![]() Because of the author's familiarity with all aspects of the subject we are offered this rara avis: a book which interests the specialist and the general reader which allies common sense with scholarship and which presents the theory and practice of medieval cooking for the scholar and the practitioner. A foreword by Beatrice Fink places Flandrin's work in context and offers a personal remembrance of this French culinary hero.Ī compendium on practically all aspects of the art of cooking and dining. As France's most illustrious culinary historian, Flandrin has become a cult figure in France, and this posthumous book is not only his final word but also a significant contribution to culinary scholarship. Instead he regards it as a historical phenomenon, one that happened in response to socioeconomic and cultural factors - another mutation in an ever-changing sequence of customs. But in Arranging the Meal, the late culinary historian Jean-Louis Flandrin argues that such a change in the order of food service is far from a distinct event. The most famous example of such a change occurred in the nineteenth century, when service à la française - in which the stunning presentation made a great show but diners had to wait to be served - gave way to service à la russe, in which platters were passed among diners who served themselves. Most food writers have treated the more significant alterations as stand-alone events. The sequence in which food has been served at meals has changed greatly over the centuries and has also varied from one country to another, a fact noted in virtually every culinary history. Information from literary and archaeological sources has been brought together for the first time to give insights into this important aspect of Anglo-Saxon life.Īn extensive index enables the reader to quickly find specific information.Īrranging the Meal: A History of Table Service in France Used as payment and a medium of trade, food was the basis of the Anglo-Saxons' system of finance and administration. This provides a vast amount of information (544 pages) at a reasonable price.Ī picture is provided of how food was grown, conserved, prepared and eaten during the period from the beginning of the 5th century to the 11th century.įood production for home consumption was the basis of economic activity throughout the Anglo-Saxon period and ensuring access to an adequate food supply was a constant preoccupation. ![]() The two earlier books A Handbook of Anglo-Saxon Food and A Second Handbook of Anglo-Saxon Food & Drink have been brough together in one volume. Silphium, garum, mulsum, allec, sapa are just some of them.A journey back in time through ingredients and recipes, from the republican age to the empire, to rediscover an extraordinary culinary tradition that will satisfy, still today, the most refined palates. Cooks focus on providing unique sensorial experiences through the learned use of ingredients that belong to our history, now almost forgotten. ![]() Agronomists tell the life in the countryside, showing the farming techniques and the preparation of common preserves, from cured meat to cheese, vegetables, fruit. ![]() Writers and poets celebrate its beauty, complexity, decadence, and at the same time, its simplicity. Ancient Roman Cooking: Ingredients, Recipes, SourcesĪncient Roman gastronomy was famous for an incomparable skill in the art of pairing the ingredients, with its Mediterranean flavors and healthy balance among the aromas.Many sources record the greatness of Roman cuisine.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |