- A Book of Mediterranean Food

by Elizabeth David

Other authorsClarissa Dickson Wright (Foreword)

Paperback, 2002

Status

Available

Call number

641.59

Genres

Collection

Your library

Publication

NYRB Classics (2002), Edition: 2nd, 222 pages

Description

A Hay Festival and The Poole VOTE 100 BOOKS for Women Selection A Book of Mediterranean Food is Elizabeth David first book, and made her a favourite with foodies everywhere. Originally published in 1950 A Book of Mediterranean Food is based on a collection of recipes she made while living in France, Italy, the Greek islands and Egypt. She gives us hearty pasta and polenta dishes from Italy; aromatic and tangy salads from Turkey and Greece; and tasty seafood and saffron dishes from Spain. Whether it is the simplicity of hummus or the delicious blending of flavours found in plates of ratatouille or paella, Elizabeth David's wonderful recipes in A Book of Mediterranean Food are imbued with all the delights of the sunny south. 'Not only did she transform the way we cooked but she is a delight to read' Express on Sunday 'Britain's most inspirational food writer' Independent 'When you read Elizabeth David, you get perfect pitch. There is an understanding and evocation of flavours, colours, scents and places that lights up the page' Guardian 'Not only did she transform the way we cooked but she is a delight to read' Express on Sunday Elizabeth David (1913-1992) is the woman who changed the face of British cooking. Having travelled widely during the Second World War, she introduced post-war Britain to the sun-drenched delights of the Mediterranean and her recipes brought new flavours and aromas into kitchens across Britain. After her classic first book Mediterranean Food followed more bestsellers, including French Country Cooking, Summer Cooking, French Provincial Cooking, Italian Food, Elizabeth David's Christmas and At Elizabeth David's Table.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member franhigg

This has been one of my favourite books for almost as long as I can remember. My mother was given it when food rationing in Britain was still a very recent memory, and so for a new widow with two boys this was probably the most impractical recipe book that it was possible to obtain, including as it

does methods of preparing kid and saddle of boar; and the famous 'Lievre a la Royale', with its instructions for catching your hare, is given in full. However, most of the recipes are not nearly so heroic, and they concentrate in the main on the kind of everyday food that inhabitants of the lands bordering the Mediterranean would have enjoyed, using local ingredients. Nevertheless, my mother never attempted any of these recipes, and nor have I.

Yet in spite of its lack of utility, the book has a certain magic about it, and I know of none other that can so rapidly conjure up (particularly in the cold dark days of winter) the sensations of a warm, bucolic and timeless Mediterranean world that probably no longer exists and may well have been somewhat bogus even sixty years ago. This conjuration is due in no small measure to the 'decorations' by John Minton, and in particular to the literary extracts which preface each section. Here you can sample the gastronomic musings of such diverse writers as William Beckford of Fonthill, Lt Col Newnham-Davis, Tobias Smollet and Gertrude Stein - this last with a classic anecdote concerning eggs and Matisse.

So this is a wholehearted recommendation, but with the proviso that I can say nothing as to whether the recipes work or not!

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LibraryThing member mcglothlen

Oh, come on. This is one of the best cook books ever. I don't need to tell you why. Just go get it now.

LibraryThing member Carrie.deSilva

Elizabeth David's (1913 - 1992) first book, published in 1950, which had such an impact on post-war Britain. Some recipes are precise, others more conversational but the point of the book, as with her others, is the sense of place and ingredients and an introduction to new worlds - even today.

LibraryThing member SeriousGrace

When I first picked up Mediterranean Cooking I was trying to decide if Elizabeth David truly expected the everyday housewife to cook from this book. The magic of her writing is that her methods as far as cooking is concerned are unconventional and languid. Who else measures their olive oil by the

wineglass? Even if you don't consider yourself a gourmet cook, The Book of Mediterranean Cooking is a sophisticated book to have on your shelf. It just looks impressive. It's one of those cookbooks you can pull down to read on a snowy New England night and dream of a mile-long Tuscan table laden with meats and cheeses and fruits, jugs of green olive oil, freshly pressed while a handsome someone in a long white apron pours you ruby red wine by the barrel.

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LibraryThing member hhornblower

I had never heard of Ms. David until I read "Something to Declare" by Julian Barnes, one of the collected essays is about her and her recipes. She comes off as a British Julia Child. Many of the cookbooks I have contain brief essays about the culture and history of specific region of the applicable

recipes, but never really made much of an effort to read them. This book has inspired me to actually go through though books and read up and not just dive in to the food.

The recipes do require a bit of foreknowledge of food and skill in the kitchen, definitely not for beginners. Some of the recipes probably aren't appropriate for the times either (I haven't done any of the Julia Child aspic recipes and I probably won't start with this one), but some of the recipes looks very intriguing and the loose structure of the recipes leave lots of room for adjustment and creativity.

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