Travels in Search of the Legendary Food of France.
In years gone by, the traveller in France could rely on coming across a restaurant where the tables were ready-laid with heavy cotton napkins, a carafe of wine and a basket of freshly baked bread, and where the ensuing meal would encompass recipes of remarkable local dishes handed down form generation to generations. But no longer.
In an inspiring quest for this rapidly disappearing traditional cuisine and culture, Mirabel Osler travels the length and breadth of France, focusing on individual chefs and restaurants, exploring producers and suppliers such as travelling butchers and bakers, and the local markets where much of the produce is bought. It is an enticing and evocative picture of a way of life which is fast being eroded by the modern world, but also an affirmation that, for some, the old traditions will always survive.
Much more than a cookery book, this is a beautifully illustrated travel book with a sympathetic analysis of the French at table in the age of processed food.
