Fish, Flesh and Good Red Herring: A Gallimaufry

Fish, Flesh and Good Red Herring: A Gallimaufry

by Alice Thomas Ellis (Author)

Synopsis

From the cooking methods of Ulysses to Victorian nursery fare, from Biblical food facts to modern food fads, Alice Thomas Ellis takes delight in all things gastronomical, and generously seasons her gallimaufry with anecdote and wit. Fish, Flesh and Good Red Herring is a delectable culinary history catering to all tastes - as well as revealing some unusual ones: we learn that Charles Darwin proclaimed roast armadillo 'a most excellent dish'; that Elvis Presley adored cooked squirrel; and that British infants once devoured sugared mice - real ones! Garnished throughout with extracts from famous food writers including Brilliat-Savarin, Mrs Beeton, and Elizabeth Craig, there are recipes to relish and historical titbits to savour: we are taken from the sumptuous eighteenth-century banquet to the gossipy literary lunch, from the misery of rationing to the gluttony of the Roman feast. And cooking practices of some of the most celebrated chefs are shared with us -- as well as the grisly fates of those not so highly favoured: King Henry VIII boiled two of his cooks, whereas Ivan the Terrible preferred his fried.

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More Information

Format: Hardcover
Pages: 416
Publisher: Virago
Published: 02 Sep 2004

ISBN 10: 1844080854
ISBN 13: 9781844080854

Media Reviews
'A book of distinctive and just accolades are presented within these pages. Fish, Flesh and Good Red Herring explores and reveals the extremes of drinking and eating that have crossed our years, adding an extra bite to our, perhaps still undiscovered, repetoire of foods' Gary Rhodes 'This has to be the best bedside reading ever. It's the mix of personal detail, culinary history and tart comment that appeals. Little attempt is made to progress from A-Z, leaving us in the author's hands as she scatters plums and acid drops throughout in equal measure. How I did enjoy reading this!' Publishing News
Author Bio
A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, Alice Thomas Ellis was born in Liverpool and worked for some years as fiction editor at Duckworth. Her 'Home Life' column in The Spectator (1985-9) was justly famous. Winner of many other awards, Ellis was shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1982.