"Anyone with Eastern European roots (not just Romanians) will find familiar fare in Galia Sperber's new book. Inspired by her grandmother's cooking and family memories of Romania, Sperber, a medical doctor who specializes cardiovascular disease research, has put together a well-rounded collection of over 200 recipes for appetizers, salads, soups, fish, meat, side dishes, Romanian puddings (Budinci), Cakes and Sweet Loaves, along with other desserts. The chapter on Romanian Puddings, both savory and sweet is worth the price of the book alone, especially for anyone who grew up with these dishes. Interspersed with the recipes are stories and reminiscences from Dr. Sperber's family."

--- Cheri Sicard, www.fabulousfoods.com

"The next time you hear the question, "Where did you get that wonderful recipe?", you just might hear yourself answering, "Oh, from a tribe of invading Tartars." That's just one of the sources author Galia Sperber has mined for the centuries of glorious food in her The Art of Romanian Cooking.
The Tartars are just one ingredient in the rich history of Romanian cuisine. Others include Goths, Hungarians, Huns and Turks (all of whom also invaded and left their stamp on the Danube Delta's cuisine). Additional influences are German, Greek and French.
The biggest influence on this valuable (and delicious) book, though, is author Sperber, a doctor who is a research fellow in London who started by jotting down her mother's and grandmother's specialties and then used her impressive research abilities to bring the entirety of the cuisine to life.
What all this translates to are delicacies like Egg Roulade with Spinach, Peas on Fried Bread, Grilled Mackerels with Hot Sauce, Roast Ducklings on Sweet Cabbage, and Walnut Budinca - one of many sweet and savory traditional puddings (budincas)."

--- Lisa Messinger, www.lisamessinger.com