The storytelling is captivating and arresting in this book. I looked at this part of the Old World in new ways, in part because the tales of very real people are all throughout this book. It has the passion and the rich feel that's supported by culinary details. I felt as if I were sitting inside the kitchens and at the dinner tables of the cooks and hosts the author sought out to tell the story of this part of France.
The passion to pursue a full menu of details — places, people, the colors of shutters on houses being the only elements that would distinguish one house from another — rings through in the writing. It's more than learning that mustard is an ingredient used to season a rabbit dish. It's learning about Maggi, a liquid flavoring used in knepfle, a type of pasta.
It's a next-level tour of France, too, because the food of a region tells us so much about the people. This volume includes the Alsace, where my family came from -- a part of France that's so close to Germany the differences might seem to blend. The book makes it as clear as an item on a menu. "The Alsace was annexed many times by Germany, but the Lorraine was infiltrated by the Germans but never considered to be anything but French." I also felt like I was closer to my family after I read this book. It's inspiring me to tell my own family's story, in part because the rich details are everywhere on the pages.
Then there's the deft move of including complete directions on how to attempt the dishes. A good cook could make this book their own by trying the recipes. It's easy to imagine the book having a place on a cookbook shelf. What more could a gourmand and Francophile want? A winner in many ways.
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Searching for Family and Traditions at the French Table: Champagne, Alsace, Lorraine, and Paris Regions (The Savoring the Olde Ways, Book One)
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