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Books

CONSIDER THE FORK

TASTING HISTORY
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Every once-in-awhile, you read a book that gives you a whole new perspective on a seemingly familiar subject. Such a work is Consider the Fork by British food writer Bea Wilson, a fascinating history of how we cook and eat and the implements we have used over the centuries to do so. Must reading for this crowd is Chapter Three: Fire–a history of live-fire cooking.
Above is Wilson with a rotisserie roast beef, cooked Victorian style–that is, marinated in olive oil, lemon juice, shallots, and herbs–and served with skewers of truffles and shrimp for decoration, by food historian Ivan Day.


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“Most of us no longer organize our lives around an open hearth,” writes Wilson. “But this beef reminded me that something was lost as well as gained when kitchen fires became enclosed. Which maybe explains the huge appeal of barbecue.” Yes, indeed!