Sandler and Acton claim a venerable pedigree for soup--the oldest imaginable, in fact, as in a historical introductory note they trace its lineage back to the "primordial soup" from which life emerged billions of years ago. They offer no recipe for this DNA broth, so our attention tends to turn to the recipes which they do give. The soup-producing regions of the world have been plundered for these, to exhilarating and often eye-opening effect. Stews have, for the purposes of this book, been reclassified as soups, with which of course they share a sloppy, uncertain boundary. Many recipes are vegetable-based, with a garnish of grilled or otherwise cooked meat. The principles of fusion cooking float lightly over the whole project. A few samples from a really delectable collection to get the juices running: "Chicken, Asparagus and Tarragon", "Mussel and Saffron", "Islamic Fish and Chickpea Stew", "Dhal with Roasted Tomatoes", "Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup", "Michigan Morel Soup", "Zimbabwean Peanut and Pepper Stew", "Tortilla Soup with Wontons". --Robin Davidson