Series in Fruits
Books in Fruits
Berries
Berries are enmeshed with human history. Widely available in nature, they have been part of the human diet for millennia, and today they inspire everything from lip-gloss flavours to amusement parks. However diminutive their size, berries are of such significance to Northern and Eastern Europeans that picking them in the wild is ‘everyman’s right’, interwoven with their cultural identity, but some berries can be deadly. In Berries: A Global History , Heather Arndt Anderson relates the story of how humans came to love these tiny, bewildering fruits. Readers meet the inventor of thornless brambles, learn ancient fables and berry-lore, and discover berries’ use in poisonous witches’ brews and modern superfood health crazes. Featuring a selection of historic and original recipes for berry-lovers to try, this is a witty and lushly illustrated ramble through the curious history of our favourite fruits, which will appeal to food lovers and social historians alike.
Dates
In Dates, Nawal Nasrallah draws on her experience of growing up in the lands of ancient Mesopotamia, where the date palm was first cultivated, to explore the history behind the fruit. Dates have an important role in their arid homeland of the Middle East, where they are a dietary staple, consumed fresh or dried, as a snack or a dessert. They are even thought to have aphrodisiac qualities. The ancients said that the date palm had 360 uses: its seeds can be burned for charcoal, its trunk used as an irrigation pipe in fields, its leaves are woven into baskets and its sap can be turned into wine. It is no wonder, then, that it has played such a central role in the economy – and the culture – of the Middle East. The date palm’s story follows its journey from its land of origin to the far-flung regions where it is cultivated today, such as Australia, California and Spain. Along the way, Nasrallah weaves many fascinating and humorous anecdotes that explore the etymology, history, culture, religion, myths and legends surrounding dates. She explains how the tree came to be a symbol of the Tree of Life; how it is associated with the fiery phoenix, the famous ancient goddess Ishtar and the moon; and lifts the veil on the curious sex life of the date palm. This delightful and unusual book gives a new perspective on the 'bread of the desert', the fruit from this most beautiful and useful of trees.
Figs
Lusciously sweet and with a complex texture, figs are both a nutritious culinary delicacy and an important symbol in religion and culture. Associated with Christmas since the time of Charles Dickens―not to mention Dionysus or the Garden of Eden―the fig is steeped in history. In this account of the festive fruit, David C. Sutton places the fig in its historical context, examining its peculiar origins and the importance it has garnered in so many countries. Sutton begins by describing the fig’s strange biology―botanically, it is not a fruit, but rather a cluster of ingrowing flowers―then considers its Arabian origins, including the possibility that the earliest seeds were transported from Yemen to Mesopotamia in the dung of donkeys. Exploring the history of the fruit in fascinating detail, Sutton postulates that the “forbidden fruit” eaten by Adam and Eve was not an apple, but a fig; and he discusses the role figs played for the Crusaders and guides readers toward the wonderful fig festivals held today. Chock full of tasty recipes, intriguing facts, and bizarre stories, Figs is a toothsome book of delights.
Lemon
Vital to food and drink, the always-refreshing lemon has a fascinating story to tell, a journey intertwining the East and the West, the Old World and the New. In this engaging and original volume, Toby Sonneman traces the remarkable adventures of an extraordinary fruit over the last millennium.The lemon was born in India, inheriting its fragrance from its mysterious ancestor, the citron, sacred to many of the world’s great religions. It travelled with Arabs along ancient trade routes, came of age in Sicily and Italy, and sailed to the New World with Columbus. In seventeenth-century Europe it was adored as an exotic luxury; at the end of the eighteenth-century it won recognition as a cure for scurvy, saving the lives of thousands of sailors in the British Royal Navy. The 1900s saw the lemon’s rise to commercial and culinary success in a Southern California citrus empire, and the discovery of the Meyer lemon in China by the eccentric plant explorer Frank Meyer.Toby Sonneman draws on her background as a fruit picker, writer and chef to examine how lemons are used in cooking, and remedying countless health and household maladies. She examines the language of lemons, from Persian to American slang, and takes the reader on a journey to lemon orchards in Sicily, the Amalfi Coast and Southern California.Richly illustrated, Lemon is supplemented with delicious recipes for sweet and savoury dishes and beverages. This lively, refreshing work will delight all readers who love food, history, travel or culture.
Making the Best Apple Cider
Learn how to make delicious homemade cider! With a supply of apples and a few pieces of essential equipment, you can take part in the timeless fall tradition of making your own fresh cider. This 32-page booklet has all the information you need to get started, from advice about buying a cider mill to notes on which apples to use. Making the Best Apple Cider includes: An overview of the equipment needed for cider-making A list of the apple varieties that make the best cider Step-by-step instructions for making fresh cider Information about storing and preserving sweet cider Advice about making basic hard cider Recipes for cooking with cider
Olive
Olives are at once a mythical food – bringing to mind scenes from Ancient Rome and the Bible – and an everyday one, given the ubiquity of olive oil in contemporary diets. In this original, succinct and engaging history Fabrizia Lanza traces the olive’s roots from antiquity, when olive oil was exalted for ritual purposes and used to anoint kings and athletes; to the sixteenth century, when Europeans brought the olive to the New World; to the present day, when the fruit and its oil have successfully conquered our palates, in part thanks to waves of global immigration and the popularity of the healthy Mediterranean diet. Lanza describes the role that olive trees, olives and their oil have played in myths, legends and literature, as well as in the everyday lives of people throughout the Mediterranean. A global selection of recipes featuring olives and olive oil showcases the fruit’s culinary diversity. Featuring a wealth of historical detail, this book will be a popular addition to all food lovers’ bookshelves.
Oranges
Oranges traces our close historic relationship with the pre-eminent member of the citrus clan. Oranges are a fascinating fruit with a long and varied history, wide-ranging cultural resonance, large culinary presence, and a golden, glowing beauty. Once seen as a gift from the gods, oranges have been symbols of great wealth and status in art; the foundation of fortunes; an inspiration for poets and painters; and a source of natural health. This book examines the tantalizing origins of the fruit, and surveys the wide range of varieties that now comprise the orange family. Oranges charts the arrival of bitter and sweet oranges in the Mediterranean world, the impact of their cultivation on agriculture, garden design and architecture, and records the dramatic journey of the orange to the Americas. Oranges and cartons of orange juice are a sight we take for granted on supermarket shelves and the breakfast table, but the story of how they got there is little-known. Oranges deals with practical complexities of cultivation and production in a clear and engaging manner and details the problems and challenges facing modern producers and consumers of the orange throughout the world.
Pomegranate
Juicy, crunchy, tart: with its multitude of seeds and juice akin to blood, it’s not hard to see why the pomegranate has so appealed to the imagination. After being held in high esteem in the rituals of the polytheistic religions of the ancient world, the pom-egranate came to be revered in Christianity, Islam and Judaism. This book explores how people throughout history interacted with pomegranates, featuring a cast of well-known characters from the Ashurnasirpal to Anne Boleyn, from Sandro Botticelli to Salvador Dalí. It is a cornucopia of strange and fascinating anecdotes about this very special fruit whose health benefits are so highly regarded today.
Ripe
Britain’s foremost food writer Nigel Slater returns to the garden in this sequel to Tender , his acclaimed and beloved volume on vegetables. With a focus on fruit, Ripe is equal parts cookbook, primer on produce and gardening, and affectionate ode to the inspiration behind the book--Slater’s forty-foot backyard garden in London. Intimate, delicate prose is interwoven with recipes in this lavishly photographed cookbook. Slater offers more than 300 delectable dishes--both sweet and savory--such as Apricot and Pistachio Crumble , Baked Rhubarb with Blueberries , and Crisp Pork Belly with Sweet Peach Salsa . With a personal, almost confessional approach to his appetites and gustatory experiences, Slater has crafted a masterful book that will gently guide you from the garden to the kitchen, and back again.