Food Writing

An account of the history and alchemy of olive oil; and how the finest artisanal oil-manufacturers - rooted in the deep south of Italy - are endangered by the international-wide corruption of the billionaire oil barons who are destroying the reputation of one of mankind's oldest and most versatile products. The best Italian extra-virgins are made by authentic craftsmen, who combine traditional wisdom and cutting-edge technology to produce the fi nest oils. However, top Mediterranean producers are being steadily driven from the ma... read more

The popularity of Italian food all over the world is ever increasing. Unhampered by any sense of superiority, and unburdened by the weight of a great classical tradition, Italians cook and eat in the ways they have known and trusted for generations, absorbing new influences while cultivating and maintaining a distinct and esteemed gastronomic tradition. Lovers of Italy, the Italian people, and their cuisine, from the general ravioli revering public to those with specialist skills and interests, will welcome this new A-Z reference. ... read more

Barbara Kingsolver opens her home to us, as she and her family attempt a year of eating only local food, much of it from their own garden. With characteristic warmth, Kingsolver shows us how to put food back at the centre of the political and family agenda. "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" is part memoir, part journalistic investigation, and is full of original recipes.

For thousands of years we have grown, cooked and traded food, and over that time much has changed. Where once we subsisted on gritty, bland grains, we now enjoy culinary creations and epicurean delights made with vegetables from the New World, fish trawled from the deep sea, and flavoured with spices from the Orient. But how did we make that change from eating for survival to the innovations of modern cuisine? How has food helped to shape our culture? And what will happen when global warming and peak oil have their inevitable effec... read more

Before Mrs Beeton there was Eliza Acton, whose crisp, clear, simple style and foolproof instructions established the format for modern cookery writing, leading to her being called 'the best writer of recipes in the English language' by Delia Smith. Including such English classics as suet pudding, raspberry jam, lemonade and 'superlative mincemeat' as well as evocatively-named creations like 'Threadneedle Street Biscuits', 'Baron Liebig's Beef Gravy' and 'Apple Hedgehog', these recipes advocate using the best produce available to cr... read more

Written as part memoir, part instruction, and part contemplation, Tomorrow's Table argues that a judicious blend of two important strands of agriculture--genetic engineering and organic farming--is key to helping feed the world's growing population in an ecologically balanced manner. Pamela Ronald, a geneticist, and her husband, Raoul Adamchak, an organic farmer, welcome us into their lives for roughly a year, allowing us to look over their shoulders and see what geneticists and organic farmers actually do. We learn how the couple... read more

In 1615, the poet and writer Gervase Markham published an extraordinary handbook for housewives, containing advice on everything from planting herbs to brewing beer, feeding animals to distilling perfume, with recipes for a variety of dishes such as trifle, pancakes and salads (not to mention some amusingly tart words on how the ideal wife should behave). Aimed at middle-class women who would share in household tasks with their servants in the kitchen, this companionable and opinionated book offers a richly enjoyable glimpse of the... read more

The flamboyant Frenchman Alexis Soyer was the most renowned chef in Victorian England. This is his colourful account of his time at the front in the Crimean War, where he joined British troops in order to improve the quality of the food they were eating. Divulging the secrets of preparing stew for 1000 soldiers, sharing sweetmeats with a Turkish Pacha, and teaching a Highland regiment to cook with his pioneering gas-fuelled 'field stove' that would be used by armies up until the Second World War, Soyer gives a vividly enjoyable les... read more

Whether extolling the merits of a cheerful breakfast tray, conjuring up a winter picnic of figs and mulled wine, sharing delicious Tuscan recipes, or suggesting a last-minute pre-theatre dinner, the sparkling writings of the society hostess and philanthropist Agnes Jekyll describe food for every imaginable occasion and mood. Originally published in "The Times" in the early 1920s, these divinely witty and brilliantly observed pieces are still loved today for their warmth and friendly advice and, with their emphasis on fresh, simple,... read more

A rapturous appreciation of pork crackling, a touching description of hungry London chimney sweeps, a discussion of the strange pleasure of eating pineapple and a meditation on the delights of Christmas feasting are just some of the subjects of these personal, playful writings from early nineteenth-century essayist Charles Lamb. Exploring the joys of food and also our complicated social relationship with it, these essays are by turns sensuous, mischievous, lyrical and self-mocking. Filled with a sense of hunger, they are some of th... read more

Colonel Wyvern, stationed with the army in Madras during the height of British imperial rule, opened a cookery school upon his return to England and was a passionate enthusiast for both European and Indian cuisine. In these vivid, common-sense and entertaining writings, he gives advice on re-creating French classics in the steaming heat; describes tiffin parties and cooking while at camp; and laments the declining popularity of curry in the Raj, providing foolproof recipes for curry powder, tamarind chutney, korma and 'mulligatunny... read more

Pellegrino Artusi is the original icon of Italian cookery, whose legendary 1891 book "Science in the Kitchen and the Art of Eating Well" defined its national cuisine and is still a bestseller today. He was also a passionate gastronome, renowned host and brilliant raconteur, who filled his books with tasty recipes and rumbustious anecdotes. From an unfortunate incident regarding Minestrone in Livorno and a proud defence of the humble meat loaf, to digressions on the unusual history of ice-cream, the side-effects of cabbage and the F... read more

Writing for domestic servants in a conversational, accessible way, eighteenth-century housewife Hannah Glasse disapproved of French terminology and fussiness, instead favouring simple dishes that are still cooked today - a preference that has earned her the reputation of 'the first Domestic Goddess'. With recipes for rice pudding, beef rump, barbecued pork, trifle and even the first recipe in Britain for 'Curry the Indian way', as well as tips for choosing your ingredients and cures for the bite of a mad dog, this is an elegant and... read more

Acclaimed "New Yorker" journalist, novelist and poet, Calvin Trillin is also America's funniest and best-loved writer about food. This selection of some of his wittiest articles sees him stalking a peripatetic Chinese chef, campaigning to have the national Thanksgiving dish changed to Spaghetti Carbonara and sampling the legendary Louisiana boudin sausage - to be consumed preferably 'while leaning against a pickup'. Eschewing fancy restaurants in favour of street food and neighbourhood joints, Trillin's writing is a hymn of praise ... read more

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Gabrielle Hamilton's childhood home in rural Pennsylvania, with her four siblings and her parents who threw grand parties (hundreds of guests came to enjoy the pigeon pies and baby lambs roasted over wood fires) was thrilling, magnificent. But when her parents divorced and the family scattered, Gabrielle was left, aged thirteen, almost alone in the empty house for the summer. Forced to fend for herself, she drew on the hours spent watching her adored mother at the stove, and got a kitchen job in the nearest town. The riotous... read more

Whether to escape the rat race or to help save our environment, people are getting back to nature. Allotments and green spaces have never been so popular, seasonal and local produce is the order of the day, and the healthy nostalgia of growing heirloom vegetables is unquestionably and delightfully in vogue. A Potted History of Vegetables embraces this idea by reaquainting the reader with the origins, nature, and peculiarities of the world's produce. Combining beautiful reproductions of the finest nineteenth century botanical illust... read more

With buying local or gathering and harvesting your own fruit very much in vogue and heirloom varieties enjoying a renaissance, here is your opportunity to discover the origins, nature and personalities of everyday and unusual fruit. Combining exquisite botanical illustrations with fascinating facts and practical tips for growing and enjoying your own produce, A Potted History of Fruit unearths a wealth of kitchen and garden knowledge. Whether it's the creation of the cubic watermelon, the electric power of the lemon, or a guide to ... read more

Did you know that the Cornish pasty was invented to protect tin miners from arsenic poisoning, or that the word 'salary' comes from Roman soldiers being paid their wages in salt? Why do we eat goose (or turkey) at Christmas? Is the Scotch egg actually from Scotland and what did some retired crusaders have to do with French toast? Who was the original Earl Grey and what sauce was inspired by Parliament? What dish was invented by Greek bandits on the run? Why were hot cross buns seen as magical and what's so rebellious about a haggis... read more

Japan is the pre-eminent food nation on earth. The Japanese go to the most extraordinary lengths and expense to eat the finest, most delectable, and downright freakiest food imaginable. Their creativity, dedication and ingenuity, not to mention courage in the face of dishes such as cod sperm, whale penis and octopus ice cream, is only now beginning to be fully appreciated in the sushi-saturated West, as are the remarkable health benefits of the traditional Japanese diet. Inspired by Shizuo Tsuji's classic book, "Japanese Cooking, A... read more