“a wonder to behold”: review of French Taste
We just saw this awesome review of French Taste in Atlantic Canada 1604-1758 / Le goût Français au Canada Atlantique 1604-1758 in Journal of Folklore Research (November 2013).
“A beautiful, comprehensive introduction [and] insights woven beautifully into the texts of the chapters. The original historical and archaeological sources of these notes are rigorously documented.”
Okay, we just have to share two whole paragraphs:
“The beauty of the book is a wonder to behold. The pictures and reproductions of figures and maps from ancient texts are extremely beautiful. Simply opening and leafing through the book allows one to plunge into and breathe the scent of past history. One can read the book in one breath, at least the first time; then you can and should read it again to fully appreciate the rigor with which it is written, and the wealth of information about the history of the French colonies and the history of French gastronomy that was transported, modified and given life on another continent.
“The book, written in English and in French, is a jewel that will be useful to historians in general, and specifically to gastronomic historians, more or less professional chefs, and even those who simply want to experiment with recipes of the French cuisine that was becoming established in Canada in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.”
Did we mention that French Taste / Le goût Français won an Atlantic Book Award in 2013?