This is no ordinary cookbook for housewives to flip through in search of a new recipe. First and foremost, it is as delectable and instructive as a visit to a series of imaginary museums throughout Rumania. The exuberant gourmet and wine expert is also an ethnographer and anthropologist attentive to the meaning of culinary tradition as an integral part of Rumanian culture, and determined to prove that, Rumanian cuisine is every bit as inventive, tasty and spectacular as any other cuisine in the world – if not more so.