Butter
A Rich History
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
"Intimate and far-reaching . . . Khosrova's ambitious project is a successful, fascinating account of a common dairy product" (Publishers Weekly).
It's a culinary catalyst, an agent of change, a gastronomic rock star. Ubiquitous in the world's most fabulous cuisines, butter is boss. Here, it finally gets its due.
After traveling across three continents to stalk the modern story of butter, award-winning food writer and former pastry chef Elaine Khosrova serves up a story as rich, textured, and culturally relevant as butter itself.
From its humble agrarian origins to its present-day artisanal glory, butter has a fascinating story to tell, and Khosrova is the perfect person to tell it. With tales about the ancient butter bogs of Ireland, the pleasure dairies of France, and the sacred butter sculptures of Tibet, Khosrova details butter's role in history, politics, economics, nutrition, and even spirituality and art. Readers will also find the essential collection of core butter recipes, including beurre manié, croissants, pâte brisée, and the only buttercream frosting anyone will ever need, as well as practical how-tos for making various types of butter at home—or shopping for the best.
"Irresistible and fascinating . . . This is one of those definitive books on a subject that every cook should have." —Elisabeth Prueitt, co-owner of Tartine Bakery
"Edifying from every point of view—historical, cultural, and culinary. And what a bonus to have a collection of essential classic butter recipes included." —David Tanis, author of David Tanis Market Cooking
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Former pastry chef Khosrova shines a spotlight on butter, a simple, ubiquitious staple. Khosrova's history is intimate and far-reaching, whether sampling the butter produced at farms in remote regions of the world or peeking into middle-class pantries. Throughout, she explores ancient and modern practices of creaming, churning, flavoring, and selling butter. She even includes discussions on margarine's shady past and how it went from a cost-effective butter replacement to a health and marketing quagmire. Khosrova, who has worked at Country Living and Healthy Living magazines and has an obvious passion for food, pays homage to longtime butter-making traditions in India, Bhutan, Tibet, France, and the U.S. She discusses, among other things, camel butter, how some butter emits a golden aura, and how, before the industrial revolution, a dairy maid could always find a job. The book opens with an ode to butter by poet Elizabeth Alexander, and closes with an appendix on with how to say butter in over 50 languages. Khosrova's ambitious project is a successful, fascinating account of a common dairy product.
