Treme: Stories and Recipes from the Heart of New Orleans

by Lolis Eric Elie, Ed Anderson (Photographer), David Simon (Preface)

Inspired by David Simon's award-winning HBO series Treme, this celebration of the culinary spirit of post-Katrina New Orleans features recipes and tributes from the characters, real and fictional, who highlight the Crescent City's rich foodways. From chef Janette Desautel's own Crawfish Ravioli and LaDonna Batiste-Williams's Smothered Turnip Soup to the city's finest Sazerac, New Orleans' cuisine is a mélange of influences from Creole to Vietnamese, at once new and old, genteel and down-home, and, in the words of Toni Bernette, "seasoned with delicious nostalgia." As visually rich as the series itself, the book includes 100 heritage and contemporary recipes from the city's heralded restaurants such as Upperline, Bayona, Restaurant August, and Herbsaint, plus original recipes from renowned chefs Eric Ripert, David Chang, and other Treme guest stars. For the 6 million who come to New Orleans each year for its food and music, this is the ultimate homage to the traditions that make it one of the world's greatest cities.

Genres: Cookbooks, Food, Cooking, Nonfiction, History

240 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2013

Reviews

[David Rossetti · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's no secret that most tie-in cookbooks are awful, just cynical attempts to make a few extra bucks off the popularity of a series aimed at people who couldn't cook before they picked it up and probably won't be doing much afterward. With that in mind, I was really pleasantly surprised by the quality of this one. David Simon's intro sets things up right from the beginning (my god, that man can write) and the recipes that follow are a combination of the simple and the complex, homey standards and fancy reinterpreations that made me long to get in the car and start driving non-stop until I hit the French Quarter. There's some great stuff in here and with the show having come to an end far too soon,it's one last chance for the rest of the country to connect with the New Orleans Simon gave us, both real and fictional.

The book made me happy enough that I'm sticking with four stars though one particular choice is just enough to make me wish I could give ratings in half-star increments so I could bump it down a notch. Given the book is based on a real city and real events, the choice to fictionalize the narrative of the book (Janet Desautel approaching all the various characters for their favorite recipes which are then told by those characters in the following chapters) is nice but steals a bit from the real people of New Orleans who actually own and cook these recipes and deserve their own voices heard and own stories told. To be fair, recipes are credited to the local chefs who created them whereever possible (Susan Spicer, etc.) but given the book will likely be floating around for years, it would have been nice to have more real people immortalized. If they published a sequel ("The Real People of Treme Cookbook"?) I'd be on it the day it hit the stands.

Still, it's a good book with a good heart and the recipes are outstanding. Even if you've never seen the show, you'll find a lot to like.

[Erika Jaeger-Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good food, good memories of a program that will be missed. Especially for the music.

[Bunny · Rating 3 out of 5]

The stories are good, the pictures are good.

The recipes....enh. I didn't find any keepers, but maybe someone else would.

[G.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just like the show, the food is enticing, the recipes wonderful and the stories help fill out the void left by the show's end.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing amalgamation of New Orleans food and culture, like the show!

It’s a fantastical reflection of the show and it’s players in book form. Kind if like if the real people and characters involved in the show made a church basement cookbook.

[Phil Ridarelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

each chapter is written from the POV of one of the Treme characters, as well as a short description written in the words of that character describing the recipes they've shared. The recipes run the gamut from cajun/creole Sunday dinners to upscale, fine dining. Great cocktail recipes too.

[Dan Ream · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun reading for anyone who loved the Treme TV series on HBO about post-Katrina New Orleans. I did and greatly enjoyed this blend of fictional program characters with real life recipes shown or cooked or discussed by them during the fictional series.

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enchantingly fun idea BUT...
these recipes are H-A-R-D and not even possible for a beginner like me.

[Deanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE this book. It is so much fun to read. Having seen the series, then traveling to New Orleans and staying in the Treme, I really enjoyed it. Anxious to try the recipes.

[Amuse · Rating 1 out of 5]

Too much meat and very disjointed. Reads like a companion volume, as if the real info is somewhere else and the book is a reminder.