First published sixty years ago while food rationing was still in force,
Elizabeth David used this book to introduce to the nation's bland
palate, ingredients and recipes previously undiscovered in postwar
Britain. Many people of that era had never experienced anything other
than British cooking - meat, two veg and a nice steamed pudding. She
starts by setting the record straight: 'Those who care to look for it
will find the justification of France's culinary reputation in the
provinces, at the riverside inns, in unknown cafés...in sea port
bistros...and nowadays in cafés routiers, the lorry-drivers'
restaurants. In such places the most interesting food of France is to be
found.' From having lived with a French family while studying over
there, she was able to bring firsthand knowledge to this short yet
concise guide to provincial French cooking.
She starts with a chapter on the Batterie de Cuisine. But it's the
collection of regional recipes that follow that made this book such a
treat for 1950s Britain; divided into sections on soups, fish, eggs,
luncheon, supper and family dishes, meat, poultry, game, vegetables,
salads, sauces and sweets, she gives an entertaining and informative
introduction to each.
French Country Cooking reveals the immense diversity of the cuisine
through recipes that range from a primitive peasant soup of the Basque
country to the refined Lyonnaise dish of Poulet à la Crème. To those
used to the traditional format of recipe writing the book will come as
something of a surprise since Elizabeth David weaves the ingredients
into the methods complete with details of the region, tradition and
people. Elizabeth David's acclaimed writings are often cited as an
inspiration by many of today's leading chefs, as well as home cooks, and
are essential to any serious cookery book collection.
