Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Cooked: A natural history of transformation, by Michael Pollan




A follow-up to The omnivore’s dilemma (one of all-time my favorite books), Pollan casts his wide net over how humans have learned to make potential food ingredients more palatable and nutritious.  Or in the case of modern processed food, succeeded all-too-well in doing the exact opposite as far as nutrition goes. One take-away, bacon is a veritable “umami bomb.”  We all knew that.  Divided into Fire, Water, Air, and Earth, he discusses food cooked over heat, concentrating on barbecue; by water, the magic of combining vegetables, meat, and various herbs and spices in a long-cooking braise; air, the chemistry and complexity of baking a loaf of bread that is both appealing and has retained and intensified the nutrition available in ground whole wheat; and earth – fermentation in all its forms, wine, beer, cheese, pickles, sauerkraut, etc.  – how “rot” both preserves food and has a strong cultural tie for most human groups.  Every page is brings another surprising fact, observation, or lovely image.  I knew there was a reason I love anything pickled, and mourned the passing of my 35 year-old bread starter.  Highly recommended.  480 pp.

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