Equality in the kitchen: Cookbooks as a gift
We all have heard the abusive "woman's place in the kitchen" - but even in undivided rule in this very kitchen, women are still denied. Cooking a homemade dinner for the whole family is still a duty, but big business often leaves women behind. In the ratings of influential critics, chefs, gastronomic journalists and editors, you rarely see female names, but this does not mean that they are not in the industry. There are more and more cooks, researchers and amateur cooks who are ready to do a lot to make the female voice louder in gastronomy.
New Year is on the nose, and books as a gift are a great way to enlighten yourself and loved ones. There is something for everyone in our list of non-trivial publications about food: collections of simple recipes or whole memoirs, serious research or charity publications. Most of them are not yet available in Russian translation, but cookbooks are a storehouse of new vocabulary in a fascinating format, so feel free to choose an option to your liking and won’t regret with a gift.
"A Girl Called Jack"
Jack Monroe
After scandals with a sexist chef and vain attempts to get housing allowance, young mother Jack Monroe was left with only ten pounds a week - with this money she had to feed herself and her child. Her book, A Girl Named Jack, is a collection of budgetary and very tasty recipes that Jack once published on her blog and on culinary drains. Monroe knows how to make Indian masala cost you 30 pence (23 rubles), and rosemary cake with figs - nineteen (15 rubles).
The 25-year-old queer feminist Monroe is making a small revolution in the UK: she uses her publications and direct action to combat poverty and bureaucracy with organizations like Oxfam and the Action Team on Poverty Reduction of Children. So be sure: part of the proceeds from the book is guaranteed to go to charity.
£9,09
"Stir: Mixing It Up in the Italian Tradition"
Barbara lynch
Chef Barbara Lynch is considered an authority on the world of high-class cuisine: she owns some of the best restaurants in Boston, she works closely with star chef Rene Redzepi, whom we have already told. In his book with a metaphorical title - something like “How it all mixed up in the Italian tradition” - Lynch offers recipes for the perfect lasagna and potato gnocchi, chicken in prosciutto and bread pudding, providing instructions to authors with comments.
The famous specialist was born not in Italy, but in the suburbs of Boston. A girl from a family of workers defends the rights of women, advocates healthy fast food for workaholic, advocates higher wages, and generally has a ray of light in the culinary kingdom of machismo. By purchasing a book, you can support a female voice in the community of restaurateurs and at the same time bestow on your loved ones guidance on how to make the right pasta.
$25,84
"The Jemima Code"
Tony Tipton-Martin
To show the important, but undervalued role of African-American women in the development of national cuisine, in particular the southern region, Tony Tipton-Martin worked for years and collected one of the largest collections of cookbooks. This anthology is both an impressive catalog and a full-fledged art book: it mentions over a hundred and fifty books - from the rare handbook of the maid of 1827 to the modern culinary classics. Descriptions are accompanied by photographs of the covers and selected pages with recipes.
For a long time, African-American cuisine was perceived through the national stereotype of an uneducated aunt Jemima, who cooked intuitively and without understanding of the matter. But the compilation of Tony Tripton Martin is evidence that the women in the USA knew how to cook real masterpieces of scanty products, taught young cooks of European descent and literally fed the entire civil movement for African American rights. From the book "The Jemima Code" you will learn where the American memes about corn, watermelons and chicken nuggets came from, and understand what Beyonce means when he sings: "I always have hot sauce with me."
$30,28
"Share: The Cookbook that Celebrates Our Common Humanity"
Women for Women International
Everyone who has a hand in this collection of recipes is associated with the international humanitarian organization Women for Women: it provides support to women from regions affected by war and other political conflicts. "What we eat, and how we cook it, can contribute to the employment and financial stability of others," the editors of the publication write, calling for conscious consumption of food and readiness to share. I bought a book - I sponsored my sister.
The album, divided into thematic sections, presents unique recipes from around the world - from Afghan flafel flatbread and donuts from Kosovo to lamb burger and apple tea. Celebrities also shared their recipes: Annie Lennox, Mia Farrow, Meryl Streep. Even Nelson Mandela, during his lifetime, managed to contribute to this wonderful project.
$27,18
Life Cookbook
Alice B. Toklas
This classic is ironic and touching prose at the junction of memoirs and gastronomy. The figure of Toklas often fades in the background of her comrade-in-arms and partner Gertrude Stein, but this book, written in 1953, became a real creative emancipation of Toklas. It is far less political than most of the options on our list, but definitely not inferior in terms of benefits. Toklas tells how to prepare four types of gazpacho and dozens of different sauces, shares tips on roasting game and advises the perfect combination of dishes for dinner parties.
The Life Cookbook is more of a memory than a cooking textbook. In it are stories told by Hemingway and Fitzgerald, feasts with Picasso and Matisse, unknown features of the image of Gertrude and surprising incidents from their life with Alice. Feel free to give the book even to those who do not plan to learn to cook: it will decorate any library.
392 rub.
"The Best of Bloodroot"
Selma Miriam, NOel Fury
The vegetarian restaurant "Bloodroot" in New England, which is in the northeastern United States, has existed since the 70s. Even then, the proprietors released their own books of "feminist vegetarian recipes" called "The Perennial Political Palate". Today, the restaurant is still in full swing, the New York Times dubbed it legendary, and the restaurant owners still call it feminist, because they are true to the principle "personal is political."
In the "Bloodroot" from year to year, activists and gourmets come from all over Britain, so their recipes are time tested and there certainly have something to learn from these cookbooks. In the first volume, vegetarian dishes are offered, in the second - vegan dishes, on the covers of both books - a native restaurant cat. In addition to the recipes, the authors share photos from the personal archive and an essay about food culture, experiences of feminism, work ethic and the development of vegetarian and vegan cuisine.
$ 55 for two volumes
"Barefoot and In the Kitchen"
Ashley rove
The main trump card of the book is that it has pictures: hooligan illustrations, ironic comics and talented sketches will appeal to everyone who is a rebel in his heart. The small album "Barefoot and the Kitchen" is designed to dispel stereotypes about vegan cuisine and save newcomers from fear of cooking. Recipes for every taste and budget, all kinds of culinary life hacking, a dictionary of popular ingredients and terms - anyone can learn to cook with such an arsenal.
The author, Ashley Rove, an experienced feminist and vegan, tells in detail how to make seitan and simple sauces, quick and nutty biscuits and fragrant corn bread. The punk names delight the dishes: “Dirty rice”, “Fatal buns” and so on. Ashley even provided the handbook with funny essays - in short, a culinary zine for wild hearts.