[Spit-Project] New Book

[Johnna Holloway]

No one has posted any news for awhile, so I thought I would mention  
that Steve Raichlen
(author of Barbecue! Bible, Barbecue USA,< http:// 
www.barbecuebible.com/ > <http://store.grilling4all.com/> )
is back with a new book.

This one is titled Planet Barbecue! It's going to be a very popular  
book (Father's Day, anyone?).
Sue la Table < http://www.surlatable.com/category/id/103931.do > is  
featuring
the book and Steve Raichlen equipment.

I like the book but I find it to be somewhat strange.
I am not sure I can express what's so funny, but here goes:

The Introduction is titled "The Discovery of Fire and the Invention of  
Barbecue."
Rather breezy, very abbreviated, and no, there's no bibliography. He  
does acknowledge
Dr. Richard Wrangham's book Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human  
in the
Acknowledgements section on page iii.

Pages xiv-xvii cover "Time Line Two Million Years of Barbecue History  
{ In 2,000 Words}."
The initial graphic is a caveman. I have already seen more than one  
review that highlights the caveman and BBQ.  One review noted "a  
social structure in which some went out to get meat while others  
stayed home to cook it, and everyone gathered around the fire.
Long story short: ``Barbecue begat civilization.'' And wherever Homo  
erectus went, so did barbecue."

Raichlen mentions Taillevent, mechanical turnspits, and
the term barbacoa; even though the timeline account is short, it's not  
that bad. It's just not sourced. (My preference would have been
to include a good world map and skip the timeline. It's not a book  
that one is going to read for the history. Maybe a discussion of spice  
rubs around the world or comparative methods could have been included  
instead.)

Paperback copies of the book are on display right now at the larger  
bookstores, like B&N and Borders.
I never saw the hardback in any of the stores, so I ordered the  
hardback through Amazon.
Take a look and see what you think about the history/introduction.

As with all of his previous books, the attraction here are the recipes  
(here 309 recipes from 60 countries)
and the grilling methods and instructions. These are great, although  
laying your hands on
the South African Springbok that goes with the Monkey Gland sauce may  
take some doing.
Overall, it's a nice attractive book with a good selection of recipes,  
great pictures, and great instructions.

There's a special page with recipes here:
http://www.ecookbooks.com/t-Planet-Barbecue-Steven-Raichlen.aspx

Out in 2008 was another worldwide grilling book. This was Rick  
Browne's The Best Barbecue on Earth.
It's worth seeking out too if grilling around the world is an interest.

Johnnae, playing librarian