Let us break bread and celebrate our diversity. Desmond Tutu's prefatory words stand aptly as the gateway to Marcus Samuelsson's remarkable African fusion cookbook. Samuelsson is something of a fusion himself: He was born in Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, and now stars as a chef at Manhattan's Aquavit. The 204 recipes in Soul of a New Cuisine don't attempt to transform African cooking into an elite Westernized delicacy; instead, they exhibit the versatility and resourcefulness of its mostly poor practitioners. The author opens the book with a detailed description of spice blends and rubs, condiments, sauces, and dips; then he discusses salads and sides, soups and stews, vegetables, breads and sandwiches, fish and seafood, poultry, meat and game, and desserts and drinks. A truly eye-opening cookbook.