Publisher's Weekly Review
Patrick O'Brian fans hungering for another installment in his nautical adventure series can tide themselves over with this splendid cookbook, an affectionate tribute to his Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin historical novels. With lively wit and keen ear for the wonderfuland wonderfully awfulnames of foods, the mother-and-daughter authors serve up authentic dishes from the 18th and 19th centuries, some of which you might actually want to eat (A Nice Loin of Weal) and others that you wouldn't (Boiled Shit, which is what a marooned sailor drinks when the only rainwater on a desert island is a puddle the gulls have used as a loo). The book is graced with erudite bits of naval and gastronomical history, as well as frequent quotes from O'Brian's stories. Aubrey/Maturin fans will recognize such delicacies as Soused Hog's Face, Veal and Ham Pie, Lobscouse (a sort of hash) and, of course, Toasted Cheese, a standby of Preserved Killick, the shrewish ship's steward. There's a full complement of puddings, including Treacle-Dowdy, Spotted Dog and the disconcertingly named Boiled Baby. Grossman and Thomas faithfully, not to say intrepidly, re-created each dish in their own kitchens and deserve a hearty cheer for their efforts, including the noxious task of cooking "millers," a euphemism for rats, in onion sauce. Deftly researched and written in prose nearly as funny as O'Brian's own, the book is as informative as it is enjoyable. Foreword by Patrick O'Brian; bibliography. (Nov.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
