CU 203 International Cuisine

Finding Background Information

Reference books are a good starting point for any research topic because they provide introductory and background information, definitions, and sometimes a list of other useful sources for a particular topic. The list below provides a selection of reference sources for finding information on international cuisine. There may be other reference books available on your topic. If you need further assistance, please ask the Librarian at the Reference Desk, call at 617-730-7071 (toll free 800-755-7071), or email library@newbury.edu.

Finding Books

Library Resource Catalog

Note: If you are in the Newbury College Library, the catalog searches and displays its resources first. You can search all locations by scrolling to All Locations Collection on the Select Location drop-down menu. You may request resources from other Minuteman libraries. See the Reference Librarian if you need assistance.

You can search the Catalog by entering Subject Headings or Keywords. Works that relate to the art or practice of preparing food, as well as works that consist of collections of recipes are found by using the Subject Heading "cookery."  To find works on ethnic styles of cuisines, use the following Subject Heading pattern: Cookery [ethnic group], for example:

Works on a regional style for an ethnic group are entered under the ethnic group subdivided by the regional style. For example:

Cookery Italian Northern style
Cookery Italian Sicilian style
Cookery Chinese Cantonese style

Other suggested Subject Headings include:

[country name] social life and customs	Example: England social life and customs
Dinners and dining [country name]
Food social aspects
Food habits [country name]	Example: Food habits Africa
Gastronomy

To find a specific ingredient or dish, use the following Subject Heading pattern: Cookery [type of food/ingredient], for example:

Cookery cheese
Cookery rice
Cookery wine

The following are Subject Headings for foods/ingredients that do NOT follow the general pattern:

Beverages
Condiments
Confectionery
Kosher food
Marzipan
Pancakes
Pizza
Risotto

Keyword searches words or phrases found in any field within the bibliographic record, such as the Author, Title, Subject Heading, and Contents fields. Remember keyword searching may retrieve irrelevant records. For example:

cooking Rome

Country studies are useful for finding cultural information, including religious beliefs, ceremonies, and food habits. The Library owns approximately 58 country studies in the Area Handbook series. To display the list of titles in this series, enter the following Keyword search: area handbook series. To find a particular country study, use the following Keyword pattern search: [country location] country stu*, for example:

Cuba country stu*
Lithuania country stu*

NOTE: Use a single astererisk (*) to truncate from 1-5 characters; for open-ended truncation use a double asterisk (**)

Finding Reserve Resources

To determine if a resource is on reserve, go to the Course Reserves by Professor's Name search screen and enter your professor's last name to display his/her course reserves. Materials will be displayed by course number. Course reserves are available for two hours in-library use. To use these resources, present your library card or Newbury I.D. and give the instructor's name and course number to the Circulation staff. There is a $1.00 per hour fine for late returns on course reserves.

Browsing Call Numbers

To find works on International cuisines, see TX725.A1; for regional or country-specific cuisines, browse by the following call numbers TX725.A3-Z:

Reading Call Numbers

Read a call number line by line:

TX	Read in alphabetical order.
349	Read as a whole number.
.W4	Read the letter alphabetically and the number as a decimal: .W4 is after .W39 and before .W42.
1977	Read in chronological order.

Finding Journal Articles--print and online

The Library provides access to trade and scholarly journals, as well as popular culture magazines. Trade journals focus on practical advice for restaurant management and professional chefs. Popular culture magazines are of interest to both the general public and food professionals. Magazines, journals, and newspapers are known as periodicals. Current copies of print periodicals are shelved behind the Reference Desk and back issues are shelved on the second floor. To find out which periodicals the Library has in print, search the Library Resource Catalog by Journal Title. The following print periodicals may include articles that relate to international cuisines:

Expanded Academic ASAP
Provides full-text articles in the social sciences, humanities, and non-technical general sciences areas, including cookery and other cooking-related topics. Within the Library  Outside the Library

General Reference Center Gold
Provides full-text articles from general interest magazines. Includes abstracts for Gourmet and Bon Appetit. Within the Library  Outside the Library

Lexis-Nexis Academic
Provides full-text articles from national and international papers that include restaurant, food, and wine reviews.

Using Selected Web Sites

Country Studies
Provides access to country information, including history, economics, religious beliefs and social customs.
http://lcweb2.loc.gov/frd/cs/cshome.html

Global Gourmet Destinations
Gives 36 country profiles, including sections on country background, what to eat, menu guide, and representative recipes.
http://www.globalgourmet.com/destinations/

Ohio State University Extension: Cultural Diversity - Eating in America Fact Sheets
Asian http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5253.html
Mexican-American http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5255.html
Middle Eastern http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5256.html
Puerto Rican http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5257.html
Vietnamese http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/5000/5258.html

Yahoo! Directory Government Countries
Provides links for official government Web sites. Look for links to the Ministry of Culture and/or Tourist Bureau for information relating to native food and cuisine.
http://dir.yahoo.com/Government/Countries/

3/2005
Reference contact:
Norma Gahl
Information Services Librarian
Tel. 617-730-7008
Email ngahl@newbury.edu