Mourjou: The Life and Food of an Auvergne Village by Peter Graham

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ISBN 10 1903018331
ISBN 13 9781903018330
Published Oct 01 2003
Format Paperback
Page Count 256
Language English
Edition New edition
Countries United Kingdom
Publisher Prospect Books
Imprint Prospect Books

Publishers Text

The remarkable fusion between life, the produce of the countryside and the food on the table that is Auvergne continues as it has done for generations. In a dozen chapters devoted the constituents of a Rabelaisian meal ? from soups, to egg dishes and pancakes, cheese dishes, fish, pork, game, poultry and other meat dishes, vegetables, desserts and breads, preserves and confectionery; more cheese, and wine ? Peter Graham laces recipes together with extended introductions which reflect on the life of the countryside, his travels around it, and his long residence in it. The food of the Auvergne exemplifies that regionality that is so special to the complex whole that makes up French cookery. It is an amalgam of influences exerted by local materials, the landscape, social development and a long history Peter Graham unpicks these delicately, with a style and knowledge born out of reading, wide sampling and much socialising. In consequence, the reader not only has a marvellous series of recipes that will warm many a winter supper ? or harvest-home for that matter ? but also will come away considerably the wiser about Auvergnat society history and culture. What is remarkable about this book is both the quality of the dishes described ? who could resist the Aligot, a magical combination of mashed potato, cheese and cream, or the detailed instructions for a perfect coq au vin? ? but the happy introduction we are given to a score of local kitchens, be they in restaurants or hotels such as Le Vieux Pont at Belcastel or the Beausejour at Calvinet, or on farms that have preserved a way of life fast vanishing through the rest of France. This is the first paperback edition of Mourjou. Its author, Peter Graham, has lived in France for much of his adult life. He has written books on the cinema and on psychoanalysis as well as compiling travel guides and undertaking journalism for the Sunday Times, The Times and the Guardian. His previous books on cookery include a translation of Jacques Medecin?s Cuisine Nicoise and his own Classic Cheese Cookery.