Monday, March 12, 2012

#Listography - Cookery Books

My American friends laugh when I talk about cookery books. They say it sounds like some sort of witchery-pokery with spells and hocus-pocus. Well they can have their cookbooks - mine are cookery books. And here are my five favourites. Visit Kate Takes 5 for more cookery book collections.




1. Florence Greenberg's Jewish Cookery Book


First published in 1947, mine is the eighth edition (1972). Up until the mid1970s this was the only Jewish cookery book available in the UK and every girl received a copy on her Bat Mitzva at the age of 12 (the equivalent to the boys' Bar Mitzva at 13). My mother was still using hers when mine came along. I love the notices to Jewish housewives about being careful to buy only kosher food and the adverts from 1947:


It's amazing to see the way people ate in those days - everything was cooked in shmaltze (beef or chicken fat). It has all the traditional Jewish recipes from long ago with the Yiddish names transported from the shtetls of Europe. But you can't beat it when you need a basic recipe for e.g. shortcrust pastry, sponge cake, custard, and other things that most people don't bother to make from scratch these days.

2. A Proper Tea by Joanna Isles


Everything you ever wanted to know about afternoon tea. Beautiful illustrations of teatime in various styles, including the recipes. Exquisite is the only word to describe this book.

3. A selection of bumper Vegetarian Cookery Books

Between them these books contain everything you could possibly do with an aubergine, a tomato, a potato or a mushroom. You are welcome to add some meat to your menu but there's really no need.



4. French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano

This isn't cheating as it does contain some very nice recipes. However, it's also my Bible. when I found this book all my diet books (and I had a few *ahem*) were thrown out. You can create wonderful cuisine to your heart's delight but if you don't know how to eat like a mensch (a civilised human being) what's the point?



5. The Book Of New Israeli Food by Janna Gur

A recipe book, yes, but also a social history of the food and eating culture in Israel. And a comprehensive review of where, who and how we eat today. I read it cover to cover before I even went into the kitchen with it.



37 comments:

  1. Love it Rachel, as always.
    I too have a rather battered copy of Florence Greenberg's Jewish Cookery Book (Sixth Edition) complete with (blank) pages for my cookery notes).... and also, until very recently (sorry Dad its disappeared) with a dedication page dated some time in 1963 from my Dad to my Mum and his new daughter (me) ...something about "teaching her the right way...".

    I also still use it from time to time!

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    1. I love the really old fashioned recipes like Lemon Curd - who ever makes lemon curd?

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  2. Hell, with all the wonderful recipes you post you coukd do your own cookery book!!

    xx Jazzy

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    1. Why thank you Jazzy, but my recipe are rather too approximate and slapdash to be in a book I think.

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  3. I love your list as it's got some very different recipe books.

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  4. What a great selection. The first has real history to it! I wish I had a book like that in my collection.
    Love the French women one...I need that book!!!

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    1. French Women is all the common sense you knew already but so nicely put by a slim example that you can't help but listen.

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  5. I remember my mother having that Florence Greenberg one when I was a kid! I wonder if she still does - probably yes, as she rarely throws anything away.

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    1. You don't throw Florence greenberg away - even if it's held together by some of that shmaltze.

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  6. What a really interesting selection!

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    1. Thank you OM. I actually have a dhelf full and would have liked to have added some but in the end I chose the most interesting.

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  7. Fascinating story behind the first book - I love the fact it's steeped in history. The Tea book does indeed look exquisite, the sort of book it would be lovely to receive as a gift.

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    1. I agree although I'VE had mine for over 20 years so I don't know if it's still in print.

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  8. Very different. Is that French one the same as French Children don't throw food'. By OH just bought me that - trying to tell me something..?

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    1. Never heard of that buT I'm off to google it now. I expect it is as she's aready written A French Woman for all Seasons which wasn't nearly as good as the first book.

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    2. OK, The French Children book is by someone else.

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  9. Yay for Florence Greenberg! It's a great cookbook, whether you're Jewish or not (I'm not). One of the two recipe books I use regularly.

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    1. I read your list - I honestly didn't expect another Flo Greenberg in the Listography. Hilarious that you adapt her recipes to make them non-kosher as we are always adpting recipes to make them kosher. So glad you dropped by and commented :)

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  10. My favourite of your selection is A proper tea - I want it! It looks charming x

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    1. I should google it to see if it's still in print. i bought mine about 20 years ago.

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  11. Yes, I wasn't expecting anyone else to choose Mrs Greenberg (as we always call her) either. :-)

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    1. We seem to be crossing comments in cyberspace. Although my answer above is actually what I wrote on your blog.

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  12. Wonderful - I love the different books that people are posting about - and the family connections and memories arising too. The teatime book has caught my interest in particular. I do hope that it involves bunting...and I enjoyed reading the French women book too (the other mentioned in the comments is about behaviour of children I think. Lovely blog!

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    1. Thanks you Menai, I think there is bunting at the picnic tea - I'll have to check.

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  13. Now this is a really interesting and different Listography: I was rather taken with the French Women don't get fat book, though I doubt I could be as disciplined as them :) And the vegetarian cookery books look great - I would probably only eat veggie food if I wasn't mum to a carnivore lol

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    1. When you read about the French women it doesn't appear to be about self discipline but more about celebrating each meal so that you are satisfied until the next one.

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  14. I have never seen any of these books, what an interesting collection...love the 'A Proper Tea' book...I'm all for bringing back 'High Tea' I love it!

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    1. Thanks Carolyn - I think a proper teas is a dying art unfortunately.

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  15. I love your list! So much variety. I am a bit of a lover of high tea so that book definitely caught my eye. I love all he stories behind your first book.

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    1. Thanks Claire - every Jewish woman I know from the UK has a Flo Greenberg story.

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  16. I love the idea of a Jewish cookery book! (I'm not Jewish) but I love traditional recipes and think there is nothing better than when you are cooking something with history behind it. I cook a lot of traditional Scottish food (mostly really sweet stuff like tablet from the 'olden' days when people from remote areas of Scotland ate a lot of sugary fair to keep their energy boosted for very little money)

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    1. I also love hearing about food history and culture. Do you blog about the traditional Scottish recipes - I'd love to read about it.

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  17. I love this list. As a vegetarian with a Jewish father, I'd like to own every one!

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    1. LOL - I love them but I hardly ever use the recipes as they are written. I look at the pictures and then make up something similar.

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  18. I have the Florence Greenberg 6th Edition (1957) my mother has the first. We're not Jewish but for both of us it is a family staple. Couldn't be without it.

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    1. It really is the best for all the different types of pastry, sponge cakes, even mayonaise and custard. All things that modern books don'tbother with as you can buy them readymade. Thanks for commenting.

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