Picks and Pans Review: The Foodlover's Atlas of the World

UPDATED 11/18/2002 at 01:00 AM EST • Originally published 11/18/2002 at 01:00 AM EST

By Martha Rose Shulman

You'd expect a slim volume on food around the world—including history and agricultural traditions—would be impossibly shallow. But Shulman covers lots of ground in her concise prose. Hundreds of photos and more than 80 intriguing recipes make it a real meal. Just don't make us eat the Cambodian Fried Spiders. (Firefly, $35)

Bottom Line: Exotic and informative