Long acknowledged as the inspiration for modern masters like Julia Child & Claudia Roden, A Book of Mediterranean Food is Elizabeth David’s passionate mixture of recipes, culinary lore, & frank talk. First published in 1950, it has been unavailable in hardback since the 1960s, so Grub Street is delighted to restore it in a facsimile edition alongside other Elizabeth David hardbacks. The book features recipes from her time in France, Italy, the Greek Islands & Egypt, showcasing the color & fun of the Mediterranean. Dishes include soupe au pistou, pebronata from Corsica, & skordalia of the Greeks; some are sumptuous, many simple, most sublime. Ingredients are readily available today, often using familiar vegetables, fish & herbs in new ways. David includes interesting sidelights on eating habits, extracts from famous authors, memorable meals, & insights on cookery & eating. Illustrations by John Minton embellish the text.

In this revised and updated edition of her authoritative and fascinating book Edite Vieira traces the rich legacy of her country’s culinary excellence from medieval through to modern times lacing it with history and anecdote and a collection of authentically delicious recipes. From simple and wholesome peasant fare to elaborate celebratory meals, ingredients include salt cod (bacalhau) in all its myriad variations, cumin and oranges are both remnants of the voyaging past, green coriander is the main flavoring herb; essentially the food is the food of a country which grows grapes, peppers, melons, quinces and apples, and few other countries have such a repertoire of pork dishes. Fresh pork is much in evidence as well as ham (presunto), pork and red pepper sausages (chouricos) and black pudding (morcela), all foods very much in present vogue.