Introduction Food can be a comfort to the reading mind as well as to a hungry stomach. The enjoyment of nonfiction books about food and cooking can come from different sources. Some people enjoy learning about food preparation or experiencing the high pressure life popular culinary masters. But whether the storyteller is a celebrity chef or a relative unknown, these narratives provide a wealth of details about cooking as well as a glimpse into the history of common food items. The Naper Blvd. Adult Services Department encourages you to sample these chronicles to find a tasty morsel that will appeal to your palate.
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Cod: A biography of the fish that changed the world
by Mark Kurlansky
North Atlantic cod were once valued like gold or oil. Cod was the most commonly eaten fish in the western world, one of the most valuable items of trade, and played a central role in the history of North America and Europe. The search for cod is what brought Europeans across the ocean and encouraged the Pilgrims to settle in Massachusetts. It fed financed the slave trade, was the first frozen food, and changed the modern laws of the sea. Whereas North Atlantic cod were once so plentiful they would bump into each other in the water, today cod have nearly been fished out and their threatened disappearance is a tragedy that will affect the lives of many. Kurlansky tells about the immense impact the cod- fishing industry has had on the economics, diplomacy, and societies throughout history, as well as the dangers of over-fishing. He also provides a wide variety of interesting recipes for cod dating back to the days of the Vikings. -- Karen T.
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French Lessons: Adventures with knife, fork, and corkscrew
by Peter Mayle
Peter Mayle travels to various villages in France to attend food and drink related festivals, such as a Snail Festival, A Frog-legs Festival, Chicken Festival, Truffle Festival, Cheese Festival, a wine auction, and a marathon race in the Bordeaux vineyards where the runners refresh themselves with red wine. Mayle also visits a spa where he receives “La Cure” via steam, massage, high-pressure showers, mineral water and of course, wonderful low-fat food. His adventures take him across many villages in France, and he depicts the French people who he meets on his travels with humor and tolerance. -- Debra G.
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Passion on the Vine: A memoir of food, wine and family in the heart of Italy
by Sergio Esposito
Sergio Esposito provides a fast-paced retelling of his early life and reasons for leaving Italy to come to America. His early life growing up near Naples, Italy culminated in his interest in wine and his ultimate desire to educate people about the amazing variety and production methods of Italian wines. Esposito's interest in wine develops began during huge Italian dinners with family members filled with familial closeness. In Italy, his education continues as he learns of the many types of wine and methods of production. His interesting and energetic storytelling encourages the reader to explore the world of Italian wines. -- Debra G.
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Eating Animals
by Jonathan Safran Foer
Jonathan Safran Foer is a novelist who ventures into nonfiction with this book on ethics and the environment surrounding the use of animals as a food source. Foer combines personal stories from his own life and eating experiences with factual data and short narratives from others on animal life on factory farms. Foer also provides reasons for converting to a vegetarian diet based on his investigation. Unlike other nonfiction ethical food writing, like Fast Food Nation, the book injects a certain amount of humor and breaks up space by including short sections so the book is easy to pick up. -- Marissa K.
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How to Pick a Peach: The search for flavor from farm to table
by Russ Parsons
Parsons has written a handy reference and fun to read. He classifies fruits and vegetables by season and tells you not only how to pick the best ones, but also how to store and prepare them. A short history of each fruit and veggie is given, along with several simple recipes for enjoying them. The language is factual but entertaining. -- Linda B.
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The Apprentice: My life in the kitchen
by Jacques Pepin
Well-known food personality Jacques Pépin describes his life journey from the kitchens of his mother’s small-scale restaurants in rural France to his current status as author of more than 20 cookbooks, veteran of more than a dozen PBS cooking series, and dean at the French Culinary Institute in New York City. His passion for food and cooking led to his leaving school at 13 to enter the rigorous and highly structured French apprenticeship system, followed by a series of increasingly responsible positions in rural and then Paris restaurants. Moving to New York in the early 60s, he accepted a job in product development for the Howard Johnson’s restaurant chain over a position as chef in the Kennedy White House (been there, did that for President Charles de Gaulle in France) because he enjoyed his free-wheeling NY lifestyle. Serendipitously, Pépin came to the U.S. just when a culinary culture was developing, and fell into friendships with Craig Claiborne, Pierre Franey, and Julia Child. A devastating car accident when he was 39 got him out of restaurant kitchens and into teaching and cookbook writing. He describes all of this unpretentiously, with enthusiasm and good humor. Each chapter concludes with one or two favorite recipes.-- Beth M.
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My Life in France
by Julia Child
This is a playful and nostalgic memoir of the famous chef’s experiences in France with her beloved husband Paul. Her senses awakened by delicious French food, she completed the professional course at the Cordon Bleu, started an informal cooking school with friends, and labored intensively on her most famous cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Compiled from Julia’s and Paul’s letters of the time and illustrated by Paul’s photographs, the book was completed after her death by her grandnephew. Julia’s sense of humor, joie de vivre and love of all things French are delightfully conveyed. -- Beth M.
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I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti
by Giulia Melucci
Melucci, who has a background in publishing, tells the story of her love-life from college through early midlife, listing the recipes she used to catch the men, sustain the relationships, then comfort herself when they fizzled out. Drawing from her Italian-American background, she starts with basic recipes like pasta and sauce and develops her culinary repertoire as time goes on, even though after a number of short- and long-lived relationships she has yet to find Mr. Right.-- Beth M.
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Heat: An amateur's adventures as kitchen slave, line cook, pasta-maker, and apprentice to a Dante-quoting butcher in Tuscany
by Bill Buford
As a reasonably comfortable cook Bill Buford wondered if he had what it took to work in a professional kitchen.After meeting celebrity chef Mario Batali he gets an opportunity to work in the kitchen of his three star New York City restaurant “Babbo’s” .Buford takes us along for the ride of his life as he works for Batali, goes to Italy to learn the art of pasta making from a family in a remote village and the art of butchery from a famous Italian butcher.This fast paced narrative weaves personal stories with food history and restaurant culture; bigger than life celebrity with family recipes handed down through the ages. -- Diana J.
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We've Always Had Paris -- and Provence: A scrapbook of our life in France
by Patricia Wells
Patricia Wells is a widely-recognized American writer on French food, a former restaurant critic for the International Herald Tribune, and the author of 10+ books about food and cooking. Her husband Walter spent 25 years at the International Herald Tribune, working up to executive editor. Temporary job assignments gradually morphed into more than 30 years spent in Paris and Provence, where they purchased an 18th century farmhouse. Each in turn reminisces about their experiences. -- Beth M.
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