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.
Patricia Bunning Stevens is the author of Merry Christmas! A History of the Holiday. More info →
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Paperback
978-0-8214-1233-6
Retail price: $18.95,
S.
Release date: October 1998
320 pages
Rights: World
Hardcover
978-0-8214-1232-9
Retail price: $35.00,
S.
Release date: October 1998
320 pages
Rights: World
America’s Collectible Cookbooks
The History, the Politics, the Recipes
By Mary Anna DuSablon
America’s Collectible Cookbooks is a wonderful concoction of gossipy morsels and serious reflection about cookbooks and cookbook authors. Although the names Fannie Merritt Farmer, Eliza Leslie, Sarah Josepha Hale, and Irma Rombauer are familiar to generations of American books, few know how really extraordinary these women were.
Chuck Wagon Cookbook
By Beth McElfresh
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Introduction by Joseph C. O’Mahoney
No chuck wagon feed is complete without its basic ingredients of beans, beef, hot biscuits, apple pie, and lots of coffee. Beth McElfresh shows you how to host the all–time chuck wagon feed with easy–to–follow recipes.Included are original recipes for boiled apple dumplings, lima beans baked with steak, and general, everyday useful tips, all from the renowned Western cook, Hi Pockets.
Cincinnati Recipe Treasury
The Queen City’s Culinary Heritage
By Mary Anna DuSablon
What better way to discover Cincinnati’s culture than by its recipes? From daily fare to savoir faire, the kitchens of this tri–state area have been producing a unique cuisine throughout its 200-year history.The finest old and new “secret formulas” have been collected from many sources including club and church cookbooks and handwritten notes.
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