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A tavola con Jane Austen. Il cibo nella sua vita e nei suoi romanzi
"A tavola con Jane Austen" è il libro giusto per chi ama i romanzi della grande scrittrice britannica, la sua raffinata arguzia e i suoi personaggi immersi nella quieta quotidianità della campagna inglese. I personaggi dei romanzi di Jane Austen appartengono alla nobiltà inglese benestante e agiata e, anche quando si trovano in circostanze difficili, passano gran parte del loro tempo a socializzare e, di conseguenza, a mangiare e bere. Accanto al girotondo quotidiano di colazioni, tè e cene di famiglia si trova descritta una profusione di pasti e cene più formali e persino idilliaci picnic estivi. Il cibo di cui leggiamo nelle pagine di Jane Austen riflette quello ricco e pesante che consumava di solito la nobiltà terriera dell’epoca. Gli ingredienti erano quasi tutti locali e di stagione, alcuni prodotti provenivano da una tenuta vicina o da un orto attiguo. Comparivano anche alimenti più esotici come lo zucchero, il caffè, il tè, il cioccolato e le spezie, nonché i frutti tropicali, come l’ananas, che venivano importati dalle colonie britanniche in forte espansione. Spesso le portate erano ricche e stravaganti per una mera questione di status: l’ostentazione della ricchezza e la dimostrazione di avere “buon gusto” erano ritenuti importanti almeno quanto il cibo. È per analizzare questo tipo di società e per evidenziare le debolezze dei suoi personaggi che Jane Austen usava spesso il cibo nei suoi romanzi. Tuttavia, i pasti e gli ingredienti sono raramente descritti in modo sensuale: non era una persona particolarmente golosa o interessata al cibo, era piuttosto realista e descriveva i piatti in modo concreto, caricandoli a volte di significati simbolici, ironici o umoristici.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published October 14, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews
July 18, 2022
A stunning book with pretty pictures and quotes from books. The sad thing is my partner won’t try any of the recipes but one and it’s one I already use (a French toast recipe) so this was kinda a bust for me. But it can just be a lovely collection piece if you’re obsessed with Jane Austin.
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April 1, 2023Stunt cookbooks like Jane Austen's Table have to balance two major objectives. They have to mollify whatever fandom they're marketing to -- in this case, Janeites -- by showing a fannish mastery of and deference to the source material. By which I mean, fans can be an extremely nitpicky bunch, and woe betide anyone who fucks up the details. But then also, it would be preferable if the cookbook in question actually produced edible food, by having well-tested and -written recipes which use kitchen stuff and ingredients available to most cooks.
An example: I have one of the Hunger Games cookbooks (decently sure it's unofficial) which does a bang-up job of showing off how very Hunger Games-y it is. So much so, that there's at least one recipe which includes made up animals or food stuffs from the world of the Hunger Games. (Recall that the name "Katniss" derives from a plant with edible tubers in-world, which I'm not getting at the local greengrocer's. Also, that seems like a mean thing to name your kid, but whatever.) There's a recipe for "groosling" -- some sort of bird -- and the cookbook writers didn't deign to supply a real world substitute. Goose? Chicken? Turkey? Duck? These birds all require different handling, and a recipe for one won't work on the others. I probably could have figured that out given some time, but I was so annoyed that no.
Anyway, Jane Austen's Table threads that needle much more adroitly, with only a couple of missteps I could see. There's all kinds of trivia about Regency culture surrounding the making and eating of food, and, wherever possible, Anderson tries to tie in specific scenes from Austen novels. There's a whole section on picnics, for example, which seems right given the memorable picnic scene in Emma. Sometimes his recipes stray from what is likely to be found on the tables of country gentry in Regency England -- the curries, for example, but especially the vegetarian one -- but I'm not going to ding him for that. I'm not actually in Regency England, and I'd prefer food I'd like to eat over some misguided history lesson. If a recipe calls for a lemon, I can damn well source a lemon. As an example of a misguided history lesson: Growing up, my mom was gifted a Little House on the Prairie cookbook. It was filled with almost verbatim recipes from the Ingalls family, and was completely unusable. Baked goods had instructions on how exactly to bank the coals to get a proper temp in your cast iron stove. There were no temps given for a modern stove. The whole thing was infuriating.
Mostly, Jane Austen's Table has legible recipes which result in decent to good food. "Mrs. Austen's Spinach and Potato Gratin" is super good. I thought it was interesting it used mixed cream and beaten eggs instead of a béchamel to get the proper density, but then England was at war with the French, and I'm not sure that the mother sauces had been codified yet. The risotto is fresh and green, and if you fuck it up, it's probably more because risotto requires so much babysitting, not because the recipe is bad. (Also, it could be adapted for an Instant Pot easily, cutting down on the possibility of screwing it up.) He makes good use of the slow cooker in several recipes, which I am a huge fan of. I admit I've yet to make any of the baked goods.
The one major fail I noticed was in a recipe for rabbit stew (which I made with chicken thighs, as suggested in the text). Like I don't even know what to do with these instructions:
Whaaaat? Just toss that all in a pot and cook, without any liquid, for an hour and a half. What even? He then has you adding in wine and broth and such at the end, but I legit don't see how this wouldn't be anything but rubbery and unpleasant. I browned the chicken, softened the onions and celery, stirred in some flour, and made a wine reduction with the fond. Then I nestled the chicken in and slow cooked it. Turned out great. I'm pretty confident in the kitchen now, but I can see a younger me carefully following the recipe and being disappointed it didn't turn out.
So. Fun little stunt cookbook which I'll probably poke around in some more. Given my track record with stunt cookbooks, that's well ahead of the curve. Good job.
ETA:
I made two more recipes out of this book: Perfect Picnic Parcels (which are basically spanakopita) and Elizabeth Martin's Sausage Rolls. The sausage rolls were good; the picnic parcels were hilariously, tragically bad. Where the recipe for the rolls had good, step by step instructions for properly folding and rolling the puff pastry, the picnic parcels recipe was like, just roll up the phyllo in triangles, it'll be fine. Reader, it was not fine. I have limited experience with phyllo, and that shit is tricky. They tasted fine though, and I may take another run once I watch some YouTube videos about how not to fuck up phyllo dough.
An example: I have one of the Hunger Games cookbooks (decently sure it's unofficial) which does a bang-up job of showing off how very Hunger Games-y it is. So much so, that there's at least one recipe which includes made up animals or food stuffs from the world of the Hunger Games. (Recall that the name "Katniss" derives from a plant with edible tubers in-world, which I'm not getting at the local greengrocer's. Also, that seems like a mean thing to name your kid, but whatever.) There's a recipe for "groosling" -- some sort of bird -- and the cookbook writers didn't deign to supply a real world substitute. Goose? Chicken? Turkey? Duck? These birds all require different handling, and a recipe for one won't work on the others. I probably could have figured that out given some time, but I was so annoyed that no.
Anyway, Jane Austen's Table threads that needle much more adroitly, with only a couple of missteps I could see. There's all kinds of trivia about Regency culture surrounding the making and eating of food, and, wherever possible, Anderson tries to tie in specific scenes from Austen novels. There's a whole section on picnics, for example, which seems right given the memorable picnic scene in Emma. Sometimes his recipes stray from what is likely to be found on the tables of country gentry in Regency England -- the curries, for example, but especially the vegetarian one -- but I'm not going to ding him for that. I'm not actually in Regency England, and I'd prefer food I'd like to eat over some misguided history lesson. If a recipe calls for a lemon, I can damn well source a lemon. As an example of a misguided history lesson: Growing up, my mom was gifted a Little House on the Prairie cookbook. It was filled with almost verbatim recipes from the Ingalls family, and was completely unusable. Baked goods had instructions on how exactly to bank the coals to get a proper temp in your cast iron stove. There were no temps given for a modern stove. The whole thing was infuriating.
Mostly, Jane Austen's Table has legible recipes which result in decent to good food. "Mrs. Austen's Spinach and Potato Gratin" is super good. I thought it was interesting it used mixed cream and beaten eggs instead of a béchamel to get the proper density, but then England was at war with the French, and I'm not sure that the mother sauces had been codified yet. The risotto is fresh and green, and if you fuck it up, it's probably more because risotto requires so much babysitting, not because the recipe is bad. (Also, it could be adapted for an Instant Pot easily, cutting down on the possibility of screwing it up.) He makes good use of the slow cooker in several recipes, which I am a huge fan of. I admit I've yet to make any of the baked goods.
The one major fail I noticed was in a recipe for rabbit stew (which I made with chicken thighs, as suggested in the text). Like I don't even know what to do with these instructions:
Melt half the butter with the oil. [...] Lightly season the rabbit with salt and add to the pan with the onions, celery, crushed chilies, and rosemary. Cover and cook over a low heat for 1 1/2 hours, turning the rabbit every 30 minutes.
Whaaaat? Just toss that all in a pot and cook, without any liquid, for an hour and a half. What even? He then has you adding in wine and broth and such at the end, but I legit don't see how this wouldn't be anything but rubbery and unpleasant. I browned the chicken, softened the onions and celery, stirred in some flour, and made a wine reduction with the fond. Then I nestled the chicken in and slow cooked it. Turned out great. I'm pretty confident in the kitchen now, but I can see a younger me carefully following the recipe and being disappointed it didn't turn out.
So. Fun little stunt cookbook which I'll probably poke around in some more. Given my track record with stunt cookbooks, that's well ahead of the curve. Good job.
ETA:
I made two more recipes out of this book: Perfect Picnic Parcels (which are basically spanakopita) and Elizabeth Martin's Sausage Rolls. The sausage rolls were good; the picnic parcels were hilariously, tragically bad. Where the recipe for the rolls had good, step by step instructions for properly folding and rolling the puff pastry, the picnic parcels recipe was like, just roll up the phyllo in triangles, it'll be fine. Reader, it was not fine. I have limited experience with phyllo, and that shit is tricky. They tasted fine though, and I may take another run once I watch some YouTube videos about how not to fuck up phyllo dough.
January 31, 2025
This was such a fun cookbook! It was beautifully designed, had good pictures of the food, and the dishes actually felt like I could accomplish them. I very much enjoyed all the snips about characters and quotes from Austen’s books. The author also talked about how food was viewed in the Regency. I learned a lot of interesting tidbits for trivia someday. Just a joy to read through. 🍞☕️🍓
January 18, 2022
Was given this as a gift. It's a lovely book with a collection of interesting recipes. While I don't know that I'll make any of them (only a few really appealed to me), I enjoyed the commentary provided with each one and how they related to either an Austen book, to Austen's life, or the culture at the time.
May 3, 2025
A beautifully designed modern cookbook—though, for reasons I cannot fathom, leaving the sumptuous food photography unattributed.
I was less charmed by the content, which offers very sparse historical background and mere "interpretations" of historical dishes. For me, the delight of a Jane Austen cookbook is the ability to approximate the actual recipes she or her characters encountered. I have less interest in recipes only inspired by their sources or literary connections, modified to suit modern palates and diets, and given cutesy titles like "Pemberley Chestnut Soup" or "Mrs. Weston's Wedding Cake."
That said, the recipes do look delicious and creative, and I would gladly partake of any of them. But they aren't historical enough for me to go to the trouble of recreating them.
I was less charmed by the content, which offers very sparse historical background and mere "interpretations" of historical dishes. For me, the delight of a Jane Austen cookbook is the ability to approximate the actual recipes she or her characters encountered. I have less interest in recipes only inspired by their sources or literary connections, modified to suit modern palates and diets, and given cutesy titles like "Pemberley Chestnut Soup" or "Mrs. Weston's Wedding Cake."
That said, the recipes do look delicious and creative, and I would gladly partake of any of them. But they aren't historical enough for me to go to the trouble of recreating them.
November 23, 2024
If you’re a Jane Austen fan this cookbook is a must. Not only is it stunning, but it’s really interesting as well. Each recipe is named after a character or place in one of Austen’s novels. The recipes are either something made in one of her books or something the author imagined they would eat.
In addition to the recipes Anderson gives interesting insights to Jane’s life and the culinary traditions in the regency era. He explains how the different meals were view at the time and how this might differ from today’s age. Furthermore Andersen gives explanations for how Austen used food in her novels. When her heroines were well they had a healthy diet but when they were sad or unwell they didn’t eat. Villains had an abnormal relation to food and were portrayed negatively. If you ever wondered why it would be insulting to insinuate that certain characters helped choose what would be for dinner, then you’ll get your answer here.
Gretna Green, Bath buns, Indian spices, rose water, pickling, food at sea and much more are fascinating topics that are explored in the book. With its 160 pages the book invites to delicious dishes and history fun facts.
As for the recipes they’re modernised to our diet. They’re more time efficient, healthier and not as rich in calories. You even get some vegetarian curries. Divided into chapters;
🍴Breakfast
🍴Dinner
🍴Picnic, Nuncheons & Other Light Meals
🍴Sweets
🍴Ice cream, Cakes and Desserts
🍴Events, Dinner Parties and Balls
March 15, 2024
I got this as a birthday present from my mother-in-law. It was more like a coffee table book with recipes throughout which I like. The recipes were also modified to be simpler and with standard baking measurements for American readers. So I might actually make some of the recipes now!
February 18, 2024
I want to have a tea party or a picnic so badly, now!
October 14, 2025
A fun and informative collection of recipes that for the most party seem functional and intuitive to make. I enjoyed how the author provided insight into Austen’s home life as well as her family housekeeper Martha Lloyd who kept a receipt book of recipes. I also enjoy the connection to Austen’s novels to many of the recipes.
August 10, 2023
A beautiful book I don't own, but would love to!
April 30, 2023
Lovely recipes with great context in the Regency era and world of Jane Austen.
December 26, 2022
This is a very pretty book, and the recipes seem approachable and perhaps tasty. A book like this, where the primary appeal is the visual, should have a photo for each recipe. A list of necessary equipment for each recipe would also be helpful (some of it is specialized, like madeleine tins).
The ties to Austen's work are... pretty thin in most cases, but still charming. The actual Austen scholarship is mediocre at best.
The ties to Austen's work are... pretty thin in most cases, but still charming. The actual Austen scholarship is mediocre at best.
June 20, 2025
Un libro interessante sulla cucina della Reggenza, con alcune pagine dedicate alla spiegazione degli usi e costumi dell'epoca, mostrandoci le differenze tra ieri e oggi nell'importanza data a ciascun pasto, nelle tecniche di preparazione e nei sapori prediletti... da recuperare se amate la Reggenza (è anche uscito tradotto in italiano per la Guido Tommasi Editore)
June 12, 2022
On pourrait croire qu'il s'agit d'un énième livre de cuisine tout bête, on aurait tort ! Mais je commence par l'évidence : ce livre est magnifique. La couverture, le dos, les illustrations, les photos, tout est soigné, un vrai régal pour les yeux, c'est plutôt un bon début pour un livre de cuisine, non ?
Quant au contenu, il est extrêmement riche. Vous n'y trouverez pas seulement de quoi cuisiner mais véritablement de quoi lire, avec tout ce qu'il faut savoir sur la nourriture et les traditions qui l'entourent à l'époque géorgienne, comme l'heure des repas, la mode du pique-nique... Et tout cela relié en permanence à l'oeuvre ou la vie de Jane Austen. Tout simplement passionnant.
Côté recettes (enfin, me direz-vous) : nombre d'entre elles m'ont parue appétissantes, réalisables, au goût du jour, variées (on ne se cantonne pas à la cuisine anglaise). J'ai d'ailleurs prévu de tester deux ou trois petites pâtisseries ce week-end. Les mesures sont traduites, les ingrédients accessibles et il y en a pour tous les goûts, toutes les saisons, du chaud, du froid, des boissons et même quelques recettes végétariennes.
Les (tous petits) regrets : deux anecdotes sont utilisées à deux reprises, une autre me paraît tout bêtement fausse, et le choix de traduire "gentry" par "petite noblesse" ne m'emballe pas mais ce sont vraiment des détails. J'aurais également beaucoup aimé avoir un petit mot de (ou sur) l'auteur lui-même à la fin.
Voilà, il ne reste plus qu'à se lancer et à déguster !
http://janeausten.hautetfort.com/arch...
Quant au contenu, il est extrêmement riche. Vous n'y trouverez pas seulement de quoi cuisiner mais véritablement de quoi lire, avec tout ce qu'il faut savoir sur la nourriture et les traditions qui l'entourent à l'époque géorgienne, comme l'heure des repas, la mode du pique-nique... Et tout cela relié en permanence à l'oeuvre ou la vie de Jane Austen. Tout simplement passionnant.
Côté recettes (enfin, me direz-vous) : nombre d'entre elles m'ont parue appétissantes, réalisables, au goût du jour, variées (on ne se cantonne pas à la cuisine anglaise). J'ai d'ailleurs prévu de tester deux ou trois petites pâtisseries ce week-end. Les mesures sont traduites, les ingrédients accessibles et il y en a pour tous les goûts, toutes les saisons, du chaud, du froid, des boissons et même quelques recettes végétariennes.
Les (tous petits) regrets : deux anecdotes sont utilisées à deux reprises, une autre me paraît tout bêtement fausse, et le choix de traduire "gentry" par "petite noblesse" ne m'emballe pas mais ce sont vraiment des détails. J'aurais également beaucoup aimé avoir un petit mot de (ou sur) l'auteur lui-même à la fin.
Voilà, il ne reste plus qu'à se lancer et à déguster !
http://janeausten.hautetfort.com/arch...
September 3, 2025
Dla wszystkich miłośników twórczości Jane Austen ta ksiażka to istna wisienkę na torcie :)
W tej wyjątkowej książce kucharskiej zasiadamy do posiłków wraz bohaterami z kart powieści autorki. Przepisy poprzedzone są notatką nawiązującą do bohaterów możemy się tez nieco więcej dowiedzieć o specjałach z danego przepisu :) I tak dowiedziałam się, że moja ulubiona owsianka czy inaczej kaszka była swojego czasu nie tylko posiłkiem śniadaniowym, ale jadło się ją o każdej porze dnia. Jej składniki odżywcze pomagały chorym wracać do zdrowia i stanowiła jedno z głównych dań u najniższej klasy społecznej.
Przepisów jest ponad 70, większość opatrzona jest zdjęciami gotowego dania. Jeżeli chodzi o trudność to raczej nie są rozbudowane i wydają się być proste w przygotowaniu, niekiedy znajdą się jakieś szalone składniki jak np. melasa jednak śmiało można przygotować sobie zamiennik :)
W tej wyjątkowej książce kucharskiej zasiadamy do posiłków wraz bohaterami z kart powieści autorki. Przepisy poprzedzone są notatką nawiązującą do bohaterów możemy się tez nieco więcej dowiedzieć o specjałach z danego przepisu :) I tak dowiedziałam się, że moja ulubiona owsianka czy inaczej kaszka była swojego czasu nie tylko posiłkiem śniadaniowym, ale jadło się ją o każdej porze dnia. Jej składniki odżywcze pomagały chorym wracać do zdrowia i stanowiła jedno z głównych dań u najniższej klasy społecznej.
Przepisów jest ponad 70, większość opatrzona jest zdjęciami gotowego dania. Jeżeli chodzi o trudność to raczej nie są rozbudowane i wydają się być proste w przygotowaniu, niekiedy znajdą się jakieś szalone składniki jak np. melasa jednak śmiało można przygotować sobie zamiennik :)
November 3, 2025
3.5 Stars
To enjoy this book, you have to keep in mind that the recipes are NOT historically accurate nor particularly informative, so prior basic culinary knowledge is recommended. Overall, it's a pleaseant read and I particularly appreciated all the infos regarding the relationship between food and the Georgian Era, Jane Austen, and her characters. There are also a good number of promising recipes that I cant'wait to try!
PS. For those who are interested, the book cites a few historical culinary manuals that you can read for free on the Internet Archive, for example "The Complete Confectioner [...]" by Frederick Nutt, first published in 1807.
To enjoy this book, you have to keep in mind that the recipes are NOT historically accurate nor particularly informative, so prior basic culinary knowledge is recommended. Overall, it's a pleaseant read and I particularly appreciated all the infos regarding the relationship between food and the Georgian Era, Jane Austen, and her characters. There are also a good number of promising recipes that I cant'wait to try!
PS. For those who are interested, the book cites a few historical culinary manuals that you can read for free on the Internet Archive, for example "The Complete Confectioner [...]" by Frederick Nutt, first published in 1807.
June 6, 2022
I really enjoy the pictures and Regency art! While many of the recipes look delicious, I probably won’t make them! Mr Collins Pea Soup looked intriguing, but I was disappointed there were no recipes for Excellent Boiled Potatoes. I just! 🤣 I really enjoy the historical explanations for each section and recipe! Overall I really enjoy this cook book. Can’t wait to make the Netherfield White Soup and Summer Berry Delice!
July 21, 2024
This is a beautiful book cover and I love the Jane Austen tie-in. There's a lot of recipes that sound yummy, but they're the kind that I would like if someone else made them for me vs. me making them myself. It's a nice collectible book for Austen fans, but not a cookbook that I'd actually cook from.
December 27, 2024
This is a perfect book for Regency romance fans, not only Jane Austen fans. Ever wonder what went into negus, orgeat ,or ratafia? This book will tell you. Each recipe is preceded by a few paragraphs from Austen's novels or information about the times. Many of the recipes look quite doable and I copied a couple for later. A fun read, especially for any cook. The illustrations are lovely.
August 29, 2023
Piacevole scoperta che unisce citazioni dei romanzi di Jane Austen a ricette della Reggenza rivisitate in chiave moderna (più salutare e semplice).
Le parti che ho preferito sono i paragrafi dedicati alla scrittrice, ma ci sono anche varie ricette che sono curiosa di provare, soprattutto dolci.
Le parti che ho preferito sono i paragrafi dedicati alla scrittrice, ma ci sono anche varie ricette che sono curiosa di provare, soprattutto dolci.
August 10, 2022
Beautiful Book with Recipes I'd actually be able to make. And not just Sweets but Veggie Main Dishes as well.
November 25, 2022
Terrific tie in to Jane Austen's books. And the recipes that I've tried are good.
March 27, 2023
illustrated with photos; typical British
April 4, 2023
Perfect commentary and beautifully illustrated.
December 31, 2023
Even if the ingredients are obscure I love cookbooks like this because of the included history. A fun gift for a Janeite.
February 27, 2024
I cant wait to jump into some of these recipes!!
March 24, 2024
The pictures are beautiful. This is a very cozy read.
July 1, 2024
I’ve yet to try one of the recipes (though I must soon!) I really enjoyed reading the author’s commentary, how he situates them within Jane Austen’s real world as well as her fictional ones.
January 7, 2025
This book has beautiful illustrations! I enjoyed the stories that correlated with the recipes. I found a few that I will try!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 32 reviews