Fw: Fw: [Sca-cooks] Galloping Goulash.... (fwd)

[Phlip]

Jadwiga was asking me about any references for Hungarian foods, so I sent
the question along to Gene Anderson, and this was his reply. I'm sending it
along because I know the question has come up on the List before, and he has
what appear to be some interesting references for the cuisine of a less
known area.

Phlip

----- Original Message -----
From: "Gene Anderson"
To: "Phlip" <phlip at 99main.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 03, 2002 6:56 PM
Subject: Re: Fw: [Sca-cooks] Galloping Goulash.... (fwd)


> The best, and indeed the only, book with much history of Hungarian food in
> English is George Lang's THE CUISINE OF HUNGARY, which is superb.  (I may
> not have the title quite right, but that will get you there.)   The great
> Hungarian chef Karoly Gundel wrote quite a bit--his history is shaky (but
> his recipes are nice).  There is also an excellent
> history/ethnography/cookbook of Transylvanian food, but I don't have the
> ref with me.
> Anyone interested in the food of that part of the world should read
William
> Woys Weaver's translation and additions to a Polish history of food by a
> late Polish lady--again the ref is at home so I don't remember, but call
up
> William Woys Weaver on amazon.com or any other such source and look for
the
> Polish book. It's possibly the best food history in English.  Certainly
> basic for East Europe, especially the medieval period.
> There is a good deal of scattered stuff on Russian food out there, but I
> don't know a single source that's really good.
> Lurking in my files somewhere is an odd paper on the great carp pond fad
in
> late medieval Bohemia (to 16th century or so). In the middle ages they got
> the idea of carp raising from China via Russia.  Eventually a competition
> surfaced among the lords to see who could have the biggest and best carp
> pond.  Odd way to compete for status, but people will do anything.  Maybe
> the Hungarians got into this too.  Who knows. But they sure cook
freshwater
> fish superbly.
> best--Gene Anderson