First published in the 1980s, there are over 500 recipes in this collection, and Elisabeth Luard has now revisited it to revise, expand and update it. The recipes come from 25 countries, ranging from Ireland in the west to Romania in the east, Iceland in the north to Turkey in the south. This compendium covers vegetable dishes, potato dishes, beans, lentils, polenta and cornmeal, rice, pasta and noodles, eggs, milk and cheeses, fish, poultry, small game, pork, shepherd's meats, beef, breads and yeast pastries, sweet dishes, herbs, mushrooms and fungi, oils and preserves. Written with scrupulous attention to detail and authenticity, the recipes are peppered with anecdotes and little known facts about local history and folklore.