--- product_id: 1703790 title: "Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia" brand: "james oseland" price: "€ 91.72" currency: EUR in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1703790-cradle-of-flavor-home-cooking-from-the-spice-islands-indonesia store_origin: HR region: Croatia --- # Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia **Brand:** james oseland **Price:** € 91.72 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia by james oseland - **How much does it cost?** € 91.72 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.hr](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1703790-cradle-of-flavor-home-cooking-from-the-spice-islands-indonesia) ## Best For - james oseland enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted james oseland brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia ## Images ![Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/616pdapUHFL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Passion for the palate *by C***D on Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2008* I'm a chef and have been fortunate to travel somewhat extensively to the three countries whose cuisines are covered in this book, particularly Indonesia. I love this book. I'm actually relocating to Malaysia soon, and this book will go with me. It's great as a cookbook, but its true delight is found in the prose that accompanies the recipes, recounting the author's experiences in SE Asia, discussing hints for shopping at an Asian market, selecting the best spices, etc. I've had many of the dishes in the book, from satays in Bali to Padang-style food in Jakarta to the wonderful gudeg and ayam bubur in Yogyakarta to a fantastic fusion of Chinese, Malay, and Indian street food in Kuala Lumpur, to the comfort-food appeal of Nyonya cooking in small, family-run restaurants in Melaka (Malacca) to the fantastic crossroads of cuisine found in Singapore (indeed, about the only things to really do in Singapore are shop and eat).It's been said that food is the most apparent uniter of any culture, and that once everything else has been watered down or weaned away completely (think of Greek or Italian immigrants who have come to America), the last cultural identifier that remains is the food. It's so true, and this book absolutely takes you on a cultural and culinary journey. The author's passion for food and for the people of these fascinating countries practically leaps off the pages. The wonder of Indo-Malay cuisine is indeed the best-kept secret in Asia. Any sizeable city in America is likely to be overrun with Chinese and Thai restaurants. Vietnamese food is plentiful, and you can usually find Korean or Japanese food without much difficulty. But try to find an Indonesian restaurant, or a Malaysian restaurant serving up Nyonya chicken. If you do find one at all, it's likely to disappoint if you've ever spent any time in these countries. This book is the cure for what ails you.Any cookbook will offer a list of ingredients, preparation instructions (in varying degrees of clarity and depth), and occasional notes on the dish itself. This book utterly transcends the basic offering. Virtually every recipe is replete with anecdotes, personal observations, and a truly in-depth guide to making the dish spectactular. I do wish there were more color photos, the few that are included aren't really sufficient, but the quality of the recipes and the fantastic depth of the writing more than makes up for it.Highly, highly recommended. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic! *by T***K on Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2022* If you’re a foodie and love to cook SE Asian cuisine, this is the cookbook for you! Beautifully written (like reading prose), one can feel how much the author loves the people, the cultures, and the dishes created. The recipes are in-depth and easily followed. I wish all cookbooks were like this! ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5.0 out of 5 stars Superior Report on the Cuisine of the SE Asian Islands. Buy It. *by B***D on Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2006* `Cradle of Flavor' by culinary journalist and `Saveur' executive editor, James Oseland is easily the best presentation I have yet seen of a minor Far Eastern cuisine (excluding India, China, Thailand, and Japan). It is certainly superior to the two I have recently seen on Filipino and Viet cuisines (even though these were very good indeed) and it is better than the broad brushed effort of writer Naomi Duguid and photographer Jeffrey Alford, the culinary travelogue, `Hot Sour Salty Sweet' covering nearby mainland Southeast Asia. This effort is easily comparable to the very best works on Italian, French, and other Mediterranean regions such as `Saveur' colleague Coleman Andrews' `Catalan Cuisine' and Lynne Rossetto Kaspar's `The Splendid Table' on the cuisine of Emilia-Romagna.One of the most illuminating aspects of the book is that it sparks a moment of clarity in my thinking about the region, when I realize that so many of the world's essential spices come from this part of the world and the outstanding geographical feature of this region is its islands. This is exactly the kind of landscape which modern evolutionary theory says will foster great variations in species. Thus, we get a great diversity of foodstuffs in a relatively small area (compared, for example, to the expanse of north central Asia (the Russian steppes).Another thought illuminated by this book is a comparison with Mediterranean cuisine, where the cornerstones are olives, grapes, wheat, milk, pork, and salt. In this land governed by Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore, the cornerstones are coconut, rice, soybeans, chilis, spices, tropical fruits and shellfish. Coconut oil traditionally is used in place of olive oil and coconut milk plus soy milk takes the place of cow, goat, and sheep milk, even so far as to create tempeh and tofu, substitutes for European soft cheeses. Like major Mediterranean cultures and nearby Thai cultures, we also had important royal households leading to large kitchen establishments.While Mr. Oseland is not a native of the region, he has brought over 20 years of experience in the region plus the discriminating eye of a professional culinary journalist (an interest created by his first visit to Java) to his task. This means he makes many important contrasts and comparisons with major European and Chinese cooking methods to help us Yanks to understand the food from this part of the world. Like the Thais, for example, the Indonesians don't use the wok for searingly fast frying.The most interesting discussion contrasting cooking methods is the treatment of the rendang technique that the author describes as `backward braising'. It also happens to be very similar to neighboring Philippines' technique of adobo cooking. Like braising, rendang is a long cooking technique. Unlike braising, the `browning' is done at the end of the method rather than at the beginning. And, unlike braising, the cooking liquids are allowed to evaporate down to a paste rather than to cook the mix in a tightly sealed pot.Yet another revelation was the chapter which covered eggs, tempeh, and tofu recipes. I always look forward to eggy chapters, yet there were but two simple recipes here, both of which were imitations of the French omelet rather than any typically Southeast Asian dish. The lion's share of the recipes in this chapter were based on the soy byproduct, tempeh.Anyone familiar with `Saveur' will recognize that magazine's distinctively thorough way with recipes. Every recipe description is a little classic in explaining the origins of the dish and all the variations possible with the method or the principle material.If you are a foodie or a devotee of Southeast Asian food, you need no excuse whatsoever to acquire this book. If you like `Saveur', no further enticement is necessary. If you happen to just like reading about exotic cuisines, this is almost as good as Duguid and Alford's culinary travelogues, but even better from a strictly culinary point of view.Even though I have read no other culinary books on this region, I'm willing to bet this is easily the best or one of the best. ## Frequently Bought Together - Cradle of Flavor: Home Cooking from the Spice Islands of Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia - Fire Islands: Recipes from Indonesia - Coconut & Sambal: Recipes from my Indonesian Kitchen --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1703790-cradle-of-flavor-home-cooking-from-the-spice-islands-indonesia](https://www.desertcart.hr/products/1703790-cradle-of-flavor-home-cooking-from-the-spice-islands-indonesia) --- *Product available on Desertcart Croatia* *Store origin: HR* *Last updated: 2026-08-10*