Do not be off put by the title. This is not a diet, but a beautifully written record and explanation of how to create simple perfect meals. Not being an expert on Mediterranean cooking, but being fortunate enough to live in a southern town that has likely some of the best unknown and unheralded Greek and Lebanese restauranteurs anywhere, I sense that this cookbook reveals the secrets of home cooking. The recipes are not limited to Greek and Lebanese. Nice, Catalan, North Africa, and Italy are included. What appeals so much in this cookbook is the unforced and natural dedication to vegetables in all recipes and the evident understanding of them. I borrowed this book from the library and have now ordered a hardback copy for myself. I have a feeling my family will be happy with this purchase when I make the hummus, the poached fish, and the sauces that were a bit of a mystery before. Five out of five stars, no reservations.

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not big on diet books

but here goes

An irresistible invitation to share the healthiest diet in the world. It has one alluring recipe after another, each one fragrant with the fresh aromas of the ingredients I love the most: fish right out of the water, ripe vegetables from open-air markets, herbs from the garden. This book makes an overwhelming argument that the things that taste the best are good for you.
Alice Waters

Nancy Harmon Jenkins is a marvelous writer, a fine reporter, and addicted to travel, people, history, and good food, which makes this book a joy. That it points to a healthful way to eat, incorporating the freshness and clear flavors of Mediterranean cooking, also makes it a daily delight.
Barbara Kafka

Although it’s technically a diet book, this book is so much more—a superbly written examination of Mediterranean food and life and one of the most exciting cookbooks of the year.
Paula Wolfert

talk about powerhouse authors

[Terrie Wiederich · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book wasn’t for me. I would think A
a connoisseur of fine foods would enjoy a leisurely read, learning about the Mediterranean cultures while sampling the food.
I turned to this diet for my health and I don’t have time to stop and smell the spices. If I did, I would find this author to be too high-brow for my tastes.
My biggest complaint? Why would a person couch all those delicious recipes in so many unnecessary paragraphs full of prose? If you want to share your experiences of the food and the culture, I welcome the read, and I might even have taken the time to read this book, if I had been able to find even one recipe written in the standard bulleted format.
Two-hundred fifty recipes? I cannot imagine sitting down to read a cookbook like a novel. That’s exactly what is needed to find those elusive recipes.

[Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything from this cookbook that I've tried so far was delicious. I also enjoy the information about various Mediterranean cultural practices around food and the guide to those. The author clearly knows her stuff and has lived and worked in various Mediterranean countries.
However, these recipes are very long and complicated. It's not practical for a working person to make these recipes more than occasionally. It is an excellent starting point for the Mediterranean culture/diet, but if you want an easier, more sustainable style of eating, I'd likely recommend looking elsewhere.
My favorite recipes:
- Mediterranean Vegetable Stew
- Mujadara
- Seafood Stew
- Carrots in a Chermoula Sauce

[Joy Miraglia · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who collects and owns quite a few great cookbooks, I was surprised to find things I didn’t already know in this one. I’m not someone who diets and I like to eat well. After a recent 10-12 pound weight gain, I remembered the Mediterranean diet’s appeal and got a copy from the library for a little more insight and inspiration. Once I was about halfway through, I realized that I really wanted to try almost all the recipes. So I ordered a copy for my cookbook shelf.

The author seems to have lived a rich and privileged life and at times it’s a little hard not to hold that against her! But anyone who quotes Gerald Durrell in a cookbook is going to win points with me.

[Angie · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sending this back to the library without finishing. The author is pretentious and insulting to Americans who do not have ready access to ethnic markets. The formatting of the recipes is not conducive to cooking and the lack of pictures gives little incentive for tackling a recipe with four pages of directions and hard to find ingredients. She does offer substitutions for some things, but is always quick to point out its inferiority to European ingredients.

[Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not just a cookbook. It is a travel log. Nancy meets people in various regions of the Mediterranean and discusses their history, culture and how their foods fit into their lives.
She talks about the various regions and how there are similarities, but also there are differences.

The food/recipes is healthy. There are some lovely photos of areas of the world you might not have seen. It is always enlightening to find out why people do things the way they do.

[Kei · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are so many post-its in this book for things I want to attempt cooking... it is almost embarrassing.

More than that, there is a ton of useful/interesting information - from growing things to nutritional values to the evolution of traditional food to...

[Dawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am not a fan of cooking with cumin and most of the recipes included this spice. I also would not add cinnamon to savory meals. The recipes were not appealing or appetizing. I will stick with my own style. I didn’t think the name of the book fit the type of recipes offered.

[Teri Cowan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hadn’t read a cookbook in a long while but in addition to recipes this was so much more. Best quality ingredients along with culture and geographic references. I will be copying many of the yummy sounding recipes before I return it to the library.

[Jocelin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delicious recipes, but very drawn out - everything from scratch without any shortcuts. I'm a pretty advanced cook, but sometimes the recipes can be hard to follow, and there aren't any pictures to help you along. This book is not for a novice learning to cook.

[Alexandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

The online copy has no pictures which was a little disappointing. Don’t know if the print copy does or not but I wish it had at least a few.

The recipes looked great, I wouldn’t use them all but I did save many to try for later. Risottos especially

[Dray · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a nice collection of healthy recipes inspired by the sunny climes of the Mediterranean. I appreciated the inclusion of many traditional tastes but with a bent toward using healthy ingredients and new flavors. Skordalia, Romescu sauce and others were standouts. recommended.

[Reading · Rating 2 out of 5]

Poorly edited, poorly formatted
Author is obviously passionate about their ideas and methods but seems to struggle conveying them in a coherent or relatable way
Recipes were nothing new nor revolutionary

[Eva · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of great recipes
Many interesting facts
No photos
Comments like “This is a meager dish, one that comes out of the poor peasant culture of Puglia…”

Could’ve been a better book if a pinch of humbleness had been added.

[Onceinabluemoon · Rating 2 out of 5]

I always check out cookbooks before purchasing, this was a disappointment, zero photos, makes for bland reading...

[Anna Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots & lots of yummy recipes broken down into different courses or types with information on where to find cooking items & ingredients.

[Evelyn · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting read with lots of recipes for large families. (8 - 10 servings)

[Lisa Topp · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely compilation of Mediterranean dishes, interspersed with tips and information about methods, materials and ingredients (olive oils, sauces, etc.). If you already like Mediterranean dishes, or are looking to make a healthy change, browse this book. Although some dishes can be quickly prepared, as with most healthy cooking, be prepared to use a lot of fresh ingredients and spend a little extra prep and cooking time in the kitchen.
There are many good ideas to bring new grains and vegetable to your table.