I’ve started a new collection of cookbooks. The Beautiful Cookbooks truly are beautiful, as well as informative. These are oversized coffeetable books about various regions in the world. So far, I have the American, Texas, Asia, and Provence cookbooks.

Each of these cookbooks has historic information about the region, including its people, culture and food. There are many picutures of scenery and daily life in the region. Then, there are sections either by region or by recipe type (soups, salads, main dishes, dessert, etc). Many of the recipes are photographed. The whole thing is a delightful to read, and there are some yummy, authentic recipes in them.

Cookbooks make a great present, especially for newlyweds and food lovers. I have bought How to Cook Everything by Mark Bittman at least 5 times for myself and others. The Beautiful Cookbooks are now on my gift list for friends and family. Even if you don’t cook, they’re great to read just for the fun of it.