Showing titles in Gastronomy

The definition of 'healthy eating' has been chewed up, spat out and re-digested enough times to make Joe Public give up and seek out their nearest branch of McDonald's. Our mindless obsession with eating 'right' is such that we're now more concerned about what our Instagram followers think of a poorly lit picture of our dinner than we are of its effect on our own palate. Or, indeed, our happiness. We seem to be living in a time where we no longer eat with our hearts, emotions or heritage - but with what our waistlines (and followers) in mind.

Dominick Thompson comes from the West Side of Chicago, where he was lured into the drug trade, as much for comradeship as for power and money. One summer, he agreed to a last hustle. It was a sting, and Dom went to federal prison. It was there in his darkest hour that he had the revelation that brings us Eat What Elephants Eat—to heal his body and soul, he vowed never again to harm another sentient being. Like the peaceful, intelligent African giants, he would start by eating only plants, too.

Welcome to "The Sip and Savor," where your culinary adventure awaits at the turn of every page. Embark on a gastronomic journey that goes beyond the conventional, exploring the exquisite alchemy of food and drink pairings tailored to every occasion, season, and palate. Begin your taste odyssey with "The Essence of Pairing: An Introduction," indulging in the philosophy that marries the intricate worlds of cuisine and libations. Delve into the annals of pairing history, grasp the complexities of flavor profiles, and awaken your senses to new dining dimensions. Elevate your epicurean knowledge...

The Pedant's ambition is simple. He wants to cook tasty, nutritious food; he wants not to poison his friends; and he wants to expand, slowly and with pleasure, his culinary repertoire. A stern critic of himself and others, he knows he is never going to invent his own recipes (although he might, in a burst of enthusiasm, increase the quantity of a favourite ingredient). Rather, he is a recipe-bound follower of the instructions of others. It is in his interrogations of these recipes, and of those who create them, that the Pedant's true pedantry emerges.

In Italy, five-star restaurants and celebrity chefs may seem, on the surface, a part of the landscape. In reality, the restaurant industry is as tough, cutthroat, and unforgiving as anywhere else in the world - sometimes even colluding with the shady world of organized crime. The powerful voice of Leonardo Lucarelli takes us through the underbelly of Italy's restaurant world.

From fish and fiddleheads to salmonberries and Spam, Alaskan cuisine spans the two extremes of locally abundant wild foods and shelf-stable ingredients produced thousands of miles away. As immigration shapes Anchorage into one of the most ethnically diverse cities in the country, Alaska's changing food culture continues to reflect the tension between self-reliance and longing for distant places or faraway homes.

In the 19th century, when books were comparatively rare and expensive, encyclopedic compendiums about managing households became very popular. The most notable example in this genre is Isabella Beeton's Book of Household Management, first published in 1861. Three years later, Edward Abbott, who described himself as an “Australian Aristologist”, published The English and Australian Cookery Book, which has the subtitle Cookery for the many, as well as the for the ‘upper ten thousand’.

Mokhtar Alkhanshali is 24 and working as a doorman when he becomes fascinated with the rich history of coffee and Yemen's central place in it. He leaves San Francisco and travels deep into his ancestral home to tour terraced farms high in the country's rugged mountains. He collects samples and organizes farmers and is on the verge of success when civil war engulfs the country. Saudi bombs rain down, the US embassy closes, and Mokhtar has to find a way out of Yemen with only his hopes on his back.

This book explores the idea that table activities - the mealtime rituals of food preparation, serving, and dining - lay the foundation for a proper education on the value of civility, the importance of the common good, and what it means to be a good citizen. The arts of conversation and diplomatic speech are learned and practiced at tables, and a political history of food practices recasts thoughtfulness and generosity as virtues that enhance civil society and democracy.

Which cheese do you think is the most expensive in the world? How large was the wheel of cheddar given to Queen Victoria as a wedding present? And what cheese did Napoleon enjoy most as his army swept through Europe? Narrator Charles King answers these questions and more as he talks us through 101 Amazing Facts About Cheese. Whether you’re an experienced cheese buff and want to discover some interesting and little-known facts or you’re simply interested to know more about the process of cheese making, this is the perfect book for you.

Charles E. Hires and the Drink That Wowed a Nation chronicles the humble origin and meteoric business success of this extraordinary entrepreneur. Author Bill Double uses published interviews, correspondence, newspaper reports, magazine articles, financial data, and a small family archive to tell this story of native ingenuity. Here, the rough-hewn capitalism of the gilded age, the evolution of the neighborhood drugstore, the rise of advertising in creating mass markets, and the emerging temperance movement all come together in a biography that fizzes with entrepreneurial spirit.

Better Than Homemade is food biographer Carolyn Wyman’s freewheeling and entertaining cultural history of the innovative packaged foods that changed the way we eat. It highlights the fascinating stories behind the food inventions; the histories behind the brands and icons that have become synonymous with them; the jingles that have made them such a large part of our popular culture; and the recipes that have tutored generations of homemakers and comfort-food master chefs.

Smart, short, and just a touch silly, This Is a Book for People Who Love Hot Sauce is exactly that - a book for people who love hot sauce. For devoted fans and casual enthusiasts alike, this charming guide is nothing short of a celebration of capsaicin. An introduction to the condiment's storied history and traditional producing regions, as well as its significance in popular culture, is paired with engaging profiles of more than two dozen of the world's most tongue-singeing sauces.

Do you want an edible experience? Would you like some culinary guidance from a local? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then this Eat Like a Local book is for you. Eat Like a Local - Gothenburg by Christina De Paris offers the inside scoop on food in Gothenburg Sweden. Culinary tourism is an import aspect of any travel experience. Food has the ability to tell you a story of a destination, its landscapes, and culture on a single plate. Most food guides tell you how to eat like a tourist.

Indulge in a delicious journey through the fascinating history and cultural significance of chocolate with 'Beyond the Wrapper'. From the sacred beverage of the gods to the modern-day chocolate creations that grace our social media feeds, this captivating nonfiction book takes you on a journey through the ages, exploring chocolate's fascinating evolution and cultural impact. Discover how the Olmec and Maya civilizations first cultivated the cacao plant and how the beverage of the gods was transformed into a sweet delight. Learn about the rise of chocolate in Europe, from the indulgent ...

Introducing "Untold Japan" by Kazuki Tanaka—an enticing culinary odyssey through the lesser-known flavors and traditions that define Japan's diverse regional cuisine. Join Tanaka on a gastronomic adventure as he uncovers the hidden gems of Japanese food, spotlighting regional dishes, unique ingredients, and rich culinary traditions. In "Untold Japan," Tanaka serves up a delectable narrative, inviting readers to savor the essence of each region's distinctive culinary offerings. From the quaint street stalls of Kyoto to the vibrant markets of Hokkaido, this book explores the unexplored ...

Spending time in nature is good for both our bodies and minds - but with our hectic lives (not to mention the unreliable British weather), it can be hard to get outside as much as we'd like. But fear not: we've selected some of BBC Radio 4's best nature documentaries to transport you to the great outdoors - and encourage you to take your own trip into the wild.

Curry is a dish that doesn't quite exist, but, as this wildly funny and sharp essay points out, a dish that doesn't properly exist can have infinite, equally authentic variations. By grappling with novels, recipes, travelogues, pop culture, and his own upbringing, Naben Ruthnum depicts how the distinctive taste of curry has often become maladroit shorthand for brown identity. Ruthnum sinks his teeth into the story of how the beloved flavor calcified into an aesthetic genre that limits the imaginations of writers, readers, and eaters.

Helen Thorpe, author of a trio of award-winning books about the experiences of immigrants, refugees, and veterans, has turned her writerly lens on her own family, neighborhood, and ethnicity. In Finding Motherland, Thorpe shares seven essays she has written on the related themes of family, food, and migration, sharing observations about race and privilege.

Author Bruce Jarett has put together a must-have entertaining guide for people who love to cook and want to know the inside scoop when it comes to professional cooking tips. His humorous advice on shopping methods, food preparation, serving guests, understanding recipes, and dealing with common kitchen mishaps, is enjoyably spot on - fun to listen to, and will prove to be an invaluable go-to manual for the home cook and for professional chefs.