Rare Bits: Unusual Origins Of Popular Recipes

Stevens, Patricia Bunning

ISBN 10: 0821412337 / ISBN 13: 9780821412336

Published by Ohio University Press (edition 1), 1998

About this Item

The item might be beaten up but readable. May contain markings or highlighting, as well as stains, bent corners, or any other major defect, but the text is not obscured in any way.

Seller Inventory # 0821412337-7-1

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Rare Bits: Unusual Origins Of Popular Recipes
• Publisher: Ohio University Press (edition 1)
• Publication Date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0821412337
• ISBN 13: 9780821412336
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition: 1.
• Condition: Fair

About this title

Synopsis

In terms of geological time, good cooks are a young species. They‘ve been evolving for a scant half a million years, since fire was first tamed and tended. Rare Bits is a delightful and illuminating account of humankind’s progression from skewering meat to whipping up a batch of Strawberries Sarah Bernhardt.

The range is wide, from Bismarcks to Green Goddess dressing. Stevens provides much food for thought as she delves always deeper, brushing aside spurious anecdotes to find the truth. This is culinary history at its most appetizing.

Stevens brings serious historical research to a neglected field, her lively prose underscoring the fact that cooking may be one of the most civilized and civilizing of human activities. Understanding the serendipitous, eccentric, or historic origins of famous recipes deepens appreciation for the loving gestures they represent. The beautiful cakes that mark the milestones of our lives, the Chicken Divan prepared by the smiling young couple, Mom’s hearty Beef Stroganoff, and the Oysters Rockefeller consumed by candlelight are a precious legacy. Rare Bits indeed.

Reviews

This is primarily a culinary history and only secondarily a cookbook?not surprisingly, since the author is a historian. The stories of how particular recipes developed and were named are extremely interesting and well written, particularly regarding baked goods. The preparations of cakes, pies, breads, and cookies are clear and easy to follow, and the stories behind them are fascinating. Recipes for savory foods are not as well presented. A bibliography covering culinary and more general historical sources is included. Other titles, such as John Mariani's The Dictionary of American Food and Drink (LJ 2/15/94) are more comprehensive though not as much fun to read. Recommended for collections with a strong interest in food history. Index not seen.?Mary Martin, CAPCON Lib. Network, Washington, DC
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.