The Food of France

Without doubt, much work has gone into the making of this book and the result is an authoritative guide to the food of France. A team of four specialists travelled the country searching for food and recipes that they felt represents the food of France best. The photography by Chris Jones is evocative and no sooner are you turning a page, you are breathing in the heady scent of rosemary or oven fresh bread.

The food of France contains over 200 recipes. Yes, you will already know most of them as these are the classics but at least you will be able to find them all in one place, rather than hunting high and low in as many books. Look out for marmite dieppoise, a creamy fish stew with cider, turbot and sole or that old classic but much loved fish soup, bouillabaisse.

The six pull out sections covering specialised areas are informative. You can learn the differences between a Jésus (an air-cured coarse pork and pork fat saucisson sec, so called because it resembles a swaddled baby Jesus) and myrtille (a coarse air-dried saucisson sec, named after bilberies as the skin of the sausage is a similar colour).

The glossary will fill in any gaps in your knowledge of this cuisine and the chapter on basics will smooth over the cracks in your mayonnaise or your béchamel.

An interesting aside is to look at the bibliography where you will find no reference whatsoever to Elizabeth David. Who could contemplate writing a book on French food without first digesting her French Provincial Cookery? But the team at Murdoch must know better and they did after all spend much time visiting cafes and restaurants, market places and vineyards. And notwithstanding this glaring omission, this is a good book.

There is undoubtedly a place for the Food of France on the kitchen shelf but first put it on the coffee table, where it can be admired: the publication is of the highest standard. You must enjoy the photographs before the book becomes spattered with wine and the pages well thumbed. But do remember to leave space for the others in the series, which will soon follow (China, India and Italy).

Publication Details
296 pages. Photographs by Chris Jones. £19.99
ISBN 0864119704. Published by Murdoch Books.
2001

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