The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson

Alan Davidson has taken twenty years to complete The Oxford Companion to Food. There cannot have been a book more eagerly awaited by lovers of food than this one. This great work has filled a void and since its arrival last year, the overwhelming consensus is that it is unequalled in its excellence.

The Oxford Companion to Food is an indispensable guide on all things edible. With over 2650 entries, there is now no longer an excuse for not knowing your onions, from your Bermuda to your Walla-Walla Sweet. Your knowledge will increase ten fold as you dip in and it should always be kept close at hand for lively discussions at the table.

Where do you start when writing a book of this size? With a career in the Diplomatic Service, extensive travelling and several books under the belt and a life long interest in food, Alan Davidson has drawn on his knowledge and experience to complete this Herculean task. He has climbed his mountain. He has contributed 80 per cent of the content himself, a staggering undertaking and achievement.

The service he has done to the food world is immeasurable. He has given us a book so useful and all encompassing. To writers, researchers, chefs, professional cooks and last, but by no means least, the home cooks, he has given a tool, as important as your favourite knife. The Oxford Companion to Food will satisfy all your demands, answer your queries and keep everyone happy. The line drawings (175 of them) by Soun Vannithone are delightful. They lighten the visual aspect of the pages, although each entry is so eloquently and charmingly written that the book cannot possibly be described as heavy going.

It is fitting that The Oxford Companion to Food was published at the end of a millennium. It is a remarkable achievement and heralds the end of a century that has seen world cuisine reach new heights.

AD
*****
Publication Details:
pp. 892. Drawings by Soun Vannithone. £40.
ISBN 0192115790. Published by Oxford University Press.
1999

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