Indian Cookbook Takes Top Award : IACP/Seagram Winner Is Both Thought-Provoking, Vegetarian

When the cookbook selected as the best published in 1987 turned out to be one not filled with familiar recipes using familiar ingredients, it came as a complete surprise to many of those attending the awards breakfast here last week. At the annual IACP/Seagram Awards ceremony honoring the outstanding food and beverage books of the year, “Lord Krishna’s Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking” by Yamuna Devi (Bala Books/E.P. Dutton, $29.95) was chosen the best book of the year from among the nearly 200 entered in 13 different categories.

A winner, runner-up and first runner-up were named in each category. The “best of the year” book was chosen from among the 13 category winners.

Successor to the old Tastemaker cookbook awards program, the IACP/Seagram Awards are co-sponsored by the International Assn. of Cooking Professionals and Joseph E. Seagram & Sons Inc., producer and marketer of spirits and wines.

Winners in the various categories, which covered a broad variety of food and beverage books, were chosen by a panel of 46 cooking authorities and newspaper, magazine and book food writers and editors.

Most of those attending expected the top spot to go to a book by one of the many big name cookbook writers entered, thus the announcement of the winner was greeted with a buzz of amazed comments, followed quickly by resounding applause.

The top winner, a 799-page book illustrated by David Baird, provides a great deal of thought-provoking culinary and cultural information on Indian vegetarian cooking, along with a collection of very interesting recipes. Runner-up in the category in which it was entered, Asian Cooking, was “East Meets West Cuisine” by Ken Hom (Simon & Schuster) and first runner-up, the third-place winner, was “Asia, the Beautiful Cookbook” by Jackie Passmore (Knapp Press).

Winning books in the remaining categories are:

Basic and General American:

Winner: “The Good Housekeeping All-American Cookbook” (Hearst Books).

Runner-up: “American Country Cooking” by Mary Emmerling (Clarkson N. Potter Inc.).

First runner-up: “Entertaining People” by Dan and Kathleen Taggart, Georgia Vareldzis, Diane Morgan and Audrey Lieberman (Entertaining People).

International Cooking:

Winner: “The Food of Southern Italy” by Carlo Middione (Wm. Morrow & Co.).

Runner-up: “Authentic Mexican Regional Cooking From the Heart of Mexico” by Rick Bayless with Deann Groen Bayless (Wm. Morrow & Co.).

First runner-up: “The Old World Kitchen” by Elizabeth Luard (Bantam Books).

Writings on Food:

Winner: “Southern Food” by John Egerton with Ann Egerton (Alfred A. Knopf Inc.).

Runner-up: “Out to Lunch” by Paul Levy (Harper & Row).

First runner-up: “The Food Lover’s Guide to France” by Patricia Wells (Workman Publishing).

Writings on Wine and Spirits:

Winner: “The Wines of the Rhone Valley and Provence” by Robert M. Parker Jr. (Simon & Schuster).

Runner-up: “Cognac” by Nicholas Faith (David R. Godine).

First runner-up: “Anatomy of the Wine Trade, Abe’s Sardines and Other Stories” by Simon Loftus (Harper & Row).

Specialty:

Winner: “The Art of Cooking” by Jacques Pepin (Alfred A. Knopf Inc.).

Runner-up: “Reading Between the Recipes” by Leslie Land (Yankee Books).

First runner-up: “The Breakfast Book” by Marion Cunningham (Alfred A. Knopf Inc.).

Vegetables and Fruits:

Winner: “Rodale’s Garden--Fresh Cooking” with text by Judith Benn Hurley (Rodale Press Inc.).

Runner-up: “Fresh From France, Vegetable Creations” by Faye Levy (E. P. Dutton).

First runner-up: “The Greens Cookbook” by Deborah Madison with Edward Espe Brown (Bantam Books).

Baking and Desserts:

Winner: “The American Baker” by Jim Dodge with Elaine Ratner (Simon & Schuster).

Runner-up: “Ben & Jerry’s Homemade Ice Cream & Dessert Book” by Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield with Nancy J. Stevens (Workman Publishing).

First runner-up: “Old-Fashioned Baking Book” by Jim Fobel (Ballantine Books).

Southern and Southwestern American Cooking:

Winner: “Southern Cooking” by Craig Claiborne (Times Books).

Runner-up: “The Prudhomme Family Cookbook” by the 11 Prudhomme brothers and sisters and Paul Prudhomme (Wm. Morrow & Co.).

First runner-up: “Fiesta” by Jane Butel (Harper & Row).

Single Subject:

Winner: “Italian Pizza and Hearth Breads” by Elizabeth Romer (Clarkson N. Potter Inc.).

Runner-up: “Cooking with Flowers” by Jenny Leggatt (Fawcett Columbine).

First runner-up: “Gourmet Preserves” by Judith Choate (Weidenfeld & Nicolson).

Quick Cooking:

Winner: “Microwave Gourmet” by Barbara Kafka (Wm. Morrow & Co.).

Runner-up: “Glorious Vegetables in the Microwave” by Patricia Tennison (Contemporary Books).

First runner-up: “Glamour’s Gourmet on the Run” by Jane Kirby (Conde Nast Books, Villard Books).

Healthy, Light and Diet:

Winner: “Cuisine Sante” by Christopher Buey and L’Ecole de Cuisine Francaise Sabine de Mirbeck (Viking).

Runner-up: “Cooking Light ‘88” edited by Ellen de Lathoudes (Oxmoor House Inc.).

First runner-up: “Fresh Ways With Beef and Lamb” by the editors of Time-Life Books (Time-Life Books).

Community Cookbooks:

Winner: “Gatherings” by the Junior League of Milwaukee (Junior League of Milwaukee).

(Note: There was only one award in this category.)