This is like a cookbook and a travel book rolled into one. The focus is rice as it is cooked all over the world: China, India, South Carolina, parts of Africa, and so on. Alford and Duguid include lots of fascinating context and information about each culture, as well as anecdotes about their travels. The recipes are truly cookable--unlike many international cookbooks where the recipes are impossible for an ordinary American cook to make--and the layout, images, and glossary make it very easy and fun to use.