Cooking up a storm (Al Dente - William Black)

Member Name: gaultier100

Product:	Al Dente - William Black
Date:	02/12/04 (49 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Interesting, Full of facts and trivia, Lots of recipe ideas

Disadvantages: Too much jargon for beginners, You may need a strong stomach, Not for vegetarians

I have to say, that reading the same old type of books rapidly becomes boring for me. However, sometimes, you're always aware when you're out of your depth a little, which is how I felt with this book. Al dente is the true account of William Black as he treks around in Italy, search of the delights of Italian cuisine. Written in a Bill Bryson-style, combining lots of personal anecdotes mixed with a smattering of history and interesting facts, the book succeeds in some of its witty comments, and in others, not so much.

Essentially, this is a book for people who know lots about food and whilst I have just managed to pronounce Valpolicella without being laughed out of my local Italian, my knowledge of food is somewhat patchy. However, this book is clearly not for beginners and throws about Italian terms and slang with wild abandon, with perhaps some Latin thrown in for good luck (there might not be but I wouldn't put it past them - there is barely more than a 2 or 3 pages at a time that do not have italics on them).

But past the foodie jargon and assumed knowledge, and onto the good bits of the book. One thing I loved here was that not just was the food talked about but it also has recipes alongside them. Now, I don't often make my own pasta, but I love the idea of trying it and these well-explained recipes have given me the chance to should I wish. And they're not the run of the mill spag bol ensembles either - instead they are traditional off the beaten track Italian food, complete with odd animal body parts (sautéed cock's crest anyone?) and strange-sounding veggies that you know your nearest Sainsbury's won't stock.

However, what is fantastic is the inspiration these recipes can give you. You may not be able to get hold of some of the ingredients but a) that shouldn't stop you from trying and visiting a deli and b) why not try substituting something very similar that you wouldn't normally eat? There is a little room for education about these foods too - what to look for should you wish to track them down, what sort of things you can substitute for them and so on. I now know a lot more about truffles for example and am eager to purchase some truffle-infused oil, if only out of curiosity after Black's flamboyant description of actual truffles and the elusiveness of them.

What I also especially like in this book is that it is not just a meaningless jaunt across the country for the sake of it. For Black is also in the process of tracking down the truth about his family roots to find out if they really are connected to some historically famous Italians. This gives it a lovely twist which you wouldn't otherwise get with a food book and draws your attention whenever the enthusiasm about sweetbreads starts to wane, which for a non-foodie, might happen rapidly otherwise. Whether this is a book I'd read again is another question - it does lack the addictiveness of the Bryson-esque humour, however hard it tries and for me, falls into the category of good book, but I can't see myself revisiting it. Saying that, it does manage to make a challenging read, coupled with some wonderfully inspiring recipes and I for one, would recommend it to anyone with a lingering interest in eating well.

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