Is it possible for a recipe book to be placed under a different light than that of a plain tool in the hands of the modern consumer?

Sometimes these books, which from a first glance seem colorless, and dull texts with guidelines for the production of various recipes, may actually have a touch of romanticism, nostalgia for the past, just like those old photographs, which on their own can tell past, just like those old photographs, which on their own can tell a story. It is those stories and memories that help in keeping alive the traditions and the identity of a nation, a society. This book deals with the society of Evia, the most beautiful Greek area, which according to Isokrates, ...was superior to all the other Greek islands in its dominance at sea and in many other virtues.

(from the introduction of the book)