Elizabeth David's books belong in the libraries of everyone who loves to
read and prepare food and this one is generally regarded as her best;
her passion and knowledge comes through on every page. She was one of
the foremost writers on food in the latter half of the 20th century and
this book has her most celebrated writing. "French Provincial Cooking"
should be approached and read as a series of short stories, as well
written and evocative as the best literature.
The voice is highly personal and opinionated, sometimes sharp but always
true and always entertaining. Here is a long essay on French cuisine,
offering background stories and sketches of recipes more than the
slavishly didactic type of recipes that most modern readers might be
used to today. For many Elizabeth David was the first to introduce us to
the French notion of la cuisine terroir, sometimes interpreted as 'what
grows together goes together'. For David, this is the heart of regional
cooking, and the thing which most distinguishes it from cooking in haute
cuisine restaurants where diners arrive at any time or any season and
expect to be able to order any well known French specialty.
One of the passages which best characterizes David's approach to a lot
of cooking is her opening statement on the perfect omelet: 'As everybody
knows, there is only one infallible recipe for the perfect omelet: your
own.'
The book starts with a short essay on each of the major culinary regions
of France, starting perhaps not surprisingly with Provence which is
blessed an abundance of produce. The largest portion of the book
consists of chapters on cuisine by type of dish: Sauces, Hors-D'oeuvres
and Salads, Soups, Eggs and Cheese, Pates and Terrines, Vegetables,
Fish, Shellfish, Meat, Composite Meat Dishes, Poultry and Game, and
Sweet dishes.
The book is all the more valuable in that it paints a picture of a
cooking style which existed before modern equipment such as the food
processor. Most importantly, the recipes work if your aim is to produce
the most excellent food imaginable. What initially may seem to be
annoying details (e.g., for omelets, eggs 'should not really be beaten
at all, but stirred, ' whereas for scrambled eggs, they should be 'very
well beaten') are actually secrets to be treasured, that elevate a good
dish to a superb one. The lesson is that good food should be done
simply, but it takes care, attention to detail, and frequently, time.
A hardback edition of French Provincial Cooking has been unavailable for
many years and Grub Street is re-issuing it because of overwhelming
demand. It should become as popular an edition as the best-selling
"Elizabeth David Classics".
