Vegetarian Epicure

by Anna Thomas

A friendly informal tone and some splendid recipes have made this a perennial bestseller. For all who love the fruits of the earth and the art of cooking. A classic with almost a million copies sold to date.

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Nonfiction, Vegetarian, Reference, Culinary

305 pages, Paperback

First published May 12, 1972

About the author

Anna Thomas is the author of The Vegetarian Epicure cookbooks and a screenwriter. She lives in Ojai, California.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Linda Watson · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was sixteen, my parents let my sister and I each pick one book to buy for our three-week camping vacation. I picked The Vegetarian Epicure. I read it cover to cover and over and over again that summer. When we got back home, I used it to cook vegetarian meals for my family. They had let me quit eating meat as long as my mother didn't have to do any extra cooking. My mother is part Polish, so these recipes were not only delicious but familiar, which helped us all adapt to my new eating style.

The Vegetarian Epicure book remains one of my favorites and a standard for what a good cookbook should be. I've worn out one copy and bought another. Thanks, Anna Thomas, for all the great recipes, warmth, and encouragement.

[Evie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Even though half of the book are recipes I wouldn't use, I have to give this book four stars because I love grassroots publications from the 70s. There's something about a book with charming illustrations of natural living, printed in brown ink on unbleached paper that warms my heart. I also appreciate when the ink budget is so tight that only three colours are used (which usually end up being brown, green, and orange). References to smoking grass don't hurt either.

I look forward to trying many of the recipes, especially some of the deserts, which sound simple, fresh and light. I would have appreciated this book much more if the recipes weren't so heavy on eggs, butter, and cheese. Part of my shift to vegetarianism is to focus on lightening up my diet and adding variation, not just taking out the meat.

[Bobbi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most people would not put a cookbook in a list of books to read. However, Anna Thomas includes narrative of her relationship with food, entertainment, and life that is really a good read in itself. The food (recipes), by the way, is fabulous. She has the best hummus recipe ever.

[Ellen Falls · Rating 4 out of 5]

Used it so much over the years, it is in shreds. Perennially useful.

[Cynthia Paschen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of our first cookbooks and very useful for a young cook. I just had to replace our copy, as it was in dozens of pieces.

Favorite recipes:
Pizza Rustica
Cheese Souffle
Eggplant Parmigiana
Sharp Vinagrette Salad Dressing

My only criticism of these recipes is they tend to be cheese and butter-heavy. I know the later edition of Vegetarian Epicure lightened up a bit, but I still rely on this edition on a regular basis. I made the cheese enchiladas so often as a newlywed that I was asked to cease and desist with the cheese enchiladas. It might be time to bring them back.

[Tama]

I agree that the grass smoking references in this book were pretty d---- funny...You're not going to see THAT in any other entertaining section of a cookbook anytime soon, folks.I love the artwork as well,and I'm looking forward to making the spinach lasagna....Oh, the book is very small-I expected it to be quite large, but it's packed with some good stuff...and no, i don't smoke, but thanks for asking...

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, way back when, when I was a lacto-ovo vegetarian, before I went vegan, this and its sequel were my favorite cookbooks. I don't cook that often, but I actually made many of the recipes in this book and they were delicious. I have not picked up the book since my first attempts to go vegan in 1988 as there were so many vegan cookbooks to try, but for a decade, this book was indispensable. The few omnivorous friends I subjected to my cooking, very much enjoyed the food as well. I guess it’s dated now but I’ll bet the results taste just as good as they did thirty years ago.

[Tim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Back when I was a youngster first exploring vegetarianism, I was given this book for Christmas, making it the first cookbook I have ever owned. I have hung onto it all these years, partly for sentimental reasons, and partly due to the book being a nicely made artifact. From what I see looking around, this was a key book in the vegetarian/natural foods movement, and it has sold over a million copies and is still in print. The Vegetarian Epicure helped pave the way for a number of cookbooks and that followed it. As such, it is a little dated and I don't find myself using it much anymore. Some of the recipes are still quite good, and Thomas tries to not make things too complicated. She draws on several different cuisines - e.g. Eastern European, Italian, and Indian - and provides a range of dishes for many occasions. This would still be a good choice for someone new to vegetarian cooking.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my favorite vegetarian cookbooks. I bought it back in the 70's (when it was new) when I was trying to make a Thanksgiving dinner for a couple of vegetarian musicians my husband was playing with at that time. Although I am an omnivore, I do enjoy good vegetarian recipes upon occasion, and this one is full of them. Besides individual recipes, there are menu plans for holiday feasts and hints on creating menus. Being in Spain without my cookbook collection, I was elated to find this one available for Kindle, and snatched it up. Going back through it was a pleasure and I look forward to making some of my old favorites, and maybe some of the others I passed up back then.

[Jessica · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a vegetarian cookbook, it's fine in an unreconstructed hippie sort of way, but the best part of this book is the introduction, in which the author offers suggestions on how to entertain, noting that certain dishes are wonderful for snacking "if grass is smoked socially in your home" and your guests develop "the munchies."

UPDATE: Some friends and I just started a project where each week we are going to cook from a different cookbook in our collections and try to get through all of them in a year. The first book on my top shelf was the Vegetarian Epicure, so I gave it another read. Lots of tasty-sounding recipes that don't skimp on dairy products, with a particular emphasis on Greek, Middle Eastern, and Eastern European dishes. I made the "Blonde Lentil Soup" and found it nice and a little different -- it has basil and lemon flavors, unusual for lentil soups -- though it could use being kicked up a notch. I have a feeling many of the recipes could use a good shove into the 21st century, flavor-wise.

[Joan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book when it first was published and I had just become a vegetarian. So for me it is like my vegetarian bible. I loved the recipes. This is not low calorie or fat free but just a lot of great recipes.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although it can be a little hard to get hold of a copy now (unless it has been reprinted), it is well worth the effort.

Be careful with the desserts though. I put on 5 lbs. every time I read some of my favorite dessert recipes, without even lifting a whisk!

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book (& the second volume) were my go-to cookbooks in the 70s. They have aged somewhat (I cook in a much healthier way these days) but there are still great recipes here.

[Kathy Satterfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my first cookbooks as a newlywed in the 1970s, which set us off on a seven year vegetarian odyssey. Keep in mind this was pre-cookbooks with photos. You have to use your imagination!

[Denise Joy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book. I've read sections again and again over the years. The recipes are great for creating really delicious vegetarian food that rivals non-veg dishes. Both this book and the second volume contain several recipes that I've used as again and again, or that I've used as a starting point for my own creations. One of the best things about this book is that you get some little bit of understanding of the different cuisines in each section. I love that there's enough here to learn to create a basic Indian or Mexican or Italian, etc. meal. The reason for the four stars rather than five is that I do have a strong preference for cookbooks with photos...but I have to say, these recipes are written well enough so that you don't need the photos. My old copy got ruined and I promptly searched out a used replacement since this book is out of print.

[Villa Park Public Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

262 recipes for tasty vegetarian dishes, from soups and breads to eggs and cheese dishes, even sweets and special treats for the holidays. The ingredients are easily found and the recipes are very flexible. Even if you are not vegetarian, this book will give you some delicious side dishes and inexpensive meals to try.

Find this book in the SWAN catalog

[Genine Franklin-Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this cookbook. So many wonderful recipes, and stories to go with them. I got it many years ago, and liked it then. I've recently reread it, and like it even more. It reminds me of old times, when I lived in Berkeley and then in Humboldt County,California (on the northern California coast, redwoods and ocean - heaven.)

[Juli Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love a hippie cookbook, and this is the hippiest of them, for sure! This one is a little unusual in being slightly less wheat-germy than they usually are, with recipes more aligned with the bourgeois tastes of the time. But the references to casual psychedelic use and the wacky line drawings are pure 1970s.

[Jonathan Kauffman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Anna Thomas was the first vegetarian cookbook author to write about meatless meals hedonistically, with no mention of health or nutrition or spiritual purity. Even today, the food's rich (really rich) but delicious.

[Ania Gaska · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are not easy, simple recipes. They are for celebrating, hosting, and spending a lot of the time in the kitchen and I really hope I can live a life where I can cook regularly from this cookbook.

[Cherie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can we say, hello 1970s vegetarian cookbooks? MSG, heavy cream, lots of dairy, a definition of penne...love this type of book, so retro. Fun to browse, many recipes were totally outdated and obvious to me as a vegetarian in 2022....but still, a classic!

[Nancymimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first cookbook I ever bought, and I still use it. Wonderful soups, breads and entrees. I still recommend it to everyone who loves to cook.

[Kelly Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recipes

I do enjoy a vegetarian cookbook. haven't tried any of the recipes yet, but looking forward to testing a few!

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Revisiting an old favorite

[Stormy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was a wedding gift and I still make the macs and cheese with bechamel sauce. Also, the corn bread recipe is the best you can find.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I learned to cook from this cookbook and I still consider it to be one of the best guides for beginning cooks, vegetarian or not.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another pivotal book in my life

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

262 recipes for tasty vegetarian dishes, from soups and breads to eggs and cheese dishes, even sweets and special treats for the holidays. The ingredients are easily found and the recipes are very flexible. Even if you are not vegetarian, this book will give you some delicious side dishes and inexpensive meals to try.

[Carole · Rating 4 out of 5]

My dad gave this book to me, which is kind of weird, what with the pot references, but I have to say that, although I've only actually tried a few recipes in this book, I give it 4 stars because it has my absolute most favourite EVER cornbread recipe. I don't generally eat large portions of much of anything, but I could eat the entire batch of that cornbread. It's just *that* good.

Darn it. Now I'm going to have to bake some.

[Josephine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just another vote for "amusing trip down memory lane"; boy, haven't we come a long way in terms of tasty vegetarian food, now! That said, it's still worth owning, although by no means suggesting it be the only vegetarian cookbook, much less the first. I inherited my mother's copy, and treasure it for her rating system of "spots"--i.e. how stained that recipe's page got in the course of returning to it.