American food writing : an anthology with classic recipes / edited by Molly O'Neill.

ISBN:

9781598530056

Title:

Author:

O'Neill, Molly.

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Library of America, c2007.

Physical Description:

xxiii, 753 p. : ill. ; 23 cm.

Subject Term:

Added Author:

Format:

Books

Publication Date:

2007

Publication Information:

New York, NY : Library of America, c2007.

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
808.066641 AME	Book	1	Standard shelving location	Searching... Unknown

In this groundbreaking anthology, celebrated food writer Molly O'Neill gathers the very best from over 250 years of American culinary history. This literary feast includes classic accounts of iconic American foods: Henry David Thoreau on the delights of watermelon; Herman Melville, with a mouth-watering chapter on clam chowder; H. L. Mencken on the hot dog; M. F. K. Fisher in praise of the oyster; Ralph Ellison on the irresistible appeal of baked yam; William Styron on Southern fried chicken. American writers abroad, like A. J. Liebling, Waverly Root, and Craig Claiborne, describe the revelations they found in foreign restaurants; travellers to America, including the legendary French gourmet J. A. Brillat-Savarin, discover such native delicacies as turkey, Virginia barbecue, and pumpkin pie. Great chefs and noted critics discuss their culinary philosophies and offer advice on the finer points of technique; home cooks recount disasters and triumphs. A host of eminent American writers, from Nathaniel Hawthorne, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Walt Whitman to Thomas Wolfe, Willa Cather, and Langston Hughes, add their distinctive viewpoints to the mix.

American Food Writing celebrates the astonishing variety of American foodways, with accounts from almost every corner of the country and a host of ethnic traditions: Dutch, Cuban, French, Italian, Jewish, Chinese, Irish, Indian, Scandinavian, Native American, African, English, Japanese, and Mexican. A surprising range of subjects and perspectives emerge, as writers address such topics as fast food, hunger, dieting, and the relationship between food and sex. James Villas offers a behind-the-scenes look at gourmet dining through a waiter's eyes; Anthony Bourdain recalls his days at the Culinary Institute of America; Julia Child remembers the humble beginnings of her much-loved television series; Nora Ephron chronicles internecine warfare among members of the "food establishment"; Michael Pollan explores what the label "organic" really means.

Throughout the anthology are more than fifty classic recipes, selected after extensive research from cookbooks both vintage and modern, and certain to instruct, delight, and inspire home chefs.

Author Notes

Molly O'Neill , editor, was food columnist for The New York Times for a decade and host of the PBS series Great Food . Her work has appeared in many national magazines, and she is the author of three cookbooks, including the award-winning New York Cookbook . Her most recent book is Mostly True: A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball .

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

This exhaustive collection of essays, anecdotes, and recipes spans three centuries of American food writing, from Meriwether Lewis?s account of killing "two bucks and two buffaloe" during his famous trek across the continent, to Michael Pollan?s up-to-the-minute account of the politics of organic food. In between are countless gems: Alice B. Toklas?s baroque recipe for lobster, Richard Olney?s meditation on pate and Edna Lewis?s poignant description of killing hogs on her family farm. Ably organized and edited by the former host of the PBS series Great Food, this collection features numerous accounts of foodways long since vanished in this country; take, for instance, Charlie Ranhofer?s thorough analysis of the thirteen-course society dinner, complete with "removes or solid joints," "iced punch or sherbet," and "hot sweet entremets"; or Maria Sermolino?s memories of the Italian meals served at her father?s Greenwich Village restaurant back when spaghetti was still a novelty. Famous food writers are well represented here (James Beard and Calvin Trillin, M.F.K. Fisher and James Villas), but perhaps even more rewarding are the wonderful but lesser-known players on the American food scene; either Elizabeth Robins Pennell?s discussion of the spring chicken or Eugene Walter?s tale of gumbo alone would make this volume a treasure. With so many wonderful ingredients, this rich, delectable treat is a must-have for American foodies. (May) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Booklist Review

In this comprehensive anthology from the Library of America, veteran food journalist O'Neill brings together some of the most significant short food writing from across the whole spectrum of American culinary history. From the eighteenth century, Joel Barlow offers a poem celebrating a breakfast specialty. A brief account of cooking at the outset of the nineteenth century comes from Henry Adams' renowned history. James Beard, Julia Child, Craig Claiborne, and other contemporary icons record the great American food revolution of recent decades. Excerpts and articles from other writers bring the anthology up to date with concerns about food origins and sound nutrition. Good food writing being an effective tonic to arouse one's appetite, O'Neill has peppered the text with historical and modern recipes beyond those that appear within the texts themselves. A valuable subject index expedites locating topics efficiently within this very diverse set of readings.--Knoblauch, Mark Copyright 2007 Booklist

Pehr KalmThomas JeffersonJoel BarlowAmelia SimmonsMeriwether LewisJohn PintardJohn M. DuncanJean Anthelme Brillat-SavarinLydia Maria ChildFrederick MarryatEliza LeslieNathaniel HawthorneJames M. SandersonSarah RutledgeGeorge G. FosterTunis G. CampbellHerman MelvilleAnnabella P. HillHenry David ThoreauEsther LevyFrederick DouglassGeorge Martin LaneMarion Harland (Mary Virginia Terhune)Henry Ward BeecherWalt WhitmanEstelle Woods Wilcox, Comp.Harriet Beecher StoweElizabeth Stansbury KirklandRandolph HarrisonMarion Cabell TyreeGeorge Augustus SalaEmily DickinsonFrank Hamilton CushingAbby FisherJohn BurroughsMary LincolnWard McAllisterMrs. F. L. Gillette and Hugo ZiemannHenry AdamsMrs. E. E. KelloggCharles RanhoferCharles RanhoferElizabeth Robins PennellFannie Merritt FarmerAnnie D. TallentHenrietta SowleSarah Tyson RorerPaul Laurence DunbarLizzie KanderOwen JohnsonHester PriceEdna FerberMrs. John E. CookeMary AntinRufus EstesClarence E. EdwordsWilla CatherEdith M. ThomasH. L. MenckenGeorge Washington CarverSheila HibbenSheila HibbenThomas WolfeIsabel Ely LordGertrude SteinJohn SteinbeckKenneth RobertsRex StoutJoseph MitchellNelson AlgrenM.F.K. FisherMarjorie Kinnan RawlingsSamuel ChamberlainS.J. PerelmanBetty MacDonaldBuwei Yang ChaoOgden NashJade Snow WongAlfred KazinMaria SermolinoIrma Rombauer and Marion Rombauer BeckerRalph EllisonHelen Evans BrownAlice B. ToklasCarey D. Miller and Katherine Bazore and Mary BartowMay SartonClementine PaddlefordPeg BrackenJohn BerryWilliam StyronEvan HunterA.J. LieblingEuell GibbonsJoseph WechsbergEugene WalterJohn GouldJames BeardJames BeardLangston HughesMichael FieldLeRoi JonesElla Rita HelfrichJohn McPheeGary SnyderJulia ChildJulia Child and Louisette Bertholle and Simone BeckNora EphronGael GreeneAnna ThomasRoy Andries de GrootMadhur JaffreyRichard OlneyPaula WolfertCalvin TrillinMarcella HazanCraig ClaiborneRussell BakerRay KrocEdna LewisRaymond SokolovGuy DavenportJames VillasJulee Rosso and Sheila LukinsLillian Hellman and Peter FeiblemanWaverley RootLaurie ColwinSara SuleriChris Maynard and Bill SchellerWendell BerryAlice WatersDaniel PinkwaterSheila FergusonJeffrey SteingartenRay GonzalezMaxine KuminDanny Meyer and Michael RomanoLaura ShapiroVictor M. Valle and Mary Lau ValleJohn ThorneShirley Geok-lin LimHoward MitchamJudith MooreBetty FussellRick BraggKen HomGrace YoungAnthony BourdainDavid SedarisJhumpa LahiriPatricia VolkEric SchlosserCorby KummerGary Paul NabhanAna MenendezRobb WalshRuth ReichlMichael Pollan

from Travels into North America	p. 1
Ice Cream	p. 5
from The Hasty-Pudding	p. 6
Johny Cake, or Hoe Cake	p. 12
from The Journals of Lewis & Clark	p. 13
Letters to His Daughter, 1819-32	p. 15
A Virginia Barbecue	p. 21
Exploit of the Professor	p. 24
To Make a Chowder	p. 29
from A Diary in America	p. 30
Potted Lobster	p. 34
This Day's Food	p. 35
Above All Other Birds	p. 37
To Dress Macaroni a la Sauce Blanche	p. 41
The Eating-Houses	p. 42
To Make Corn Bread	p. 47
Chowder	p. 48
Peach Leather	p. 52
Bread	p. 53
Watermelons	p. 56
Irish Potato Pudding	p. 60
from My Bondage and My Freedom	p. 61
The Lay of the One Fish-Ball	p. 66
Tomato Catsup	p. 68
Apple-Pie	p. 69
A Michigan Receipt for Making Shortcake in Camp	p. 72
A Great Treat of Ice Cream	p. 73
Hayes Cake and Tilden Cake	p. 75
from Cookery	p. 76
Mother's Rice Pudding	p. 83
from The Philosophy of Frying	p. 84
Meat-Flavoring	p. 86
The Tyranny of Pie	p. 87
Black Cake	p. 89
from Zuni Breadstuff	p. 91
Chicken Croquettes	p. 95
My Sugar-Making Days	p. 96
Chicken Chartreuse	p. 98
Success in Entertaining	p. 99
Roman Punch No. 1 and No. 2	p. 104
from History of the United States	p. 105
Bran Jelly	p. 108
from The Epicurean	p. 109
Lobster a la Newberg or Delmonico	p. 113
Spring Chicken	p. 114
Eggs a la Goldenrod	p. 118
Bill of Fare on the Plains	p. 119
from I Go A-Marketing	p. 123
Hamburg Steak	p. 126
Calas	p. 127
Cranberry Sauce	p. 130
Possum	p. 132
Matzos Pudding	p. 134
from The Great Pancake Record	p. 135
Old-Fashioned Hickory Nut Cake	p. 143
from Maymeys from Cuba	p. 144
Perfection Salad	p. 152
from The Promised Land	p. 153
Baked Bananas, Porto Rican Fashion	p. 156
Around Little Italy	p. 157
from My Antonia	p. 165
Bucks County Apple Butter	p. 170
The Home of the Crab	p. 171
Hot Dogs	p. 172
Puree of Peanuts Number Two (Extra Fine)	p. 176
Eating American	p. 177
Cape Cod Turkey (Stuffed Codfish)	p. 181
from Of Time and the River	p. 182
Nut Loaf	p. 186
from American Food and American Houses	p. 187
Chop Suey	p. 193
Breakfast	p. 193
from Down-East Ambrosia	p. 196
Planked Porterhouse Steak	p. 204
Mr. Barbee's Terrapin	p. 205
from America Eats	p. 215
A Lusty Bit of Nourishment	p. 220
Define This Word	p. 234
from Cross Creek Cookery	p. 243
from Clementine in the Kitchen	p. 250
Avocado, or the Future of Eating	p. 263
That Infernal Machine, the Pressure Cooker	p. 266
Fried Scallion Cake	p. 269
The Strange Case of Mr. Palliser's Palate	p. 270
from Fifth Chinese Daughter	p. 272
from A Walker in the City	p. 279
from Papa's Table d'Hote	p. 383
Almond Cake or Torte	p. 290
from Invisible Man	p. 292
Gazpacho	p. 297
Food in the United States in 1934 and 1935	p. 298
Pineapple Pie	p. 310
Sukiyaki on the Kona Coast	p. 311
from A Flower for My Mother	p. 318
from Good Cooksmanship, or How to Talk a Good Fight	p. 321
Toward Fried Chicken	p. 326
Southern Fried Chicken (with Giblet Gravy)	p. 330
Pancakes	p. 335
from The Modest Threshold	p. 337
How to Cook a Carp	p. 343
Dinner at the Pavillon	p. 347
The Gumbo Cult	p. 354
Baked Beans	p. 364
from Delights and Prejudices	p. 365
Beef Stroganoff	p. 375
from Soul Food	p. 376
Vichyssoise	p. 380
Soul Food	p. 384
Tunnel of Fudge Cake	p. 387
from Oranges	p. 389
How To Make Stew in the Pinacate Desert: Recipe for Locke & Drum	p. 396
About the Television Series	p. 398
Coq au Vin	p. 404
The Food Establisbment: Life In the Land of the Rising Souffle (Or Is It the Rising Meringue?)	p. 408
Lessons in Humility and Chutzpah	p. 422
Zucchini Quiche	p. 428
The Techniques of the Kitchen-The Making of a Cook	p. 430
Moong Dal	p. 438
from Simple French Food	p. 440
Chicken Tagine with Chick-peas	p. 452
The Traveling Man's Burden	p. 456
Risotto Alla Parmigiana	p. 463
Just a Quiet Dinner for Two in Paris: 31 Dishes, Nine Wines, a $4,000 Check	p. 465
Francs and Beans	p. 472
from Grinding It Out: The Making of McDonalds	p. 475
Morning-After-Hog-Butchering Breakfast	p. 479
An Original Old-Fashioned Yankee Clambake	p. 487
The Anthropology of Table Manners from Geophagy Onward	p. 495
Blessed Are We Who Serve	p. 503
Chicken Marbella	p. 515
from Eating Together: Recipes & Recollections	p. 517
Gillette's	p. 522
Kitchen Horrors	p. 530
from Meatless Days	p. 535
from Monifold Destiny	p. 545
The Pleasures of Eating	p. 551
The Farm-Restaurant Connection	p. 559
Where Is the Grease of Yesteryear?	p. 569
Philadelphia Pepperpot Soup	p. 572
Primal Bread	p. 576
Mama Menudo	p. 586
Enough Jam for a Lifetime	p. 589
Yellowfin Tuna Burgers With Ginger-Mustard Glaze	p. 594
Do Women Like to Cook?	p. 597
from Recipe of Memory	p. 605
The Toll House Cookie	p. 610
Boiled Chicken Feet and Hundred-Year-Old Eggs: Poor Chinese Feasting	p. 615
Creole Gumbo	p. 622
Adultery	p. 626
from My Kitchen Wars	p. 642
Dinner Rites	p. 650
Steamed Pork Loaf with Salted Duck Eggs	p. 655
The Breath of a Wok	p. 657
from Kitchen Confidential	p. 662
Today's Special	p. 669
Indian Takeout	p. 673
Hersheyettes	p. 677
from Fast Food Nation	p. 683
Cheese: Cindy and David Major, Vermont	p. 694
from Coming Home to Eat	p. 699
Celebrations of Thanksgiving: Cuban Seasonings	p. 706
Lady Bird Johnson's Pedernales Chili	p. 711
from Looking for Umami	p. 712
My Organic Industrial Meal	p. 717
Sources and Acknowledgments	p. 729
Index	p. 743

Available:*

Bound With These Titles

On Order

Summary

Summary

Author Notes

Reviews (2)

Publisher's Weekly Review

Booklist Review

Table of Contents