The Rich Tradition of European Peasant Cookery

The warm glow of embers in the hearth, a savoury broth simmering in the cooking pot, a flitch of bacon smoking in the chimney - until recently these were not nostalgic pleasures, they were the stuff of life. European peasant cookery is as much part of our heritage as our cathedrals and castles, the foundation on which all our subsequent cuisines are based. It developed locally, according to the climate and the availability of foodstuffs, changing only slightly to incorporate new ingredients as trade routes opened up. A rich oral tradition, passed down through the generations, peasant cookery offers healthy, real food - the antithesis of fast-food catering - and is as relevant now as it was centuries ago. This book records the bedrock of European cookery and rediscovers what has been lost through over-refinement. The sixteen chapters each deal with a basic ingredient - from "Fish and Food from the Sea" and "Pork and Storehouse Meats" to "Herbs and Fungi" and "Fruits, Berries and Nuts" and each of the over 500 recipes including suggestions for varying the dish and for appropriate accompaniments, including wine.