(Re-recommending a trouble-making classic)

"Affluence, airplanes and highways destroyed good food in this country; we
want it to be easy and supersized," said Anthony Bourdain of _Kitchen
Confidential_ (quoted in a recent Portland _Tribune;_ the country he means
is the US). "Most people think a potato tastes like a Pringle. And who
remembers what a truffle tastes like? What people know now is truffle oil --
the ketchup of the upper class."


In a contrasting view of the history here, for around 30 years in print the
Hesses have argued, or demonstrated, that the books of Fannie Farmer and
the Romabauers spearheaded the decline of good food in the US, half a
century before Affluence, Airplanes and Highways. (The bland nationwide
brands and convenience foods after the second world war were just the
coup-de-grace). Ideas heralded as innovations in US cooking in the last
couple of decades emerge, in the Hesses' documentation, as rediscovery of
principles common in past centuries, but lost, in America. (By the way, to
take in vain the names of Fannie Farmer and the _Joy of Cooking_ sits badly
with some people who grew up with these books, but they might want to check
the Hesses' arguments for themselves. Discomfiture can spur discovery.)
_The Taste of America_ was received by some US food professionals as
important, even a landmark, when published.

As for ketchup, here are the Hesses in 1977. (These samples are typical of
the book.)

"The most popular cookbook of the nineteenth century first appeared in
Philadelphia in 1837. It was _Directions for Cookery,_ by Eliza Leslie,
which in our view ranks with Mrs. Randolph's _Virginia Housewife_ as one of
the two best all-American cookbooks ever written. James Beard, be it said,
has rendered a service in making Miss Leslie better known to modern cooks.
Why does he say, however, when he quotes one of her recipes for scalloped
tomatoes, that it is "a very good one even now"? He surely does not mean
"even now when tomatoes are no longer fit to eat," so presumably he means
"even now when cooking has become sophisticated." In truth, American cooking
reached its highest level in the second quarter of the nineteenth century,
with Miss Leslie as its guide. From then on, it was downhill all the way.

"Miss Leslie was sufficiently sophisticated to have written _Domestic French
Cookery_ (1832), which she described as a translation. But her classic
_Directions for Cookery_ is thoroughly American. It shares with earlier
cookbooks a concern for quality that now seems almost alien, and abounds in
such critical assessments as remarks [quoted] on choosing catfish, and "The
Portuguese pork, which is fed on chestnuts, is perhaps the finest in the
world." [On to further examples for the rest of the chapter.]
. . .

"There are other interesting omens of the approaching decline in our
cookery. One is the gradual disappearance of the shallot. Even the admirable
Miss Leslie makes only rare use of it, and after her, it virtually
disappeared from American cookbooks for a century -- a great pity. Out own
hypothesis is that the pervasive flavor of the tomato drove out the shallot
as bad money drives out good. Supporting this is the fact that the great
majority of ketchups that characterized early American cooking was gradually
replaced by the ubiquitous tomato ketchup. Miss Leslie, in 1837, published
recipes for eight kinds: anchovy (two), lobster, oyster, walnut, mushroom,
lemon -- and tomato. (Be it noted again, there was no sugar in any of them.)
Anyone familiar with Chinese cooking will recognize the original source of
ketchups, but they came to us from England. (the Oxford English Dictionary
says the word apparently derives from the Amoy Chinese kétsiap, meaning
brine of pickled fish. The Malay kechap [bar over the e], often given as the
source, may be from the Chinese as well.) Until about 1850, when an American
recipe called for ketchup, it most likely meant mushroom, walnut, or oyster.
These interesting condiments did continue for some decades, because Miss
Leslie's works continued to be best sellers. [To at least 58 editions by
1881, acc. to Bitting's standard bibliography -- MH]

"Her lobster ketchup ..." [on and on with details].

John L. Hess and Karen Hess, _The Taste of America_ (1977, ISBN 0670693766;
current 2000 reprint edition with new notes, ISBN 0252068750).


-- Max Hauser

Max Hauser wrote:

In truth, American cooking reached its highest level
in the second quarter of the nineteenth century, with Miss Leslie
as its guide. From then on, it was downhill all the way.

Falling into the trap of romanticizing the past, I see.
That was an era before refrigeration, when meats
were preserved by being saturated with salt.
A fortunate few could afford a meager selection
of locally grown produce when it was in season,
but most vegetable products were dried or
pickled. Food adulteration was common, as
was food poisoning due to improper storage and
handling.

Today, we live in a Golden Age. We have access
to artisan chocolates far superior to anything enjoyed
by the Aztec emporers or their European conquerors.
We have freshly roasted coffees made from our
choice of beans from all over the world. We have
fresh fruits and vegetables all year round, both from
local sources and Latin America. We rightly complain
that our out-of-season avocados are lacking in full
flavor, but in the 19th century they had no avocados.

There are a few foods today, such as the tomato,
which have become industrial commodities, with
all the flavor and delicacy bred out of them. But
it is unfair to point to those as representative of
the entire food industry, while simultaneously filling
your cart with genuine Parmesean cheese and
prosciutto, red bananas and plantains, a dozen
different types of olives and goat cheeses, etc.

We have a greater abundance today at a lower
prices than at any time in the past, and the situation
is improving. Only in the past few years have
hot house tomatoes become widely available.
They are available at any time of the year, and
they look great -- like my mother had grown them
in her garden. They're still flavorless, but I have
expectations that within a few years that problem
too will be licked. Food today is better than it's
ever been, and it's getting better.

"Mark Thorson" in ...
. . .
Food today is better than it's
ever been, and it's getting better.

Mark, you are starting to sound like _USA Today._ (Average small story on
page1 below fold: "Things Getting Better and Better -- Govt Says So.")

Anyway I do recommend to check out the Hesses' remarkable book (and _then_
decide what you think of it). (If necessary I'll give you a copy of it,
you've certainly been generous in giving books to me over the years.)

Cheers -- Max

"Mark Thorson" in ...
. . .
Food today is better than it's
ever been, and it's getting better.

Mark, you are starting to sound like _USA Today._ (Average small story on
page1 below fold: "Things Getting Better and Better -- Govt Says So.")

Anyway I do recommend to check out the Hesses' remarkable book (and _then_
decide what you think of it). (If necessary I'll give you a copy of it,
you've certainly been generous in giving books to me over the years.)

Cheers -- Max

The Joy of Cooking is encyclopedic, but very bland.

--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Louis Cohen
Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8' 42.8"


"Max Hauser" wrote in message
...
(Re-recommending a trouble-making classic)

"Affluence, airplanes and highways destroyed good food in this country; we
want it to be easy and supersized," said Anthony Bourdain of _Kitchen
Confidential_ (quoted in a recent Portland _Tribune;_ the country he means
is the US). "Most people think a potato tastes like a Pringle. And who
remembers what a truffle tastes like? What people know now is truffle
oil --
the ketchup of the upper class."


In a contrasting view of the history here, for around 30 years in print
the
Hesses have argued, or demonstrated, that the books of Fannie Farmer and
the Romabauers spearheaded the decline of good food in the US, half a
century before Affluence, Airplanes and Highways. (The bland nationwide
brands and convenience foods after the second world war were just the
coup-de-grace). Ideas heralded as innovations in US cooking in the last
couple of decades emerge, in the Hesses' documentation, as rediscovery of
principles common in past centuries, but lost, in America. (By the way,
to
take in vain the names of Fannie Farmer and the _Joy of Cooking_ sits
badly
with some people who grew up with these books, but they might want to
check
the Hesses' arguments for themselves. Discomfiture can spur discovery.)
_The Taste of America_ was received by some US food professionals as
important, even a landmark, when published.

As for ketchup, here are the Hesses in 1977. (These samples are typical
of
the book.)

"The most popular cookbook of the nineteenth century first appeared in
Philadelphia in 1837. It was _Directions for Cookery,_ by Eliza Leslie,
which in our view ranks with Mrs. Randolph's _Virginia Housewife_ as one
of
the two best all-American cookbooks ever written. James Beard, be it
said,
has rendered a service in making Miss Leslie better known to modern cooks.
Why does he say, however, when he quotes one of her recipes for scalloped
tomatoes, that it is "a very good one even now"? He surely does not mean
"even now when tomatoes are no longer fit to eat," so presumably he means
"even now when cooking has become sophisticated." In truth, American
cooking
reached its highest level in the second quarter of the nineteenth century,
with Miss Leslie as its guide. From then on, it was downhill all the way.

"Miss Leslie was sufficiently sophisticated to have written _Domestic
French
Cookery_ (1832), which she described as a translation. But her classic
_Directions for Cookery_ is thoroughly American. It shares with earlier
cookbooks a concern for quality that now seems almost alien, and abounds
in
such critical assessments as remarks [quoted] on choosing catfish, and
"The
Portuguese pork, which is fed on chestnuts, is perhaps the finest in the
world." [On to further examples for the rest of the chapter.]
. . .

"There are other interesting omens of the approaching decline in our
cookery. One is the gradual disappearance of the shallot. Even the
admirable
Miss Leslie makes only rare use of it, and after her, it virtually
disappeared from American cookbooks for a century -- a great pity. Out own
hypothesis is that the pervasive flavor of the tomato drove out the
shallot
as bad money drives out good. Supporting this is the fact that the great
majority of ketchups that characterized early American cooking was
gradually
replaced by the ubiquitous tomato ketchup. Miss Leslie, in 1837, published
recipes for eight kinds: anchovy (two), lobster, oyster, walnut, mushroom,
lemon -- and tomato. (Be it noted again, there was no sugar in any of
them.)
Anyone familiar with Chinese cooking will recognize the original source of
ketchups, but they came to us from England. (the Oxford English Dictionary
says the word apparently derives from the Amoy Chinese kétsiap, meaning
brine of pickled fish. The Malay kechap [bar over the e], often given as
the
source, may be from the Chinese as well.) Until about 1850, when an
American
recipe called for ketchup, it most likely meant mushroom, walnut, or
oyster.
These interesting condiments did continue for some decades, because Miss
Leslie's works continued to be best sellers. [To at least 58 editions by
1881, acc. to Bitting's standard bibliography -- MH]

"Her lobster ketchup ..." [on and on with details].

John L. Hess and Karen Hess, _The Taste of America_ (1977, ISBN
0670693766;
current 2000 reprint edition with new notes, ISBN 0252068750).


-- Max Hauser

The Joy of Cooking is encyclopedic, but very bland.

--
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Louis Cohen
Living la vida loca at N37° 43' 7.9" W122° 8' 42.8"


"Max Hauser" wrote in message
...
(Re-recommending a trouble-making classic)

"Affluence, airplanes and highways destroyed good food in this country; we
want it to be easy and supersized," said Anthony Bourdain of _Kitchen
Confidential_ (quoted in a recent Portland _Tribune;_ the country he means
is the US). "Most people think a potato tastes like a Pringle. And who
remembers what a truffle tastes like? What people know now is truffle
oil --
the ketchup of the upper class."


In a contrasting view of the history here, for around 30 years in print
the
Hesses have argued, or demonstrated, that the books of Fannie Farmer and
the Romabauers spearheaded the decline of good food in the US, half a
century before Affluence, Airplanes and Highways. (The bland nationwide
brands and convenience foods after the second world war were just the
coup-de-grace). Ideas heralded as innovations in US cooking in the last
couple of decades emerge, in the Hesses' documentation, as rediscovery of
principles common in past centuries, but lost, in America. (By the way,
to
take in vain the names of Fannie Farmer and the _Joy of Cooking_ sits
badly
with some people who grew up with these books, but they might want to
check
the Hesses' arguments for themselves. Discomfiture can spur discovery.)
_The Taste of America_ was received by some US food professionals as
important, even a landmark, when published.

As for ketchup, here are the Hesses in 1977. (These samples are typical
of
the book.)

"The most popular cookbook of the nineteenth century first appeared in
Philadelphia in 1837. It was _Directions for Cookery,_ by Eliza Leslie,
which in our view ranks with Mrs. Randolph's _Virginia Housewife_ as one
of
the two best all-American cookbooks ever written. James Beard, be it
said,
has rendered a service in making Miss Leslie better known to modern cooks.
Why does he say, however, when he quotes one of her recipes for scalloped
tomatoes, that it is "a very good one even now"? He surely does not mean
"even now when tomatoes are no longer fit to eat," so presumably he means
"even now when cooking has become sophisticated." In truth, American
cooking
reached its highest level in the second quarter of the nineteenth century,
with Miss Leslie as its guide. From then on, it was downhill all the way.

"Miss Leslie was sufficiently sophisticated to have written _Domestic
French
Cookery_ (1832), which she described as a translation. But her classic
_Directions for Cookery_ is thoroughly American. It shares with earlier
cookbooks a concern for quality that now seems almost alien, and abounds
in
such critical assessments as remarks [quoted] on choosing catfish, and
"The
Portuguese pork, which is fed on chestnuts, is perhaps the finest in the
world." [On to further examples for the rest of the chapter.]
. . .

"There are other interesting omens of the approaching decline in our
cookery. One is the gradual disappearance of the shallot. Even the
admirable
Miss Leslie makes only rare use of it, and after her, it virtually
disappeared from American cookbooks for a century -- a great pity. Out own
hypothesis is that the pervasive flavor of the tomato drove out the
shallot
as bad money drives out good. Supporting this is the fact that the great
majority of ketchups that characterized early American cooking was
gradually
replaced by the ubiquitous tomato ketchup. Miss Leslie, in 1837, published
recipes for eight kinds: anchovy (two), lobster, oyster, walnut, mushroom,
lemon -- and tomato. (Be it noted again, there was no sugar in any of
them.)
Anyone familiar with Chinese cooking will recognize the original source of
ketchups, but they came to us from England. (the Oxford English Dictionary
says the word apparently derives from the Amoy Chinese kétsiap, meaning
brine of pickled fish. The Malay kechap [bar over the e], often given as
the
source, may be from the Chinese as well.) Until about 1850, when an
American
recipe called for ketchup, it most likely meant mushroom, walnut, or
oyster.
These interesting condiments did continue for some decades, because Miss
Leslie's works continued to be best sellers. [To at least 58 editions by
1881, acc. to Bitting's standard bibliography -- MH]

"Her lobster ketchup ..." [on and on with details].

John L. Hess and Karen Hess, _The Taste of America_ (1977, ISBN
0670693766;
current 2000 reprint edition with new notes, ISBN 0252068750).


-- Max Hauser

"Naomi Darvell" wrote [about the Hesses' _Taste of America_]

It's an outstanding book, and a fun read, too.
Anybody who's interested in food should read it.


People who were around and following US food writing in the late 1970s will
probably remember this book and the stir it caused, the thoughtful comments
in print. Since then it's been an underground classic. References to it
surface in surprising places. A generation of new US food fanatics
experienced the ritual of hearing about it and checking libraries or the
used book market for copies of the original 1977 book. This quest was eased
after the Hesses reissued it in 2000 with supplemental content. Before
writing this book, John Hess was an experienced food writer and editor and
former dining critic for the _New York Times._ Karen Hess is a food
historian known for her work on cooking Americana including the mysterious
"Martha Washington" cookbook. In 2001 I put some comments about _The Taste
of America_ on amazon.com's listing of the reissue; currently those comments
are he

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg.../-/0252068750/

I have a few books about food (I started accumulating them in the early
1970s). Of those that deal with US cooking, I reckon the Hesses' to be one
of the most important, and certainly most informative.

-- M.

"Naomi Darvell" wrote [about the Hesses' _Taste of America_]

It's an outstanding book, and a fun read, too.
Anybody who's interested in food should read it.


People who were around and following US food writing in the late 1970s will
probably remember this book and the stir it caused, the thoughtful comments
in print. Since then it's been an underground classic. References to it
surface in surprising places. A generation of new US food fanatics
experienced the ritual of hearing about it and checking libraries or the
used book market for copies of the original 1977 book. This quest was eased
after the Hesses reissued it in 2000 with supplemental content. Before
writing this book, John Hess was an experienced food writer and editor and
former dining critic for the _New York Times._ Karen Hess is a food
historian known for her work on cooking Americana including the mysterious
"Martha Washington" cookbook. In 2001 I put some comments about _The Taste
of America_ on amazon.com's listing of the reissue; currently those comments
are he

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg.../-/0252068750/

I have a few books about food (I started accumulating them in the early
1970s). Of those that deal with US cooking, I reckon the Hesses' to be one
of the most important, and certainly most informative.

-- M.

"Louis Cohen" in
...
The Joy of Cooking is encyclopedic, but very bland.
Louis Cohen

[Earlier text snipped considerably]


That is my take on it also, in a nutshell. It went through a number of
important editions though, and the character changed considerably. It was
originally a home recipe collection. Someone I know with the original
edition (very limited number, badly bound) reports that it is based on
canned ingredients and that "when her daughter redid the book, the recipes
were from scratch."


-- Max Hauser. (Mens et manus!)

I think this thesis ignores the fact that while much processed
food of the middle 20th century was less good than some home-made
food of the earlier history of America, much of it was also better
than some.

I.e., your culinary mileage would have varied a lot,
even when it was covered by horse and carriage.

--Blair
"I bet I can find at least one thing
Bourdain makes--and ten that Batali
makes--that I think suck worse than
a can of Pringle's."

I think this thesis ignores the fact that while much processed
food of the middle 20th century was less good than some home-made
food of the earlier history of America, much of it was also better
than some.

I.e., your culinary mileage would have varied a lot,
even when it was covered by horse and carriage.

--Blair
"I bet I can find at least one thing
Bourdain makes--and ten that Batali
makes--that I think suck worse than
a can of Pringle's."

"Max Hauser" wrote in message ...
"Mark Thorson" in ...
. . .
Food today is better than it's
ever been, and it's getting better.

Mark, you are starting to sound like _USA Today._ (Average small story on
page1 below fold: "Things Getting Better and Better -- Govt Says So.")

Anyway I do recommend to check out the Hesses' remarkable book (and _then_
decide what you think of it). (If necessary I'll give you a copy of it,
you've certainly been generous in giving books to me over the years.)

Cheers -- Max

Good thread! I think there are two more books which bring an
understanding of the evolution of American cooking are 'Perfection
Salad' by Laura Shapiro and 'The Nuts Among The Berries' by Ronald
Deutsch. They cover the Home Economics movement and health fads, both
of which contributed to deleterious influences on our eclectic
cuisine. Luckily, there have been many positive forces. Oops! Almost
forgot Adele Davis...

D.M.

D.M.

"Max Hauser" wrote in message ...
"Mark Thorson" in ...
. . .
Food today is better than it's
ever been, and it's getting better.

Mark, you are starting to sound like _USA Today._ (Average small story on
page1 below fold: "Things Getting Better and Better -- Govt Says So.")

Anyway I do recommend to check out the Hesses' remarkable book (and _then_
decide what you think of it). (If necessary I'll give you a copy of it,
you've certainly been generous in giving books to me over the years.)

Cheers -- Max

Good thread! I think there are two more books which bring an
understanding of the evolution of American cooking are 'Perfection
Salad' by Laura Shapiro and 'The Nuts Among The Berries' by Ronald
Deutsch. They cover the Home Economics movement and health fads, both
of which contributed to deleterious influences on our eclectic
cuisine. Luckily, there have been many positive forces. Oops! Almost
forgot Adele Davis...

D.M.

D.M.

x-no-archive: tes

Louis Cohen wrote:



The Joy of Cooking is encyclopedic, but very bland.


The original Joy of Cooking was weird. It could make for fun reading,
especially the comments before the recipes. For a diet salad dressing: "No, it
isn't particularly good, but it can be eaten by the bulging with a clear
conscience." (Quote may not be exact, but I lost my copy.) Some of the recipes
were good and others were crap.




Naomi D.

x-no-archive: tes

Louis Cohen wrote:



The Joy of Cooking is encyclopedic, but very bland.


The original Joy of Cooking was weird. It could make for fun reading,
especially the comments before the recipes. For a diet salad dressing: "No, it
isn't particularly good, but it can be eaten by the bulging with a clear
conscience." (Quote may not be exact, but I lost my copy.) Some of the recipes
were good and others were crap.




Naomi D.