The Wilder Shores of Gastronomy: Twenty Years of Food Writing

By Alan Davidson

In 1979, a remarkable culinary congress took place at Richard Olney's kitchen table in London, where he was entertaining Alan and Jane Davidson. Stumped by an edict from his publishers at Time-Life,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1580084176
• ISBN13: 9781580084178
• Release Date: November 2002
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press
• Length: 512 Pages
• Weight: 1.98 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.3" x 1.6" x 6.3"

Customer Reviews

Extraordinary Collection of Culinary Essays, some quite deep

`The Wilder Shores of Gastronomy', edited by Alan Davidson and Helen Saberi, from articles selected from the journal `Petits Propos Culinaires' is comparable to those hefty books of collected papers we typically studied in advanced undergraduate and graduate Philosophy classes. In the world of culinary studies, most of these articles are just as weighty as theoretical studies of concepts such as `memory', `explanation', `space', `time', and `meaning'. The big difference between philosophical investigations and culinary `research' is that culinary investigations have no methods of their own. Virtually all culinary studies are really studies of botany, philology, chemistry, history, geography, or even jurisprudence. The thing which commonly sets the very best culinary research apart from these other studies, especially in the hands of its greatest practitioners such as Elizabeth David and her disciples, Jane Grigson, Alan Davidson, and Claudia Roden is the great sense of fun in carrying out this research simply because it is fun to do. Although this very English journal with the very French name is filled with relatively light, enjoyable pieces by a wide range of writers, it was created by a collaboration of Elizabeth David, Alan Davidson, and Richard Olney for a very serious, practical purpose. Richard Olney had just been given the role of editor in chief of the Time-Life series of books on `Food of the World'. And, the publishers insisted that no recipe be printed in these volumes unless it had previously been published. This put Olney in a bind, as he had perfectly good recipes that were not allowed, as they had not already appeared in print. Soooooo... the renowned Ms. David and her henchmen create the food journal `Petits Propos Culinaires' (PPC) and promptly run two articles by Richard Olney, writing under two different pseudonyms, and Olney has his published recipes. Both articles appeared in Issue 1 of PPC, but only `Aubergine Gratin' by pseudonym Nathan d'Aulnay is collected in this anthology. A sense of the range of issues covered by PPC can be seen by looking at the section names under which the 71 articles are collected. There are: Scoops and Distant Beachheads, highlighted by a three article series by a great number of collaborators doing a whimsically canted but very serious investigation into the woody `Bois di Panama', an apparent ingredient in an important Lebanese confection especially popular around Easter. Culinary History, featuring an article by Claudia Roden on Arab influences on western cooking, including the finding that that very French technique of the braise can be traced back to Arab practice. On Your Plate, featuring an article on the varieties of olive oil. While most articles are pretty arcane, some few, like this one, may be old hat to dedicated foodies, especially as olive oil is such an important ingredient these days. Books and Cooks, including, sadly, memorial essays by Davidson on M.F.K. Fisher and Eliza

Funny, Fascinating, Informative. Better than Best!

From the pages of an small English food journal, "Petits Propos Culinaires," available only by subscription, comes a remarkable anthology, a veritable page turner. Started in 1979, by Sara and Alan Davidson and shaped by the views of Elizabeth Davidson and the immediate requirements of Richard Olney (you'll just have to read the intro), PPC set out to explore the less trammeled areas of food study.The results - a distillation of 20 years - range from the hilarious (an experiment in cooking while driving, "Manifold Absurdity") to the erudite (restoration of a 1670s manor kitchen, "Ham House"). Most essays contain elements of both. The book is divided into seven sections, the articles briefly described in a succinct chapter introduction and each article headed with a background note. The book begins with "Scoops," and includes an exposé on the identity of the trendy red peppercorn, the origin of Summer Pudding and the ongoing labors of INTERSPI, the intercontinental spicy mystery detectives, in sniffing out the humble origins of a spice with a fancy name. "Culinary History" explores the Japanese evolution of British curry rice, "An Experiment in Bronze Age Cooking," and the history of hunting and eating herons, while "On Your Plate" focuses on particular dishes, such as the ins and outs of snails, the real deal on olive oil and the infamy of eggplant."Books and Cooks" includes "Breakfast with Jane Austen" (delightful!), food with Chekhov and Rossini and a Thai funeral cookbook. "Exotica" has several related pieces on the culinary charms of worms and snakes as well as an American mountain boy's 19th century observations of trail food. While many of the essays feature recipes, the "Recipes" section homes in, including a must-try strawberry jam, a Russian Easter Kulich and a pine-scented mussel feast. "Notes and Queries" is the journal department for odds and ends, letters from and to the editors on any number of obscure subjects, from politically correct food terminology to French kitchen fads.Not all of the writers are professional food writers (though many of the best are present) but the writing is, without exception, lively and personable, even though most of the essays come with source notes. There are lots of inside jokes, but the reader never feels left out, and the essays are fascinating, informative and witty. This should be a hit with anyone interested in food (who isn't?) and should win PPC armies of new subscribers (contact info provided on the last page).

An excellent collection of articles about Food

Those of you who are familiar with Petits Propos Culinaires have probably already purchased a copy of this book. In short, this book is what you would expect it to be. A collection of articles from the best journal concerning food history and exotica available in the English language.