Cooking The Books

Salt - A World History

I don't review a lot of food based books on here, this is mainly for two reasons.  First off I don't read many (non-recipe) food books and secondly I don't think writing book reviews is my strong point.  I know I enjoyed it, and want to tell everyone so they can enjoy it too, but when it comes to saying why I enjoy it my mind goes blank, leaving me just wanting to say how great a read it is.  So read 'Salt - A World History' by Mark Kurlanksy because, for want of something more descriptive, it's a great read.

Attempting to let you know a bit more about the book, 'Salt - A World History' basically does what it says on the tin giving you a history of the world told through the history of salt.  We travel from China through the rest of the world learning about - amongst other things - drilling feats, global trade, wars, fish, underground dinner parties, 200 foot wooden slides and the occasional recipe.  It's fact after interesting fact about this wonderful rock.  Unlike a lot of history books I've read it manages this in a page turning style too.  As Anthony Bourdain is quoted on the front cover 'a must-have for any serious cook or foodie' but it's also enough not about food to be a must-have for any non-cook or foodie too.

Maynard Davies: Master Bacon Curer

As mentioned in posts gone by I'm partial to a bit of curing.  There's something very alchemical about mixing up a cure, whether dry or wet, placing your cut in and waiting for the magic - the transmutation of base meats into culinary gold.

Due to this when I heard of a book called Maynard - Adventures of a Bacon Curer I bought a copy straight away.  This was a while ago but then he released a follow on not too long ago called Maynard - Secrets of a Bacon Curer that I've just finished and I now feel compelled to sing their praises.  They're simply the most enjoyable food related books I've ever read.  I imagine my love of curing helps but I can't see how anyone couldn't enjoy the frank, heart warming story of this man's life.

To cut it short Maynard left school at 16, dyslexic and unable to read or write in a time when dyslexia didn't exist - to this day he still can't write and so both books were dictated to his wife.  These books detail his life as he becomes an apprentice bacon curer, gets promoted, travels the world learning, becomes a master and ends up traveling the country sharing his knowledge.  He sets up his own businesses, consults on others, appears on TV, suffers bad luck at the hand of thieves and good luck too all told with charm and good humour.  One is informed how the Welsh like their bacon, what a London smoke is, a Wiltshire cure and so on and all about our native pig breeds.

The books overlap in content matter somewhat but the first one (Adventures) has lots of recipes whereas the second (Secrets) doesn't.  He has decided to bring a recipe book out so all our traditional recipes are not lost to the ravages of time (due May 2009) so don't go buying them for the recipes.  Do buy them for the insight into a rapidly disappearing world told through the eyes of  true gentleman though.

10/10.

So I finally have a blog...

Not really an original sentiment and I doubt I'm the first to start off a blog in this way but what can you do?  You have to start somehow.  There's not exactly a shortage of food blogs about either but I'm forever rambling about the stuff, or taking photos of it, so I guess I'm as qualified as anyone.

For the above reasons I've been meaning to start a blog for some time but never really had a theme, then it came to me.  In my 30 years on the planet I've amassed an OK collection of cook books - not huge by any means but it numbers over 100 so not too bad either - but I rarely do more than read them.  When it comes to actually cooking a recipe from them I'm awful, always choosing to throw something together or following a recipe from on-line, whether a recipe site or a forum.  Recently I've been telling myself I should cook from them more but failing to start on my quest, hopefully if I aim to blog my attempts I may actually attempt my attempts.  I know I'm not the first person to blog this either but it's reason enough and on top of that it's a fine excuse to cook and play with my camera more.

The big question now is will I get around to cooking a recipe and blogging it or will this be the only post before I cancel my free hosting.  I'm keen now but only time will tell, just under 14 days of time to be precise.