The Cookbook Library

May 1, 2012

Willan (founder, La Varenne Cooking Sch.; The Country Cooking of France) here draws on her and her husband Cherniavsky's personal collection of antiquarian cookbooks--as well as Claflin's (coeditor, Writing Food History) research on the volumes--to discuss the history of cookbook writing and composition primarily from the 1500s through the early 19th century. She meticulously describes how writers arranged the manuscripts used for printing instructions on how to re-create a dish. This volume beautifully traces when and how cooks--mainly from England, France, Italy, and Spain--introduced instructions, ingredients, technical terms, number of servings, regional methods of preparation, appropriate equipment and utensils, and cooking times. While methodically describing and extensively illustrating how each cookbook reflects its time, Willan also examines how social contexts and culinary crosscurrents influenced European cuisine over the centuries. VERDICT This book's scholarly prose and comprehensive subject treatment should appeal to culinary historians, chefs, bibliophiles, collectors, and serious foodies. Michael Symons's A History of Cooks and Cooking may satisfy general readers.--Jerry P. Miller, Cambridge, MA

Copyright 2012 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2012
Cookbooks comprise one of book publishing's most successful genres, and they've been around just about as long as printing itself. Willan and her husband, an economist and avid book collector, delve into the history of cookbooks, beginning with ancient Rome and its lavish imperial banquets. Printed cookbooks began to appear in the fifteenth century with the invention of movable type, and every succeeding century saw innovations. From each century through the nineteenth, Willan offers a recipe or two. Some are as simple and easily reproducible as a roast pork loin spiced with coriander and caraway. Others offer daunting challenges, such as elaborately deconstructing and roasting an entire salmon. Sidebars intelligently illuminate topics such as eating hours, kitchen literacy, women and cooking, stoves, recipe copyrighting, and many more. Willan's reputation as a teacher and her own track record as a successful cookbook author will increase demand. Lavishly illustrated.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)