Peter Kaminsky

Review first published on my blog: http://memoriesfrombooks.blogspot.com/2012/11/culinary-intelligence.html

The subtitle to Culinary Intelligence - the art of eating healthy and really well - describes its purpose. Peter Kaminsky is a long time food writer. Over time, his career in food led to unhealthy eating habits and health concerns. This book culls his experience and lessons learned in his journey back to health. In that sense, it is another diet book.

As far as diet books go, this one show more mirrors the ideas of many that have come before. Eat for quality not quantity. Buy the best ingredients and then cook them well. When you eat flavorful, satisfying food, you are satisfied with smaller portions.

The author coins the concept of "flavor per calorie" or FPC. The goal of his diet becomes to maximize FPC. Some of the ways in which he does this stem from his worldwide experiences in the food industry. As such, I did not find some of the ideas or examples applicable to my life.

My favorite part of this book was the focus on the idea summarized in the quote above. These days, so much of the food literature focuses on nutrients - calories, fat, protein, carbohydrates, macronutrients, antioxidants and so on. I liked that this book highlights that food is not simply the sum total of its parts, but it can be something more. While focus on nutrition is key to a healthy body, we need to keep in mind more than that to evolve an overall healthy lifestyle. show less

I like to read food blogs and restaurant reviews, but I sometimes wonder, why aren't these people obese or diabetic? Well, here's a book written by a food writer in response to just that. Kaminsky writes in his opening chapters about his experience as a food writer and how he reconciled that with his doctor's advice to lose weight and eat more healthfully. Though some of the stories he tells about extravagant and fanciful meals are beyond the average cook, his advice about using flavors, show more quality ingredients, portion sizes, and smart choices are easily adoptable. The prose is enjoyable and readable. I particularly liked his chapter about eating on the road since I will be making a cross-country road trip in a few weeks. show less

Though it is contains quite a bit of what some would consider to be 'conventional wisdom' for educated eaters, it strikes a really nice balance of storytelling, food lust and dietary wisdom.

I'd really recommend it to anyone who has less than ideal eating habits and who might be easily put off by reading a standard nutrition or diet book. Peter's got a great writing sensibility and has clearly been around the block a few times. One part jaded New Yorker, one part clever chef uncle, one part show more foodie, one part common sense nutritionist equals some good umami. I plan on gifting it to a few people. show less

Kaminsky is off in search of the perfect ham. It takes him from Kentucky, to Burgundy; from North Carolina to Andalusia. He does barbecue and soul food and French cuisine (and shares a few of the recipes. He rails against the pork agri-business in the United States--and extols the wonders of what is often called heritage pork. Just reading this makes one hungry. It's a misnomer to call this a cookery book--there are just a handful of recipes, not even one per chapter.