Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery by Jane Grigson

The reprinting of Charcuterie and French Pork Cookery is long awaited and full marks has to go to Grub Street for resurrecting it for a whole new generation to enjoy. This facsimile copy of its first printing in 1969 is a pleasure to read. Written after four years of research, Jane Grigson knew all there was to know about the pig.

The trade of the charcutier is an ancient one and can be traced back to Classical Rome where sausages could be bought alongside cured hams from Gaul. Dealing only in cooked pork and raw pork fat, it wasn't until the beginning of the 17th Century, that the charcutiers gained the permission to slaughter pigs and sell raw meat as well.

The pig was originally a lean beast and it wasn't until 1760 when the Leicestershire stockbreeder, Robert Bakewell, cross bred the European and Chinese varieties to produce the succulent animal that we know today. In the first edition, Jane Grigson comments on the pig ‘He has become too much a factory animal' and it is heartening that, for once, our food and its production has changed with the old breeds, such as Gloucester Old Spot, vying for position on the scales.

Although you may feel it is dated now, with the picnic buyer's guide to the charcuterie translating what's what, it is still one of the only worthwhile books dedicated to the pig. Do not forget, either, that Charcuterie has been teacher to many of our great cooks and food writers. Jane Grigson's writing is as inspiring as it is informative and you will find any recipe that you could possibly want concerning the pig.

Some of the more fainthearted might find her recipes for rolled spleen or fried testicles a step too far. But it is an entertaining read, even if you don't intend to get porky.

Publication details:
348 pp. £14.99
ISBN 1902304888. Published by Grub Street
2001

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