greatgrandmother.org's editor picks
Book List for 2009: From Mario Capozzoli, Editor of GreatGrandmother.org
The Anthropology of Food and Body: Gender, Meaning, and Power… Carol M. Counihan
Indeed, an academic treatment of the topic. A bit challenging for me at first to take a trip back to my college days, but I found soon that the knowledge in the book was fascinating and eye opening—especially about how the making, thinking, and eating about food (in different cultures) reveals culturally determined gender-power relations in diverse societies. A friend of mine (if I can call her that) read this not long ago and it has been on my list to tackle.
Are You Going to Eat That? Reflections of a Culinary Thrill Seeker…Robb Walsh
Before we had Travel Channel showing us a fat guy and a classically-trained ex-chef browsing the world’s cuisines, we had Robb Walsh, known as the “Indiana Jones of food writers.” Will certainly push the envelope on what to cook for supper tonight!
The Armchair James Beard…edited by John Ferrone
Selected writings on food and drink by America’s culinary master. Along with MFK Fisher and Julia, among a small group of others, Beard stands tall. I like it because he brings classic French dishes to life and de-constructs them in simple language.
The Art of Eating…M.F.K. Fisher
This compilation of Fisher’s essays is superb—so much so that you can pick up the book, read a little, and change your mind mid-essay as you begin another. Includes: Serve It Forth, Consider the Oyster, How to Cook a Wolf, The Gastronomical Me, and An Alphabet of Gourmets. Oh, if we would only sup this way again.
Food and Culture: A Reader …Carole Counihan and Penny Van Esterik
Looks globally into the social, symbolic, and political-economic roles of what and how we eat. Examines some of the meanings of food and eating across cultures, with particular attention to how genders define themselves through their foodways.
The Gastronomical Me…MFK Fisher
This book is a large colorful painting. I read this book in the fall, when I am yearning to think about cooler nights spent around my harvest table with an assortment of fascinating, eccentric characters. I’d immediately transport myself back to Fisher’s table if I could…and even wash the dishes!
Home Cooking: A Writer in the Kitchen…Laurie Colwin
I have several of Laurie’s books on the topic. Warmly written by a delightful author who touched her readers, before her untimely death in 1992, with words that a great grandmother (and great grandson) would love.
How We Eat: Appetite, Culture, and Psychology of Food…Leon Rappoport
An informative book about the history of eating, as the authors takes us through a journey of cultures and eating habits that have helped shape our histories and relationships with others. He starts us at the stone age and takes us through our modern day celebrity chef world. This well-sourced book may be a bit academic for some.
Is There a Nutmeg in the House? Essays on practical cooking…Elizabeth David
Many people have applauded Elizabeth David for having introduced the British to good food. Having eaten many meals in London and outlying areas, I cannot say that her teachings stuck (other than Indian cuisine, which was not her doing). But this does not detract from her writings, which can be somewhat technical and “inside baseball” for the common household cook. For instance, her definitions and descriptions of bread flours is perhaps one of the most comprehensive I have read (outside the Kind Arthur cookbooks!)
It’s a Long Road to a Tomato: Tales of an organic farmer who quit the big city for the (not so) simple life…Keith Stewart
This is a personal story of a man who has made a profound decision about his life and work. I’ve read the book twice and find it fascinating and at times exhilarating…and even exhausting. The illustrations by Flavia Bacarella are deliciously simple and tell an equally joyful story.
The Man Who Ate Everything…Jeffrey Steingarten
From the eponymous judge on America’s Iron Chef, this food critic for Vogue reminds us what it’s like to eat outside of our comfort zone, only to find that our zone is broader and more far-reaching than we thought.
Molecular Gastronomy: Exploring the Science of Flavor…Herve This
An approachable work on an unapproachable topic that has turned the culinary profession on its ear. From Paris to Chicago, from New York to Madrid, newly defined and prepared foods push our definitions and bamboozle our senses…especially our eyes. Not sure I would like this sort of thing, but with six-month waiting lists for reservations, the world’s hand full of restaurants serving this type of food are laughing all the way to the bank.
Organic Gardening, Rodale’s Ultimate Encyclopedia
A through Z and everything in between. This thick reference is easy to handle and covers everything from landscaping to fruit gardening, answering most of the challenges that today’s gardeners face. A birthday gift from a friend, this book has become my summer companion.
The Raw and the Uncooked: Adventures of a Roving Gourmand…Jim Harrison
The Dallas Morning News calls Jim “Our ‘poet laureate of appetite’” and I tend to agree. With fans like Jane and Michael Stern who regularly appear on NPR and uber-chef Mario Batali, he’s got quite the reputation for muscular, yet brilliantly economic style. A great book for summer reading, where you can pick up the book and put it down when your kid needs you to watch him jump in the lake!
Slow Food: Collected Thoughts on Tastes, Traditions, and the Honest Pleasures of Food…Carlo Petrini
The original volume of slow food articles from the people behind the movement. Not necessary to own, but probably a good idea to borrow from your local library. Fun, fast essays by lots of different authors from all over the world.
Super Natural Cooking…Heidi Swanson
Five ways to incorporate whole and natural ingredients into your cooking. Lovely photos taken by the author, who is an accomplished cook, purveyor, and blogger. Swanson does not preach. She offers ideas in a well-crafted, logical, and easy to read format. Very well researched stuff. I love this book. This is my whole foods bible for this Web site. Heidi is brilliant!
The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation…David Kamp
Good writing. Solid stuff. But more historical than entertaining. Even so, Kamp takes us through an American culinary journey where we immediately recognize the players—which is rare for an historical book. Names like Child, David, and Beard lay the foundation for Trotter, Lagasse, and Batali.
What to Eat…Marion Nestle
A classic before its time. This book takes you through aisle by aisle of the market, speaking to each food group. Written by one of our time’s best minds on the topic of food, nutrition, and food politics and business. A great reference.
My favorite food writers and menu makers:
Rick Bayless: takes you deep into Mexico. Be careful, as his recipes are not easy. A bit too spicy for some. Take your time. His food requires time, love, and patience. It’ll be worth it.
James Beard’s Fireside Cookbook is the place where I start when I want to drink martinis all night long! This is really your great grandmother’s food.
Marion Rombauer Becker’s Joy of Cooking is still one of my top four go-to books when I’m stumped or simply lazy. Her son has done a good makeover. The book is complete and gets better with time.
Julia Child and Simone Beck’s double volumes of Mastering the Art of French Cooking still reigns supreme. I often whip up a classic soufflé just to remind myself of my culinary school days.
Craig Claiborne’s books are simply fun. And those he wrote with Pierre Franey is even more fun. You feel New York in the 50s and 60s with these guys. You are captivated and taken back to a rare moment in Camelot.
Auguste Escoffier’s Le guide culinaire is another go-to book in my pantry. The mothership for traditional French cuisine.
Marcella Hazen is my choice for the best Italian (not Italian-American) cook. And since she smoked all her life, her recipes seem richly spiced (most likely so that she could taste it on a tongue inflamed with tobacco smoke). Turns Italian-American traditions on their heads.
Barbara Kafka is insightful. Useful books. All experienced chefs refer to her.
Mollie Katzen was ahead of her time when it comes to vegetarian cooking, with the Enchanted Broccoli Forest and The Moosewood Cookbook. I have given more of these books away than I can remember, and I always replenish my stock at yard sales and used bookstores.
Thomas Keller. We’ll, what can be said? He’s America’s best chef, hands down. (I ate at the French Laundry before he owned it and during his first year of ownership. It was great before and even better than great when he took over the kitchen!) His NYC restaurant, Per Se, is delicious as well. Be careful, though, as his recipes are not for the novice. As a culinary school graduate myself, with my pro kitchen set up, his recipes are still quite challenging.
Diana Kennedy’s Mexican cuisine is different than Rick Bayless’s take on the food, but equally inspiring. Mexican food is my first choice; the food of my childhood in Los Angeles. I’m biased. My favorite food is Mexican, done the L.A. way. Give me an east L.A. taco truck and a cold one any day of the week.
Graham Kerr, the Galloping Gourmet, got stuck in the food world in the 70s…and got lost there. But if you want a killer cheese fondue recipe, he’s got it! Apres ski, anybody? (I think of him as the original Austin Powers!)
Frances Moore Lappe’s Diet for a Small Planet, along with the Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, merged politics and food sourcing together, on a broad scale, for the first time in America. If you want to read about the epicenter of our modern day food politics, these two authors started it all.
Deborah Madison was the tour d’force at Greens, an awesome restaurant in an old industrial area in San Francisco. When I first ate at Greens, I was astounded that someone could bring fruits, vegetables, and non-animal products to life like Madison did. She’s since gone on to write the best of the best in veggie cooking and yet I still do not have a copy of her book in my library (although I have browsed through it many times).
Mark Miller’s Coyote Café cookbook, the one with the bright yellow cover with the howling coyote is New Mexican cuisine at its best, taking your mind on a journey to Taos.
Jaques Pepin is my favorite all time chef. His knife skills bring me to my knees. Then he smiles and disarms you and makes you feel like you can cook anything if you put your heart into it. And he paints just as well as he cooks. A true master and inspiration.
Ruth Reichl’s books are funny and loaded with Jewish humor—my favorite. She's a world-class food editor, writer, and opinion-setter.
Julee Rosso and Sheila Lukins hit it big in the 1980s with their Silver Palate brand—books, mixes, dressings, etc. They did a good job holding on. I still look at the books at least once a month.
Michael Ruhlman’s The Soul of a Chef and his other books are part reporting and part culinary journey. Brings back memories of when I got into the weeds (which was often!) I tend not to have the fortitude to perform well in the commercial kitchen, although I have had all of the jobs in many restaurants.
Jeremiah Tower has left the scene, yet his contribution to California Cuisine is legendary. He made my 30th birthday dinner when he owned Stars in San Francisco (when Emily Luchetti was his pastry chef) and I have never been the same since.
Charlie Trotter’s books about cooking at home are the only ones that are readable. His arrogance in the kitchen (probably somewhat deserved) made his first cookbooks un-useable as well.
Alice Waters and her Chez Panisse world are admirable. I especially like her take on vegetables, and given that the vegetables were the best part of the meals that I once ate at her restaurant in Berkeley, I’d go with a sure bet. Alice is the true inspiration and spirit behind California cuisine.