A Taste of India

Hundreds of color photographs and a lovely design make this one of the most beautiful cookbooks in recent memory, and the match of photos and picturesque prose is particularly effective. Jaffrey writes of traditions and lavish meals that are often beyond replication in the United States. Her recipes, which cover the spectrum of Indian cooking styles, are a practical and not over-demanding selection, and with a wealth of pictures of everyday life, market scenes, palaces and shrines, Jaffrey offers an impressive and tantalizing tour of one of the world's great melting pots. First serial to Gourmet; BOMC/Cooking & Crafts Club alternate; author tour. (April 8)