originals and redactions Re: [Sca-cooks] "All the King's Cooks"

[johnna holloway]

But this is the question that comes up whenever one approaches any 
cookbook that features traditional or heirloom or historical recipes. 
The question always arises as to how true the recipes are with what was 
actually being cooked. Did the author stand at the grandmother's elbow 
and record every measurement that was made? Was the recipe simplified 
for an American audience because the ingredients were not available? Was 
the recipe and method and amounts improved upon or edited for length by 
the author or the editor? Mastering the Art of French Cooking, volume 2, 
[1970] contains a recipe for "croissants" that begins on page 96 and 
ends on page 103. Most recipes today are at best a page or a long 
paragraph. The better books discuss the recipes and the dishes and 
mention any changes or variations, but this is not alway the case.

With regard to Brears it ought to be noted that the audience in Britain 
for this book is partly made up of teachers who are looking for 
information for their National Curriculum studies. With regard to the 
original recipes, Brears notes that
"The fact that their recipes consist usually of little more than a list 
of ingredients demonstrates that they were simply aides-memoire, for 
they already knew by heart all the major repertoires and finer points of 
technique. It is worth noting that only in recent years have some 
cookery books descended to the level of idiots' guides, proffering 
foolproof methods for boiling eggs!"

Had the original recipes been included the book might easily have been 
another 50 pages longer and cost perhaps 1/3 more. Given the cost 
factors, I think that this is the corner that was cut. They kept the 
drawings and color photography and directed the readers to the original 
sources via footnotes and a bibliography.

Johnnae llyn Lewis

jenne at fiedlerfamily.net wrote: snipped

> It's interesting to think about this... obviously a combination of
> originals and good redactions would be the best sort of source... but we
> often recommend books that have the originals even if the redactions are
> bad. Is this a good practice? Certainly, it does help people's critical
> reading skills.> -- Pani Jadwiga Zajaczkowa,