Book of Jewish Food, by Claudia Roden

I was given this as a gift. I am not jewish and have little personal experience of Jewish food but am a keen cook and a cookery book hoarder. This is a fantastic introduction as there is much more in it than "just" recipes. Full of anecdotes and information, it is a great read. Agree with previous reviewer that a lot of it is based around celebratory and catering style dishes. The few recipes I have tried have all been a big hit too.

More than just a cookery book - full of interesting history and personal stories and the huge number of recipes for pies and pastries provides plenty of inspiration for party catering. I spend more time reading it than cooking from it!