Author:
Jacques
Rolland
Publisher:
Robert Rose (2014)
I am a total trivia nut. When I find
myself intrigued by a certain subject or hear the mention of something I’m unfamiliar with, I’m almost
immediately gripped by the need to find out not just the definition, but to
learn everything I can about it. Encyclopedias, compilations of articles or
anecdotes, web searches and documentaries are my brain’s bread and butter –
especially when it comes to the culinary world. As a foodie who always loves to
try new techniques and cuisines, I often come across an ingredient that holds
vaguely familiar meaning, but that I’m not confident enough to use without some
background digging. Other times, I know “what” an item is but cannot describe
it adequately, which makes writing recipe descriptions tough!
Enter The Cook's Essential Kitchen
Dictionary: A Complete Culinary Resource by Jacques
Rolland. This new, completely revised edition has thousands of definitions for
all sorts of culinary terms, along with a wealth of historical background for
many words and even in depth explorations of varieties within a blanket term
(such as Apple (p. 25-27), where
Rolland creates an inset to describe a host of cultivars from braeburn to
winesap). For me, these insets are the true eye-candy in this book,
consolidating items that could have been strewn alphabetically throughout the Kitchen
Dictionary into one handy place. That said, the whole compilation is
excellently cross-referenced and in perfect alphabetical order, making
last-minute lookups (did I really just read Spotted
Dick (p. 358) on that recipe card?) a breeze. The book is not illustrated in
any way, but Rolland’s precise and descriptive writing colours in the pages in
a way no photography could. Paging through, I can almost taste the Zuccotto (p. 416) Rolland mentions, and
it’s enough to cause me to want to look up a recipe!
As well as answering spur of the moment cooking questions, the Kitchen
Dictionary is simply a fun “did you know” type of book to read and absorb. Flipping
through the pages reveals interesting tidbits of historical and cultural
background for not only dishes but ingredients, tools and cooking methods. I
never knew there was such a story to the humble, now-common Pineapple (p. 298) – from it’s close
botanical relationship to Spanish moss to the fact that royalty in Spain and
France at one point refused to eat it. Likewise, I had no idea that one of the
flavouring agents in cream soda and vanilla ice cream was the extract of a
certain iris flower root (Orris (p. 279).
History buffs will get a kick out of many of the listings in this book too, and
the breadth of information Rolland includes makes this work relevant in almost
every country or cuisine.
Whether
you adore finding out about the world around you as much as I do, need some
clinchers for trivia night at the pub, or simply need an answer to one of the
kitchen’s “what is that?” queries, The
Cook's Essential Kitchen Dictionary: A Complete Culinary Resource lives up
to it’s title and more. You’ll be surprised what you didn’t know about what’s
on your plate!
Available on Amazon
Available on Amazon