The Food of France
by Waverley Root
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Description
A celebration of French cuisine and culture, from a culinary adventurer who made his mark decades before Anthony Bourdain arrived on the scene. Traveling through the provinces, cities, and remote country towns that make up France, Waverley Root discovers not only the Calvados and Camembert cheese of Normandy, the haute cuisine of Paris, and the hearty bouillabaisse of Marseilles, but also the local histories, customs, and geographies that shape the French national character. Here are the show more origins of the Plantagenet kings and Rabelais's favorite truffle-flavored sausages, and the tale of how the kitchens of Versailles cooked for one thousand aristocrats and four thousand servants in a single day. Here, too, are notes on the proper time of year to harvest snails; the Moorish influences on the confections of the Pyrenees, where the plumpest geese are raised; and the age of the oldest olive tree in Provence. In short, here is France for the chef, the traveler, and the connoisseur of fine prose, with maps and line drawings throughout. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Fantastic book for my research needs. Root strikes a conversational tone as he explores France region by region, beginning each chapter with a brief historical and geographical overview before getting to the juicy part, the food. The book is certainly dated--the most recent wine recommendation that I recall was for 1961--but that was fine by me, as I primary wanted information in relation to the 16th and 17th centuries. I will be referencing this book often in the coming months!
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Author Information
17+ Works 1,604 Members
Common Knowledge
- Important places
- France
Classifications
- Genres
- Nonfiction, Food & Cooking, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 641.0944 — Applied Science & Technology Home economics & family management Food, Cooking & Recipes / Meals, Picnics standard subdivisions History, geographic treatment, biography Europe France
- LCC
- TX360 .F67 .R6 — Technology Home economics Home economics Nutrition. Foods and food supply
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 259
- Popularity
- 124,660
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (4.35)
- Languages
- English, German
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 4
- ASINs
- 4
