This is part of my Summer Reads series where I’ll be sharing book recommendations – a series of “not just cookbooks”.
Coming at you this week with “not a cookbook” and “not a travel guide” but a delicious blend of the two! Carolyn Boyd’s Amuse-Bouche: How to Eat Your Way Around France came out earlier this summer and it’s a perfect choice for those of you planning a trip to France (at any time of the year!) or just armchair travel enthusiasts.
From the publisher:
A charming guide to French cuisine by an award-winning food writer
‘A perfect balance of history, food, anecdotes and recommendations … Carolyn’s enthusiasm for French gastronomy is legendary’ Michel Roux Jr
‘Wondrous, witty, delicious and fun. Every page made me hungry’ Raymond Blanc
What makes a real salade niçoise?
What type of cheese is officially France’s stinkiest?
Why does the sandy carrot have such a superior flavour?
And who exactly are the Brotherhood of the Knights of the Giant Omelette?Leading expert on French food and culture Carolyn Boyd shares the stories behind the country’s most fascinating foods and ingredients. Spanning every region of France and divided into 200 separate vignettes, each entry blends history and travel, personal anecdote and recipes.
Amuse Bouche is a book to be devoured: a beautifully illustrated, joyous celebration of French food, and a charming, practical guide to inspire your own travels – whether you’re a proud Francophile or don’t know your ficelle from your flûte.
At the start of the book in the “How to Use this Book” guide, Boyd suggests:
Ok so though even though this is not a novel, you COULD read it like one – from start to finish – but the way I read it was to dip in and out of the chapters as I felt like it. I loved the “How to use” section (which includes useful topics like “Choosing a Restaurant”, “Etiquette in Shops and Restaurants”, “Dietary Requirements”, “Notes on Recipes, “What is Terroir” and “Acronyms Galore”) and feel that is a must read, as is any section which talks about places you have been/ are going to/ are dreaming about going to! For reference, here are the regions covered in the book:
I, of course, started with Paris and Nouvelle-Aquitaine but also dipped into Brittany, Burgundy, Occitanie, Provence and the Grand-Est chapters as those are places we’ve also travelled.
I think the Paris chapter is an excellent place to start for anyone as it gives a really good idea of what the book is all about. For sure, it covers all the “usual suspects” – places you’d expect to see in a Paris guide book. Yes Boyd covers the best baguette in Paris, macarons , the famed jambon-beurre sandwich and Paris-Brest but instead of just sharing where to sample the best of these, there is a lot of history and background information shared so you have historical context. For example, macarons are discussed from the Renaissance era to present day, with nods to the famed Ladurée and Hermé vestions but the three places recommended right at the end of the sections are places many tourists might not have thought to go – Hugor & Victor, Dalloyau and Carette.
I love that this chapter moves beyond your typical macarons, pastries, baguette, cheese and frog’s legs to talk about some more “off the beaten path” locales such as the Goutte d’Or and Chateau Rouge neighbourhoods (18th and 19th arrondissements with large Sub-Saharan communities), a Moroccan restaurant in the quiet 15th arrondissement, a rooftop farm (the size of two football fields) at the Salon des Expositions at the Porte de Versailles (also in the 15th), a barley sugar sweet created by nuns in 1638 in Moret-sur-Loing just outside Paris near Fontainbleau. So much variety along with your staple “Paris foods” (the ones that have to be on your list!).
The Nouvelle-Aquitaine chapter caught my eye (obviously because of our place there) and I was pleased to see that, although he département is quite sizable, we’ve managed to work our way through a good number of the foods (and beverages!) discussed! It did, however, give me a whole lot more places to add to our list of “departmental exploration” (for “research”!), including a number of cheeses I have never even heard of and Poule au Pot from Béarn. SO many things to eat and drink, so little time!
This book should accompany you on every trip to France as it really does a great job of giving you background information to help you plan a gastronomic tour of an area you are in and a deeper understanding of what you are eating and its history. Love that there are a few recipes for some iconic foods scattered throughout the book too!
HIGHLY recommended for those planning a trip to France, those who have been to and love France, those who might not get there soon but who dream of France from their armchair (so, yeah, that pretty much covers everyone!).
Buy Amuse-Bouche: How to Eat Your Way Around France on Amazon (this affiliate link should bring you to the Amazon store in, or closest to, your country).
For free worldwide shipping, find Amuse-Bouche: How to Eat Your Way Around France on Blackwell’s.
Support your local Indie bookstore and purchase Amuse-Bouche: How to Eat Your Way Around France on Bookshop.org.
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Buy my books! In the French kitchen with kids and French Food for Everyone: le goûter (after school snacks), le dîner (dinner) and le petit déjeuner (breakfast) are out now! Click here for details and how to order!
I can imagine the research that must have gone into writing something like this. Clearly worth a read for anybody heading to France.