The Food and Wine of France: Eating and Drinking from Champagne to Provence

Eldward Behr is a good food writer. So good, in fact that he was voted into the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage in 2014 for his writing, mostly in his quarterly newsletter, The Art of Eating. This new book is equal to his reputation. In the introduction, he describes modern cuisine as “austere.” This is the word I have been searching for to describe what I think of the 2 once portions of food resting on their sides amid squirts of colored sauces on 14” white plates. There are no pictures and no recipes. There are, however, 32 essays that concentrate on the history, traditions, and champions of traditional French food, a style of cooking that Behr fears will be neglected and forgotten. His piece on andouillette(chitterling) sausage brought me back to my own experience in a small bistro in Burgundy where I ordered the dish and was introduced to terroir on a level that I had never imagined it to exist. Neither of us could finish our portion on our first occasions. Behr went on to develop his taste for the sausage and he writes about it with great affection. I have not had it since. There are wonderful essays on brioche, sea salt, Champagne, snails and other French foods. He visits bakers, farmers, and producers, some of whom he has known for years at this point, and takes these pieces to a depth that makes the reader feel privy to details that that seem almost confidential. If what you want are pictures of plump glistening roasted chickens and the recipes to prepare them; or of fishermen unloading their catches on the docks of Marseilles, you should look to one of the fine food and beverage magazines that are published today. But if you are satisfied with great writing about even greater food, this book should suffice nicely. The Food and Wine of France, Eating and Drinking from Champagne to Provence. Doesn’t that sound like fun?

As a former subscriber to The Art of Eating, Behr's quarterly, I recognize some of these articles as having appeared there. Perhaps they all did and this is a collection. At one time I thought Behr's essays were comprehensive explorations of focused topics covering not just contemporary developments but historical context as well. This title, while it certainly includes some interesting writing, disappointed me. First, it's a hodgepodge of topical entries. (As suggested above, I suspect it's nothing more than an assortment of previously published essays related to France.) More importantly, the depth of each article left me wanting (compared, at least, to what Behr has managed in the past). Sometimes I came to the (rather abrupt) end of a chapter and wondered "wait a minute, is that it?" I can recall articles Behr has written that left me feeling newly educated, while many of those presented in this volume almost seemed superficial. Despite these complaints there is, to be sure, useful information here -- but this just isn't a book I'd feel compelled to recommend to someone interested in French food and wine.

Great book describing some of the technical and chemical details inherent with today's food. J am not a foodie, but I've learned that McDonald's and burger king is slowly poisoning me, while trader Joe's, and whole foods has better overall quality.

This was a gift for my husband and he enjoys it very much

A good read and a must for any foodie.

A fun learning journey through the French eating and drinking experience. Read it if you interested in food and drink!

good book, good service from the seller, very pleased

well written, entertaining essays, but not a single photograph, or even a map. for a book that is as much a travelogue as anything, this is truly unforgivable. with a list price of 28.00 and only 291 pages, this is an unconscionable omission.