This text is part of the special Pleasures notebook
No, the era of the Web and social networks has not sounded the death knell for gourmet books! Companions to our daily cooking – sauce stains included -, our bedside reading and festive occasions, these works also represent beautiful objects on the living room table or tools of transmission. Their role therefore does not stop at providing us with recipes, and their world is full of suggestions to discover to get off the beaten track. Here are some examples of nourishing — and different — readings to get inspired before the Montreal Book Fair, which will open on November 22.
Geek gastronomy
They (you, perhaps) are passionate, in whole or in part, about computers, new (and old) technologies, video games, fantasy and science fiction, comics, role-playing games and of pop culture. Their profiles and interests are all unique, of course, but they often have common references and a dreamlike universe that we can see displayed on their t-shirts, their film and game collections, their mastery of costuming. …and their recipe books!
A true phenomenon in Europe and the United States, geek gastronomy is growing every year and has its apostles. On our side of the globe, we can think of Tom Grimm, an American who began his career as a bookseller before embarking on the adventure of genre culinary publishing. From Harry Potter to Mario Bros, including the series Stranger Things And Wednesdayor even the saga of Lord of the Ringsthe author creates recipes, often simple, whose titles and iconography evoke these imaginary worlds.
On the Old Continent, in an even more flamboyant way, French chef Thibaud Villanova created the Gastronogeek brand in 2014 and has since been the prolific author of around twenty recipe books inspired by sagas (Star Wars Cantina, Asterix’s Banquets, etc.), animations (Cooking in Ghibli, Legendary Dragon Ball Recipestwo books on the Disney universe, etc.), video games (Assassin’s Creed. The culinary codex, Cooking in Zelda), or even popular trends like baking or vegetarianism. For his latest opus, Kdrama. The best recipes from Korean seriesVillanova collaborated with another self-confessed geek, journalist Marie Palot, to offer recipes that borrow both from Korean culinary traditions and cult scenes from series like Nevertheless, Squid Game Or Love in the Moonlight. Which makes this book much more than a product riding on a trend; we learn lots of things about Korean culture, while delving into the unbridled creativity of these series and the typical imagery of pop culture. In short, here is some surprising gourmet literature to discover, if you haven’t already.
Adventurous gastronomy
The idea of testing your taste buds while traveling is nothing new. Some small screen personalities, like the late chef Anthony Bourdain (Parts Unknown) and the journalist Julie Andrieu (Fork and backpack), who traveled the four corners of the world in search of culinary traditions, influenced a generation of cooks, journalists and bloggers.
But adventure can do without planes and borders, and can be experienced through a chance trip in the open air in our forests, our mountains and on our coasts. This is what chef Stéphane Modat perfectly translated, a fan of hunting and fishing, but above all the pleasure of meeting up and cooking in nature with friends. His books Hunting kitchen And Fishing kitchenpublished in 2018 and 2019 respectively, are true bibles of the game and fish found in Quebec, while showing us snapshots, in images and words, of these adventures carried out on our soil.
In a similar register, but in an even more colorful way, the book Hooké released this fall is a vibrant ode to our Canadian territory. A territory that Fred Campbell, founder of Hooké, a company that promotes the outdoors, as well as responsible and ethical hunting and fishing, has explored from side to side, bringing back tons of souvenirs in his backpack or boat, learning and observations. Thanks to chef Jean-Philippe Leclerc, himself a fan of hunting, fishing and wild cooking, this book takes on a gourmet dimension with around twenty recipes inspired by the different destinations taken by the adventurer. A way to get away from it all without leaving home, winter or summer.
Scientific gastronomy
Science seems to be light years away from our often emotional relationship with food, but let’s remember that it is the basis of many dishes and techniques that we know today. It also allows us to take a different look at the products we consume, and even opens up the field of possibilities in the kitchen.
We remember, for example, Taste buds and molecules (2009), this work by François Chartier which introduced us to the art of molecular harmony, sometimes surprising, of ingredients. Well, Doctor Stuart Farrimond is offering us this fall, for his part, to dissect the aromatic families of 60 spices from around forty countries in Science spices. What purpose ? That of understanding them better, obviously, but also of enhancing their taste and using them creatively in cooking. A very well written book that is accessible to all.
Let us also highlight the publication of the searched Vegetacurious. 12 scientific bites to get a taste for plant-based food, in which Martin Quirion took on the task of greening our plates. Very well documented, this essay addresses the evolutionary, nutritional, ecological and ethical aspects which prove that our relationship with meat is above all cultural, and that it is therefore possible to change the paradigm.
Thoughtful gastronomy
Our diet is not just about eating. Each product that we consume has a history that is interesting to know for its richness or, more often within our contemporary society, for its political character.
Dalhousie University professor Sylvain Charlebois, specialized in the agri-food industry and a regular speaker in the Quebec media, likes the medium of books to dissect and popularize complex concepts. About his last essay The piece of the cake, which discusses global food issues (such as the consequences of armed conflicts, land grabbing and the hegemony of multinationals, among others), the researcher says: “Everyone hears about these issues, but few people really understand them. I therefore made it my duty to explain them clearly and help them move forward in their thinking. »
On a lighter note, at least in appearance, agri-food specialist Suzanne Dion relates in her new essay A village in a cheese the history of the Louis d’or dairy farm, located in Sainte-Élizabeth-de-Warwick. Through the evolution of the Morin family through five generations, it is possible to establish parallels with the journey of many Quebec farmers, as well as to question the future of this same local agriculture. Bright.
This content was produced by the Special Publications team at Duty, relating to marketing. The writing of the Duty did not take part.