Serendipitous Combination of Geekdoms
This month's issue of Foreign Policy has several fascinating articles. The first is The Cookbook Theory of Economics, which posits that one can measure economic development by cookbooks about the cuisine of a society. Agrarian societies where ingredients are very local and recipes are handed down from mother to daughter are almost impossible to replicate elsewhere. As the society develops economically, restaurants pop up (specialization) and there is a need to standardize ingredients as well as teach the recipes to strangers. That's when cookbooks start to appear. The trend continues with globalization and the increased number of women working outside the home.
The Second article is an essay on rice, and how it is used as a stable and form of hospitality in war zones from Afghanistan to Palestine to Mali. It includes partial recipes for three rice dishes (an uzbecki pilau, basmati rice and jollof rice) and descriptions of others, such as Somali surbiyaan and a Baghdadi spiced rice cooked with chicken. The fascinating part is the description of what families must go though to get their rice, and the joy of surviving another day to share the meal.
The third article "Austerity Lentils" reflects on the economic collapse in Greece, and the many ways of serving lentils in Greece - the author discusses the role of lentils in feeding her family when they were poor peasants, then as a dish for homesick immigrants, and now as a food served in soup kitchens. Though this article doesn't give specific recipes, there are descriptions of several different dishes, with ingredient lists.
The final article "Market Revolution", describes the revolution that has overtaken the restaurant industry in Poland since the fall of the Wall. During the Cold War, there were elegant but empty official restaurants and unlicensed restaurants that actually had food (usually seasonal, organic and often contraband). Following the collapse of communism, people went crazy for imported foods (bad pizza, worse "French" restaurants, and McDonald's). With time, home cooks became professional and packaging improved. With political stability came national self-confidence and a revival of Polish cooking. Now, with globalization, chefs are reinventing traditional Polish dishes with once-exotic ingredients. This one also comes with enough of a recipe to make sour cucumber soup (ogorkowa), if only I can figure out what the author means by sour dill pickles.
The Second article is an essay on rice, and how it is used as a stable and form of hospitality in war zones from Afghanistan to Palestine to Mali. It includes partial recipes for three rice dishes (an uzbecki pilau, basmati rice and jollof rice) and descriptions of others, such as Somali surbiyaan and a Baghdadi spiced rice cooked with chicken. The fascinating part is the description of what families must go though to get their rice, and the joy of surviving another day to share the meal.
The third article "Austerity Lentils" reflects on the economic collapse in Greece, and the many ways of serving lentils in Greece - the author discusses the role of lentils in feeding her family when they were poor peasants, then as a dish for homesick immigrants, and now as a food served in soup kitchens. Though this article doesn't give specific recipes, there are descriptions of several different dishes, with ingredient lists.
The final article "Market Revolution", describes the revolution that has overtaken the restaurant industry in Poland since the fall of the Wall. During the Cold War, there were elegant but empty official restaurants and unlicensed restaurants that actually had food (usually seasonal, organic and often contraband). Following the collapse of communism, people went crazy for imported foods (bad pizza, worse "French" restaurants, and McDonald's). With time, home cooks became professional and packaging improved. With political stability came national self-confidence and a revival of Polish cooking. Now, with globalization, chefs are reinventing traditional Polish dishes with once-exotic ingredients. This one also comes with enough of a recipe to make sour cucumber soup (ogorkowa), if only I can figure out what the author means by sour dill pickles.