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A Book of Mediterranean Food
Long acknowledged as the inspiration for such modern masters as Julia Child and Claudia Roden, A Book of Mediterranean Food is Elizabeth David's passionate mixture of recipes, culinary lore, and frank talk. In bleak postwar Great Britain, when basics were rationed and fresh food a fantasy, David set about to cheer herself --and her audience-- up with dishes from the south of France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Greece, and the Middle East. Some are sumptuous, many are simple, most are sublime.
222 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1950
30 people are currently reading
1307 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth David
109 books102 followersBorn Elizabeth Gwynne, she was of mixed English and Irish ancestry, and came from a rather grand background, growing up in the 17th-century Sussex manor house, Wootton Manor. Her parents were Rupert Gwynne, Conservative MP for Eastbourne, and the Hon. Stella Ridley, who came from a distinguished Northumberland family. They had three other daughters.
She studied Literature and History at the Sorbonne, living with a French family for two years, which led to her love of France and of food. At the age of 19, she was given her first cookery book, The Gentle Art of Cookery by Hilda Leyel, who wrote of her love with the food of the East. "If I had been given a standard Mrs Beeton instead of Mrs Leyel's wonderful recipes," she said, "I would probably never have learned to cook."
Gwynne had an adventurous early life, leaving home to become an actress. She left England in 1939, when she was twenty-five, and bought a boat with her married lover Charles Gibson-Cowan intending to travel around the Mediterranean. The onset of World War II interrupted this plan, and they had to flee the German occupation of France. They left Antibes for Corsica and then on to Italy where the boat was impounded; they arrived on the day Italy declared war on Britain. Eventually deported to Greece, living on the Greek island of Syros for a period, Gwynne learnt about Greek food and spent time with high bohemians such as the writer Lawrence Durrell. When the Germans invaded Greece they fled to Crete where they were rescued by the British and evacuated to Egypt, where she lived firstly in Alexandria and later in Cairo. There Gwynne started work for the Ministry of Information, split from Gibson-Cowan, and eventually took on a marriage of convenience, more or less as her aunt, Violet Gordon-Woodhouse, had done. This gave her a measure of respectability but Lieutenant-Colonel Tony David was a man whom she did not ultimately respect, and their relationship ended soon after an eight month posting in India. She had many lovers in ensuing years.
On her return to London in 1946, David began to write articles on cooking, and in 1949 the publisher John Lehmann offered her a £100 advance for Book of Mediterranean Food, the start of a dazzling writing career. David spent eight months researching Italian food in Venice, Tuscany and Capri. This resulted in Italian Food in 1954, with illustrations by Renato Guttuso, which was famously described by Evelyn Waugh in The Sunday Times as one of the two books which had given him the most pleasure that year.
Many of the ingredients were unknown in England when the books were first published, as shortages and rationing continued for many years after the end of the war, and David had to suggest looking for olive oil in pharmacies where it was sold for treating earache. Within a decade, ingredients such as aubergines, saffron and pasta began to appear in shops, thanks in no small part to David's books. David gained fame, respect and high status and advised many chefs and companies. In November 1965, she opened her own shop devoted to cookery in Pimlico, London. She wrote articles for Vogue magazine, one of the first in the genre of food-travel.
In 1963, when she was 49, she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, possibly related to her heavy drinking. Although she recovered, it affected her sense of taste and her libido.
She studied Literature and History at the Sorbonne, living with a French family for two years, which led to her love of France and of food. At the age of 19, she was given her first cookery book, The Gentle Art of Cookery by Hilda Leyel, who wrote of her love with the food of the East. "If I had been given a standard Mrs Beeton instead of Mrs Leyel's wonderful recipes," she said, "I would probably never have learned to cook."
Gwynne had an adventurous early life, leaving home to become an actress. She left England in 1939, when she was twenty-five, and bought a boat with her married lover Charles Gibson-Cowan intending to travel around the Mediterranean. The onset of World War II interrupted this plan, and they had to flee the German occupation of France. They left Antibes for Corsica and then on to Italy where the boat was impounded; they arrived on the day Italy declared war on Britain. Eventually deported to Greece, living on the Greek island of Syros for a period, Gwynne learnt about Greek food and spent time with high bohemians such as the writer Lawrence Durrell. When the Germans invaded Greece they fled to Crete where they were rescued by the British and evacuated to Egypt, where she lived firstly in Alexandria and later in Cairo. There Gwynne started work for the Ministry of Information, split from Gibson-Cowan, and eventually took on a marriage of convenience, more or less as her aunt, Violet Gordon-Woodhouse, had done. This gave her a measure of respectability but Lieutenant-Colonel Tony David was a man whom she did not ultimately respect, and their relationship ended soon after an eight month posting in India. She had many lovers in ensuing years.
On her return to London in 1946, David began to write articles on cooking, and in 1949 the publisher John Lehmann offered her a £100 advance for Book of Mediterranean Food, the start of a dazzling writing career. David spent eight months researching Italian food in Venice, Tuscany and Capri. This resulted in Italian Food in 1954, with illustrations by Renato Guttuso, which was famously described by Evelyn Waugh in The Sunday Times as one of the two books which had given him the most pleasure that year.
Many of the ingredients were unknown in England when the books were first published, as shortages and rationing continued for many years after the end of the war, and David had to suggest looking for olive oil in pharmacies where it was sold for treating earache. Within a decade, ingredients such as aubergines, saffron and pasta began to appear in shops, thanks in no small part to David's books. David gained fame, respect and high status and advised many chefs and companies. In November 1965, she opened her own shop devoted to cookery in Pimlico, London. She wrote articles for Vogue magazine, one of the first in the genre of food-travel.
In 1963, when she was 49, she suffered a cerebral hemorrhage, possibly related to her heavy drinking. Although she recovered, it affected her sense of taste and her libido.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
April 2, 2016
So, in all actuality, this is a book of FRENCH food, with a few Mediterranean dishes sprinkled in for some variety! That's false advertisement!! I did like the writing style though, and there were some very interesting recipes there ..
November 24, 2022
Here's the thing: I can't recall ever hearing a reference to Elizabeth David except from authors of culinary memoirs. They sort of whisper her name with hushed reverence and respect. That's how I hear their voice when I read their books, anyway.
I was pretty excited to finally discover an Elizabeth David cookbook. Reading her is the polar opposite to, say, scanning a Pioneer Women recipe online with 23 how-to photos. Elizabeth David gives a summary paragraph with very few measurements. She assumes you know what to do. She does not hold the novice cook's hand. a little of this, cook in a slow oven, cut a rabbit in large pieces, fry some onions, when cooked, etc.
I amused my husband by reading recipes aloud for Aspic Jelly, Pâté of Chicken Livers, and Partridges. It was a sort of anthropology field trip. Because, you see, it's not just Mediterranean but mid-century Mediterranean.
My favorite paragraph was in the introduction:
I was pretty excited to finally discover an Elizabeth David cookbook. Reading her is the polar opposite to, say, scanning a Pioneer Women recipe online with 23 how-to photos. Elizabeth David gives a summary paragraph with very few measurements. She assumes you know what to do. She does not hold the novice cook's hand. a little of this, cook in a slow oven, cut a rabbit in large pieces, fry some onions, when cooked, etc.
I amused my husband by reading recipes aloud for Aspic Jelly, Pâté of Chicken Livers, and Partridges. It was a sort of anthropology field trip. Because, you see, it's not just Mediterranean but mid-century Mediterranean.
My favorite paragraph was in the introduction:
The ever-recurring elements in the food throughout these countries are the oil, the saffron, the garlic, the pungent local wines; the aromatic perfume of rosemary, wild marjoram and basil drying in the kitchens; the brilliance of the market stalls piled high with pimentos, aubergines, tomatoes, olives, melons, figs and limes; the great heaps of shiny fish, silver, vermilion or tiger-striped...
June 1, 2021
It would be a mistake to think of this book as a cookbook. (You might expect the kind of recipes you find online, where you have to scroll past paragraphs of uninteresting personal background and stock images to find the actual recipe.) Think of it instead as a travel book to the Mediterranean of the past (or a combination of travel, poetry and cooking, oddly enough).
Elizabeth David was writing this for a post-WWII English audience still suffering the privations of rationing, introducing them to then-unknown cooking from around the Mediterranean. How unknown? Well, at one point in the book, she explains what pizza is, and several recipes specify the shops in London where the ingredients could be bought. It was written for different people in a different time, but it's no less interesting for that.
Discover recipes and ingredients and techniques that you won't hear of any more, as well as somewhat idiosyncratic-seeming measurements: various recipes call for a glass of water, a teacup of something, and two coffeecupfuls of something else. The ingredients and recipes and techniques are all very, very local.
Braver and more experienced cooks than I will probably be able to use these recipes as they are written, without videos or photographs of every step. I just let the writing and names and ingredients wash over me and pretended to myself that I would one day perhaps make one of the dishes (after looking everything up online).
Elizabeth David was writing this for a post-WWII English audience still suffering the privations of rationing, introducing them to then-unknown cooking from around the Mediterranean. How unknown? Well, at one point in the book, she explains what pizza is, and several recipes specify the shops in London where the ingredients could be bought. It was written for different people in a different time, but it's no less interesting for that.
Discover recipes and ingredients and techniques that you won't hear of any more, as well as somewhat idiosyncratic-seeming measurements: various recipes call for a glass of water, a teacup of something, and two coffeecupfuls of something else. The ingredients and recipes and techniques are all very, very local.
Braver and more experienced cooks than I will probably be able to use these recipes as they are written, without videos or photographs of every step. I just let the writing and names and ingredients wash over me and pretended to myself that I would one day perhaps make one of the dishes (after looking everything up online).
April 18, 2009
Elizabeth David was one of the few cookbook authors who also knew how to tell a good story so searching for the perfect dish may take you a bit longer as you get caught up in the joy she felt with regards to good food and it's preparation. I have had friends stopped dead in their tracks because she called for a tea cup full of this or that and they demanded to know how much that might be of a full cup. For me I found in this a wonderful freedom. The kitchen at once became a place of heart, creativity, and joy. I have kept her in my library for 30 years and if told today I could only have just one cookbook it would be this one. I still credit her with the wonderful sense of adventure I feel standing over a hot stove and the sense of celebration as I sit down to share in a meal and good stories with friends.
March 13, 2024
A Book of Mediterranean Food by Elizabeth David is a book I have wanted to read for many years. I could have bought a copy, but I knew that, safely wrapped in an old plastic bag, a first edition lay perennially untouched in a drawer in my mother-in-law’s kitchen. I finally decided to access the bag, retrieve the book and read it.
This was the book that caused a revolution. The change it brought was not violent, but it was fundamental. Written in the late 1940s, during that initial period of postwar optimism in Britain, it presented not only food, but a lifestyle that was unknown to a generation, let alone a population at large, who had never been able to afford either travel or exotic ingredients.
There had been a World War, followed by a decade of increasing hardship and strikes. There was another decade of even greater hardship and then several years of another World War. And, until the late 1940s, that had been the century for the majority of people in Britain.
Suddenly, they had a national health service, nationalized railways, a nationalised coal industry, new towns, toilets inside houses and prospects of a better life. Into this mix, Elizabeth David added olive oil, fish previously only found in dictionaries, fresh lemons, fruit, herbs and, Lord Save Us, wine. She also added some things that only those strange people from the continent ate. She avoided frogs’ legs which the public might have expected, but she did include mussels, fish that was not cod, capers, almonds, spices, and foreign words. At the time, many of the ingredients she mentioned were available only in specialist London shops.
Some of the ingredients, it had to be said, like hare, partridge or rabbit, would have been familiar to anyone brought up in a mining community where families kept whippets. But Elisabeth set these ingredients on Aegean beaches in Grece, in picturesque Italian towns and places in Spain where only poets had previously dared to go. Culturally, as well as gastronomically, this was a revolution.
It portrayed a lifestyle that, via the package holiday, would open up, at least in part, to the majority. How strange this felt at the time we can now only imagine. It’s worth remembering that over a decade after Elizabeth David’s book was published, the primetime BBC news magazine on television had most of Britain’s population believing that spaghetti grew on trees. We were that sophisticated.
Elizabeth David does raise an eyebrow or two. At one point she recommends using tinned pineapples! She would have us boil mussels for 20 to 30 minutes. I am reading the book at a time when the Spanish media are angered by British chefs putting chorizo into paella. Elisabeth David recommended we pre-cook the rice before adding it to the dish. ¡Qué horrible! Her turn of phrase might give away part of her personality. Mayonnaise, for instance, should be stirred “steadily but not like a maniac”.
These apart, the vast majority of the recipes are simple, rustic cooking. It’s the type of food a Greek taverna or an Italian trattoria or a Spanish tapas bar might serve. This is not fine dining. Neither is it the droppings of a celebrity chef. But Elizabeth David did become a celebrity via this book. The fact that she quotes Norman Douglas late in her book describing a good cook as the perfect blend of artist and philosopher makes this reader feel that this modest cookery writer still has much to offer.
This was the book that caused a revolution. The change it brought was not violent, but it was fundamental. Written in the late 1940s, during that initial period of postwar optimism in Britain, it presented not only food, but a lifestyle that was unknown to a generation, let alone a population at large, who had never been able to afford either travel or exotic ingredients.
There had been a World War, followed by a decade of increasing hardship and strikes. There was another decade of even greater hardship and then several years of another World War. And, until the late 1940s, that had been the century for the majority of people in Britain.
Suddenly, they had a national health service, nationalized railways, a nationalised coal industry, new towns, toilets inside houses and prospects of a better life. Into this mix, Elizabeth David added olive oil, fish previously only found in dictionaries, fresh lemons, fruit, herbs and, Lord Save Us, wine. She also added some things that only those strange people from the continent ate. She avoided frogs’ legs which the public might have expected, but she did include mussels, fish that was not cod, capers, almonds, spices, and foreign words. At the time, many of the ingredients she mentioned were available only in specialist London shops.
Some of the ingredients, it had to be said, like hare, partridge or rabbit, would have been familiar to anyone brought up in a mining community where families kept whippets. But Elisabeth set these ingredients on Aegean beaches in Grece, in picturesque Italian towns and places in Spain where only poets had previously dared to go. Culturally, as well as gastronomically, this was a revolution.
It portrayed a lifestyle that, via the package holiday, would open up, at least in part, to the majority. How strange this felt at the time we can now only imagine. It’s worth remembering that over a decade after Elizabeth David’s book was published, the primetime BBC news magazine on television had most of Britain’s population believing that spaghetti grew on trees. We were that sophisticated.
Elizabeth David does raise an eyebrow or two. At one point she recommends using tinned pineapples! She would have us boil mussels for 20 to 30 minutes. I am reading the book at a time when the Spanish media are angered by British chefs putting chorizo into paella. Elisabeth David recommended we pre-cook the rice before adding it to the dish. ¡Qué horrible! Her turn of phrase might give away part of her personality. Mayonnaise, for instance, should be stirred “steadily but not like a maniac”.
These apart, the vast majority of the recipes are simple, rustic cooking. It’s the type of food a Greek taverna or an Italian trattoria or a Spanish tapas bar might serve. This is not fine dining. Neither is it the droppings of a celebrity chef. But Elizabeth David did become a celebrity via this book. The fact that she quotes Norman Douglas late in her book describing a good cook as the perfect blend of artist and philosopher makes this reader feel that this modest cookery writer still has much to offer.
January 30, 2025
A Book of Mediterranean food, like Summer Cooking, will be enjoyed by foodies of all stripes. The book is sprinkled with anecdotal gustatory adventures, either hers or others, and Ms. David has a wonderfully broad range of knowledge of all categories of food.
As a recipe book, it is hilariously maddening, for exactitude is eschewed throughout.
The average recipe begins with three ingredients. Ambiguous amounts are assigned to each one. You are often advised to cook the food "in the usual way" (direct quote). Five additional ingredients are casually mentioned in the middle of the recipe. and at the end, she offhandedly tells you to add a wholly separate dish, from homemade fried bread to bechamel sauce.
So always read ahead before you start!
As a recipe book, it is hilariously maddening, for exactitude is eschewed throughout.
The average recipe begins with three ingredients. Ambiguous amounts are assigned to each one. You are often advised to cook the food "in the usual way" (direct quote). Five additional ingredients are casually mentioned in the middle of the recipe. and at the end, she offhandedly tells you to add a wholly separate dish, from homemade fried bread to bechamel sauce.
So always read ahead before you start!
February 13, 2015
I learned about Elizabeth David and her work because my husband is really into the NYRB Classics series and I'm really into books about cooking and food. He bought me Summer Cooking first; A Book of Mediterranean Food was a welcome second gift. Elizabeth David's emphasis on easy recipes with simple, excellent, seasonal ingredients and her rejection of the post-war industrialized foods with a long shelf-life make her the predecessor of contemporary writers like Michael Pollan and Mark Bittman.
April 22, 2009
This is one of those books that makes you laugh and makes you want rush off to the kitchen and cook. It stirs the soul and stirs the appetite.
November 6, 2019
The only piece of writing that sang to me was the start of 'A Few Sweets' with an evocative description of ice creams sold in Athens. Then I noticed it was not Elizabeth David's recollection but rather an included piece written by Comptom Mackenzie from his memoir of Greece, and well that sums up my thoughts on the cookbook.
Recipes yes but scant descriptive food writing, I thought. I am surprised to find myself not at all drawn to her writing.
Recipes yes but scant descriptive food writing, I thought. I am surprised to find myself not at all drawn to her writing.
August 16, 2019
So far I've just read the introductions and the chapter headings (usually a long quote from some food-related travel writing). Some of the recipes look good (a fish oup one that I've been looking for) but the one for a country game speciality (lièvre à la royale) is 5 1/2 pages!
All in all, though, it looks like a winner.
And the John Minton illustrations inside are good too.
All in all, though, it looks like a winner.
And the John Minton illustrations inside are good too.
September 21, 2021
Lovely book with many great recipes. I know some are critical of David's lack of measurements for many of the recipes, but I think it's good to experiment a bit and come up with what you like the best.
June 10, 2024
Very different to a contemporary recipe book. First published in 1950. She assumes you’re competent in the kitchen and doesn’t spell out every little detail. Sort of an opposite to Delia’s every little detail. But not Nigella at all. When David gives detail, it’s meticulous and thoughtful.
Want to read
July 19, 2020elibrary
December 30, 2021
She writes with confidence and style and concision. I didn’t know this was her first book! That seven hour stew recipe tho. Terrifically entertaining
June 14, 2023
Love how judgey the author is. Some of the recipes are crazy 1950s stuff but most sound dericious.
November 14, 2025
*With all due appreciation of the importance of this book
Enjoyed her guidance on cooking rice - reminds me of people who cook it like pasta and drain the watery slop at the end
Enjoyed her guidance on cooking rice - reminds me of people who cook it like pasta and drain the watery slop at the end
March 21, 2013
I am not sure if this is the same edition I have, which is divided into two books. The first section is Mediterranean food and the second focuses on French food. It is the 1968 edition and it contains excerpts from various writers about their food experiences and of course Ms. David's pithy prose and stories that go along with many of the dishes. Those with no cooking experience may find the recipes a little loose, but I enjoy the freedom of measuring with a "teacup".
July 28, 2013
Published in 1950, this was Elizabeth David's first book. I have a first edition--it is my most prized book in my personal library.
In this and all her subsequent books, Elizabeth David drew me in with her vivid descriptions of food and cooking from her upbringing and travels. Her wry observations and sensible guidance in the kitchen set her apart as a food writer in 1950s England, and she is now regarded worldwide as a pioneer in food writing.
In this and all her subsequent books, Elizabeth David drew me in with her vivid descriptions of food and cooking from her upbringing and travels. Her wry observations and sensible guidance in the kitchen set her apart as a food writer in 1950s England, and she is now regarded worldwide as a pioneer in food writing.
December 6, 2013
This was interesting mainly for the world it portrays of much more limited access to all sorts of foods that we can now buy year-round from the corner grocery store. We're so spoiled in comparison. (And still I seem to spend most of my time eating frozen burritos. So sad.)
January 5, 2014
While I'm not going to use such recipes as "Stuffing for a Whole Cooked Sheep" and it's arranged archaically and prosily for a *cookbook* it's really interesting. I like it and it gives me good ideas for cooking!
January 5, 2014
While I'm not going to use such recipes as "Stuffing for a Whole Cooked Sheep" and it's arranged archaically and prosily for a *cookbook* it's really interesting. I like it and it gives me good ideas for cooking!
January 5, 2014
While I'm not going to use such recipes as "Stuffing for a Whole Cooked Sheep" and it's arranged archaically and prosily for a *cookbook* it's really interesting. I like it and it gives me good ideas for cooking!
September 29, 2009
yummers.
August 14, 2012
Again a delight, you can't help feeling hungry when reading it!
September 3, 2012
A wonderful book to read, but not a //modern cookbook//. You need to know how to cook for it to be any use.
September 3, 2016
Interesting to look at due to it's impact. So I found it a good idea book. Layout old fashioned and put me off a little.
December 1, 2013
can't be without it
January 14, 2014
A very interesting insight into how cookbook writing has changed in the last 50 years. More an anthology of her favourite food writing with recipes but interesting all the same.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews