Food Festival

Geffen, a cookbook writer, and Berglie, cookbook editor at Barron's Publishing, toured the nation from festival to festival to compile this book, which includes, for example, California's National Date Festival, Connecticut's Windsor Shad Derby, the Beefiesta in Scott City, Kans., and the Louisiana Pecan Festival58 fests in 31 states. A few pages describe each pageant and its food. The authors then mention a few recipes gathered on location or of their creation. Then they're on to the next celebration, an approach the armchair cook is sure to enjoy. Among the foods and styles covered are Vermont maple, Florida cabbage palm, Michigan cherries and wild mushrooms, Tennessee ramps, Washington salmon, North Carolina barbecue, Rhode Island Johnnycakes, and Louisiana's boudin, andouille, yams, pecans, crawfish, gumbo and jambalaya. The recipes are tasty, unfussy and quintessentially American. (April)