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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2009 10:23:07 GMT
We've touched on a couple great food writers in the Library in Biographies; Julia Child,MFK Fisher being two of them.
I happed upon the following writer when I ran across a book I wanted to give to a friend on the subject of oysters as he is a lover of all mollusks. It's kind of a personal joke between us because when he moved to New Orleans he went to the neighborhood fishmonger and inquired after clams. The proprietress(fishmongeress?) quickly informed him "Son,you must be new in these parts,this is an oyster town".
Anyway,the writer is Eleanor Clark(who just happens to be the wife of Robert Penn Warren). Her wonderful book is THE OYSTERS OF LOCMARIAQUER (won the National Book Award in 1965).It portrays a little town on the northwest coast of France of the same name whose inhabitants have a special position in the world. It is their efforts that maintain the supply of Belon oysters,called les plates ("the flat ones"). a vivid account of the cultivation of these prized shellfish is also lush with myths,legends and history of Brittany and its people.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2009 10:27:03 GMT
Didn't know whether to put this here in the Galley or in the Library,I defer to the powers that be on this.
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Post by bazfaz on Mar 8, 2009 10:59:57 GMT
There is a book called Blue Trout and Black Truffles by someone called Wechsburg (I think). It is full of anecdotes about an era that has long vanished.
He gives no recipes but he gives descriptions. I remember his one for carp..
You put a live carp in a big pot and change the water frequently but don't feed it. It cleans itself and gets rid of any muddy taste. After a week the carp is ravenous. Throw in a lot of fresh herbs and the carp gobbles them up. When all the herbs have been eaten pour in a bottle of riesling wine, put the pan on the stove and bring it to the boil.
Et voila.
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Post by Jazz on Mar 8, 2009 15:55:13 GMT
Here are a few that I have and enjoy:
The Physiology of Taste, 1825, Brillat-Savarin, translated by M.F.K. Fisher.
This is a wonderful read about food. He is famous for his aphorisms,
"Tell me what you eat and I shall tell you what you are."
"He who plays host without giving his personal care to the repast is not worthy of having friends."
"To invite people to dine with us is to make ourselves responsible for their wellbeing as long as they are under our roofs."
The Victory Cookbook, Wartime Edition, 1943.
The Food of France, 1958, Waverly Root.
He was a foreign correspondent in Europe for fifty years. 'A celebration of richly varied cuisine, The Food of France is also a spirited illumination of the French soul...in short, here is France for the chef, the traveller and the connoisseur of fine prose.'
Two very good and very funny books by Anthony Bourdain,
Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly
A Cook's Tour: In Search of the Perfect Meal
Last Chance to Eat: The Fate of Taste in a Fast Food World, 2004, Gina Mallet.
This book discusses the dismal fate of much of our food in a historical context...chapters such as 'The Last Brie' , 'The Lost Kitchen Garden' and 'The Ox is Gored'.
The Ethnic Paris Cookbook, 2007, Charlotte Puckette and Olivia Kiang-Snaije.
A delightful book. Each page is richly and beautifully illustrated with sumptuous colours. It is a culinary journey throuout Paris, the Maghreb (Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia), Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos and China, Japan, Africa sur Seine, Lebanon and Syria. Each chapter begins with the history of the particular ethnic group in Paris. The recipes are clear and delicious.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 8, 2009 17:28:02 GMT
Didn't know whether to put this here in the Galley or in the Library.... I applaud your decision to put it here! It's a specialized class of book and might as well be discussed and appreciated around our dining table here. I would love to read the Eleanor Clark book -- I'm completely unfamiliar with her. Waverly Root is a wonderful food writer. I've read his "The Food of Italy" and Time-Life's "The Cooking of Italy". I believe he also wrote the Wines & Spirit book in that series. Checking just now, I was surprised to find that MFK Fisher was the author of Time-Life's "The Cooking of Provincial France", one of the loveliest in that series & the book that started me out cooking. Both of those Bourdain books are hugely readable. Anyone planning to visit Mexico should read Nancy Zaslavsky's "A Cook's Tour of Mexico". Her writing style is breezy and perky to a fault, but she efficiently introduces her readers to regional cooking that may well be unknown to them. Her enthusiasm is infectious and you learn quite a lot from her. |
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Post by Deleted on Mar 8, 2009 18:44:08 GMT
I loved that Cook's Tour of Mexico book,I turned so many people onto it.
Another one I have but have only skimmed and got rave reviews is ON FOOD AND COOKING:The Science and Lore of the Kitchen by Harold McGee. I don't see anything on seafood in the index so I'm not real excited about it.
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Post by Don Cuevas on Mar 9, 2009 19:46:05 GMT
Just about any book by Jefferey Alford and Naomi Duguid is fascinating reading.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 9, 2009 19:53:00 GMT
I have a copy of The Ethnic Paris Cookbook, and I think it is magnificent.
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Post by bixaorellana on Mar 14, 2009 17:22:06 GMT
Hmmm ~~ I notice that Calvin Trillin is missing from the list. His book, Alice, Let's Eat, is pure fun to read. Think of Bill Bryson writing about food.
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Post by Jazz on Apr 7, 2009 6:36:16 GMT
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Post by Jazz on Apr 7, 2009 7:13:02 GMT
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Post by lagatta on Apr 7, 2009 16:53:25 GMT
Oh, I want The Ethnic Paris Cookbook - haven't seen it here. Have read (but not bought) several books on ethnic food shops and restaurants in Paris, but no recipes. We have a similar book for Montréal, but once again, no recipes, so I read it and take notes - I'd buy it with recipes.
Elisabeth David for many classics and for allowing Brits to discover olive oil, garlic and fresh vegetables of France, Italy and other countries southwards of the British Isles.
Claudia Roden, from A Book of Middle Eastern Food (I have an early edition bought in a charity shop for $2 Canadian) to her monumental Book of Jewish Food and many other books on the cookery and social and cultural history of the Mediterranean and Middle East.
I'll be reading the Okinawa Program, but find the Cretan Diet more culturally comfortable for me. Probably a lot of the recommendations are similar, but I'm sure the utter lack of certain pet foods, such as cheese, in the Japanese diet would make me feel hungry and craving.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 7, 2009 19:06:04 GMT
I have a copy of the Ethnic Paris Cookbook and it is excellent -- and that's a real compliment coming from me because I am a nitpicker on the tiniest little details of Paris, whether written by 'outsiders' or locals.
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Post by Deleted on Apr 11, 2009 11:04:26 GMT
A wonderful book,Curry,the story of,by Shrabani Basu. Explores the history of Curry.
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 12, 2010 17:15:40 GMT
Looking at this thread again, I see that when Don Cuevas posted about Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, I didn't know who they were. Since then, I read a great profile on them in the 11/24/08 New Yorker. This is only the abstract of the article, but a good introduction to them. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 12, 2010 18:49:04 GMT
Looking at this thread again, I see that when Don Cuevas posted about Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid, I didn't know who they were. Since then, I read a great profile on them in the 11/24/08 New Yorker. This is only the abstract of the article, but a good introduction to them. The profile was fabulous. I did not know them either until I read it. |
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Post by Jazz on Jan 13, 2010 2:06:16 GMT
Thanks for finding the original thread, Bixa. Michael Pollan: Like you Casi, I love his writings on food, especially The Omnivore's Dilemma and In Defense of Food. He has influenced me more than any other contemporary writer on food. I am totally sympatico with his food thoughts and he has shifted me into eating seasonally and locally. He is also , simply, a great writer...for me, a 'page turner'. I am fortunate to have a Saturday market which is only two blocks from where I live, in the restored 'Wychwood TTC Barns". Is this the New York Times article that you are talking about? www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html?_r=1&scp=2&sq=michael+pollan&st=nytLagatta, I didn't realize that M.P. contributed regularily to the NYT. I searched and there are hours of great reading! I am happy that you are trying out and liking some of the Ethnic Paris recipes...I suppose that you can find many of the special ingredients at the Jean Talon market? I have only read a few of MFK's essays, Christina, but agree that she is a remarkable food writer. My first encounter with her was her introduction to Brillat Savarin's, The Physiology of Taste. Over the winter, I will read The Art of Eating. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 13, 2010 2:46:05 GMT
I can't take the credit, Jazz -- Casimira found it. Has anyone read Zarela Martínez? As a writer, she is certainly not in the league with any of those mentioned above. However, when she curbs her tendency to over-write, her ebullience and enthusiasm for her subject is infectious. I have her "Food & Life of Oaxaca", which is valuable for its accuracy, but the writing in it puts my teeth on edge. However, "Zarela's Veracruz" has a co-author and is immensely readable. It's also a travelogue and history and could be read on that basis alone. Seafood lovers would be enthralled by this book. |
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Post by Deleted on Jan 13, 2010 11:51:14 GMT
Once I read M.F.K. Fisher,I guess perhaps an essay of,I then proceeded to read everything I could get my hands on of hers even some biographical stuff after I ran out of her own writings. One book of hers,"Here Let Us Feast' is superb.
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Post by traveler63 on Jan 13, 2010 15:05:31 GMT
I just found this thread. There is a book that just came out called The Great Book of Chocolate. It is by David Lebovitz. He is a chef, lives in Paris and has a blog. I am just starting to read the book,. It is amazing, gives you a lot of history of chocolate and then there are the recipes. He worked in the pastry department at Chez Panisse for 12 years, he trained at the Ecole Lenotre in Paris and attended Callebaut College which is a chocolate school in Belgium. If you know about Marcel Desaulniers( Death by Chocolate) then you will really enjoy this book. I did a chocolate cake recipe called For Chocolate Lovers Only from Marcel's Desserts to Die For. It took Mr. T63 and me 6 hours to do it from start to finish. It was beyond belief. Also, Dorie Greenspan, author of Paris Sweets highly recommends this book. Here is the link; www.davidlebovitz.com/He is into all things sweet. His last book before this one is Living the Sweet Life in Paris. I love his site and he has wonderful other recipes. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 13, 2010 15:30:03 GMT
Does everyone here know about Jessica's Biscuit? I know it from their paper catalogs, but the website may be even more satisfying. Cookbook and food book lovers, be warned -- this is a dangerous place for you to venture! That said, the prices are fantastic and there are lots of freebies and deals. Just for fun, put the words food writing in the search engine, then browse at random through the over 3100 results. www.ecookbooks.com/ |
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Post by lagatta on Jan 13, 2010 17:22:15 GMT
Yes, almost all the ingredients for the Ethnic Paris cookbook can be sourced at and around Jean-Talon Market; there is a knot of Sino-Southeast Asian food shops near the corner of Jean-Talon and St-Denis. And there is an African shop there now! I mean Subsaharan, primarily West Africa; there have been many Maghrebi and Middle Eastern (above all Lebanese) shops around here for years. The Asian shops are run mostly by people of Chinese origin but who had lived for generations in Vietnam and Cambodia, so they have foods from all that huge region.
The only food nationality less represented around here from the book is Japanese, but that is also true in Paris. Here too there is a Japanese Cultural Centre in this area, a bit to our north. They have a lovely bazaar every spring, with quality Japanese grocery items, homemade sushi and bedding plants, including fresh herbs grown organically by a lovely gentleman of a certain age.
I'm hoping to organise a little Creole supper soon and asking for donations from friends, for Haiti. We did that when a hurricane devastated the tiny island of Grenada, as we have friends from there. But Grenada has far better government and organisation than Haiti; in the latter case we have to see our mite of help actually reaches the survivors. Will definitely make dishes out of the book.
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Post by Deleted on Jan 19, 2010 12:04:06 GMT
While out to dinner last week I was ecstatic to see that one of the finest food publications I have seen emerge in the past few years,finally make it's debut here in NOLA. Way overdue IMHO,but,we have a way of being a little behind national trends.
The publication is called EDIBLE and is a family of magazines (free locally) that are published in over sixty locations throughout the country. Their mission,to connect members of their community with the local foodways in their region. From Seattle to Austin to Memphis to Queens,telling the stories of how their communities farm,fish,cook,and eat their food.
I first became familiar with this publication while were in Long Island during the evacuation from Katrina in 2005.The encounter was memorable because ,as I sat there browsing through it ,I encountered photographs from the 1940's of my father's family and our farm. There dumbfounded I sat, staring at photos of my grandfather,my uncle,my Aunt Bertha and then my father atop an old farm truck. I was able to track down the source of these photos and get copies made.But,I digress...
The debut of EDIBLE,NEW ORLEANS pays homage to New Orleans' culinary roots and the folks who are devoted to preserving food traditions. Some of the highlights are: snacking on free oysters at a neighborhood bar in the Seventh ward:the history of a German restaurant that was an institution for almost a century,and visit adouille makers in LaPlace.
Also celebrated are newer influences in the culinary make up NOLA. A look at a Honduran woman who spun a home-cooking operation into a bustling operation that serves some of the most delicious and unique food in the city. Also,a goat farmer whose top-quality meat is providing a new local source for a popular protein.
There are also food stories(and stunning photos) that reflect an evolution of New Orleans food,something new growing out of established traditions.(A portable pig roasting box,AKA,"a Cajun microwave"),that allows Louisianans ,urban as well as rural,to produce their own bit of boucherie and a spotlight of a Vietnamese bakery whose French bread makes a perfect banh mi sandwich and a fine shrimp po-boy too.
I will most certainly enjoy highlighting these in the days to come.
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Post by lagatta on Jan 19, 2010 14:49:15 GMT
Yum. Do native Louisianians eat goat's meat - it is very popular in the Caribbean. We made curried goat for Grenada and may well do a variation for Haiti.
I'll be looking forward to those pieces.
The German restaurant closed? Is that because of Katrina, or just shifting demographics?
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 19, 2010 17:43:28 GMT
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Post by Deleted on Jan 20, 2010 3:32:00 GMT
Yum. Do native Louisianians eat goat's meat - it is very popular in the Caribbean. We made curried goat for Grenada and may well do a variation for Haiti. I'll be looking forward to those pieces. The German restaurant closed? Is that because of Katrina, or just shifting demographics? Yes, Lagatta,goat meat is very popular here in NOLA and increasingly moreso over the years.(used to see it only in Carribean restaurants) NOLA chefs have come to appreciate it and have incorporated it into their menu offerings with the shift toward more old-world cooking and higher end (and local)ingredients. The leaning in some of the finer restaurants is more toward braising and roasts as opposed to sautes,big tall plates and ten thousand garnishes  I plan on doing a feature on 'The Man Who Stares At Goats". As for the German restaurant,Kolb's,it shut down in the 1990's. Not sure of the details but remember it well,as it was truly a NOLA icon. The sign remains up as a painful reminder. They had a traditional German menu but also incorporated some Creole dishes so, it was not uncommon to see a Redfish Courtbouillion served up aside pig knuckles and sauerkraut. The family were also involved in the local beer brewing industry. |
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Post by bixaorellana on Jan 21, 2010 17:53:58 GMT
Goat was always eaten in Louisiana, but not in great quantities, and mostly by people who remembered it from a rural childhood. In my hometown, there was one person who could provide goat meat, if you ordered in advance so it could be slaughtered and prepared. So, as you see from Casimira's reply, it's mostly something reintroduced from other cultures. Admittedly, N.O. is historically influenced by Caribbean culture, but contemporarily not as much as the close ties between Cuba and Florida, for instance.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 14, 2010 12:29:24 GMT
Acquired a wonderful book on peppers,entitled "Peppers",by Amal Naj. A wide ranging disquisition that is part travelogue,social history,cooking and eating and growing of the ubiquitous capsicum in all it's forms. A great,great read!!! (245 pages).
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Post by Jazz on Mar 15, 2010 16:03:43 GMT
Two more good reads,
The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten. He was a food writer for years for the New York Times and this is a collection of very funny essays. If you are a perfectionist and love food, you have to read this.
The other is Food Matters by Mark Bittman. He comes closest of all food authors that I have read, to expressing how I feel about food. (even more so than Michael Pollen) The first part of the book is his philosophy of food, the rest offers some wonderful simple recipes and menus.
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Post by Deleted on Mar 15, 2010 16:37:36 GMT
Yes,"Food Matters' is a gem of a book,I loaned mine out and need to retrieve. (I still prefer Pollan's early garden writings so I agree with you on him,I can't help but think of him otherwise.  ) |
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