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Chicken A La King And The Buffalo Wing: Food Names And The People And Places That Inspired Them
Hungry for a little culinary trivia?We all know that the sandwich and eggs Benedict are named after people and that Dover sole and Irish stew are named after places. But how about the Granny Smith apple or the Bing cherry, the Bermuda onion or Anaheim chile?
In "Chicken a la King & the Buffalo Wing," you'll find bite-sized entertaining histories of how certain foods and beverages came to be named after people or places–complemented by more than forty-five scrumptious pull-out recipes. This fun and informative reference "menu" is perfect for foodies and language lovers alike. Bon appetit!
In "Chicken a la King & the Buffalo Wing," you'll find bite-sized entertaining histories of how certain foods and beverages came to be named after people or places–complemented by more than forty-five scrumptious pull-out recipes. This fun and informative reference "menu" is perfect for foodies and language lovers alike. Bon appetit!
168 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2008
2 people are currently reading
34 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 2, 2020
Here is a book for true foodies. Definitions and historical origins for famous food dishes, wines, cocktails, vegetables, meats, and so forth.
HANGTOWN FRY
It got its start when, in the nineteenth century, a miner who had just struck it rich walked into the El Dorado Hotel in Placerville, asked for the most expensive meal, and was served this creation because oysters, eggs, and bacon were the priciest ingredients on hand.
The book itself is a nice production. Well-bound, solid, with sections devoted to specific food categories. The end of the book has 48 recipe cards that can be torn off and stored separately. This qualifies as more of a reference collection, but it satisfied some of the queries I had when eating some of the concoctions mentioned.
PARIS-BREST
According to tradition, a pastry chef in Paris was inspired to create this recipe while watching the bicycle race from Paris to Brest pass by his patisserie in 1891. He created a pastry in the shape of a bicycle wheel, filled it with cream, and sprinkled it with almonds and powdered sugar.
Do not read on an empty stomach.
Book Season = Autumn (how many apple varieties there be)
HANGTOWN FRY
It got its start when, in the nineteenth century, a miner who had just struck it rich walked into the El Dorado Hotel in Placerville, asked for the most expensive meal, and was served this creation because oysters, eggs, and bacon were the priciest ingredients on hand.
The book itself is a nice production. Well-bound, solid, with sections devoted to specific food categories. The end of the book has 48 recipe cards that can be torn off and stored separately. This qualifies as more of a reference collection, but it satisfied some of the queries I had when eating some of the concoctions mentioned.
PARIS-BREST
According to tradition, a pastry chef in Paris was inspired to create this recipe while watching the bicycle race from Paris to Brest pass by his patisserie in 1891. He created a pastry in the shape of a bicycle wheel, filled it with cream, and sprinkled it with almonds and powdered sugar.
Do not read on an empty stomach.
Book Season = Autumn (how many apple varieties there be)
May 26, 2013
This has to be one of the driest books on food I've read. And usually I like anything about food and "devour" any type of book about it. But this one, well, it was a struggle to get through with hardly any little nuggets of goodness in it.
This book is a list of food names and the people and places that inspire them. It's broken down into dinner, breakfast, and lunch and several sub-categories within those categories (i.e. grains, drinks, etc.). Some are brief blurbs of only a few sentences while others encompass a paragraph of information. And at the end, there are several recipes cards for some of the dishes mentioned in the book.
A lot of the stories are really dry and uninteresting. There were just only so many times I could hear that this piece of food was believed to be from such and such place, and that was it. The few that were good were those that expanded a little on the story and gave more background and story type of telling than just a brief sentence with the location. The stories that said it was believed this person did it for their beloved (insert type of person here) were much more engrossing. But sadly, they were far and few between.
The recipe cards were different. They came attached in the book and you could break them out to put them in a recipe card holder. I've not seen a book come with that type of recipe collection like that and I appreciated how it was put together. Although there were only a few I would actually consider making. The organization was also ok, although I thought it weird they started with dinner, then went to breakfast, and then to lunch. It just seemed out of order.
I can't say I'd recommend this book. It just wasn't something I got real excited about and I'm not even going to rip any of the recipe cards out before giving it away. Maybe someone who prefers dictionary types of books would enjoy it more, but it just wasn't for me and it probably wasn't for a reader who would want entertainment value from it.
Chicken A La King & The Buffalo Wing
Copyright 2008
168 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2013
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
This book is a list of food names and the people and places that inspire them. It's broken down into dinner, breakfast, and lunch and several sub-categories within those categories (i.e. grains, drinks, etc.). Some are brief blurbs of only a few sentences while others encompass a paragraph of information. And at the end, there are several recipes cards for some of the dishes mentioned in the book.
A lot of the stories are really dry and uninteresting. There were just only so many times I could hear that this piece of food was believed to be from such and such place, and that was it. The few that were good were those that expanded a little on the story and gave more background and story type of telling than just a brief sentence with the location. The stories that said it was believed this person did it for their beloved (insert type of person here) were much more engrossing. But sadly, they were far and few between.
The recipe cards were different. They came attached in the book and you could break them out to put them in a recipe card holder. I've not seen a book come with that type of recipe collection like that and I appreciated how it was put together. Although there were only a few I would actually consider making. The organization was also ok, although I thought it weird they started with dinner, then went to breakfast, and then to lunch. It just seemed out of order.
I can't say I'd recommend this book. It just wasn't something I got real excited about and I'm not even going to rip any of the recipe cards out before giving it away. Maybe someone who prefers dictionary types of books would enjoy it more, but it just wasn't for me and it probably wasn't for a reader who would want entertainment value from it.
Chicken A La King & The Buffalo Wing
Copyright 2008
168 pages
Review by M. Reynard 2013
More of my reviews can be found at www.ifithaswords.blogspot.com
July 27, 2011
Have you ever wondered how the food you eat got it's name? This book is filled with lots of info about that. It is set up like a menu: first dinner, then breakfast, and finally lunch. Take for instance Fig Newtons. I know the Nabisco company makes them, but how did they come up with the name.
The Kennedy Biscuit Company, one of a number of regional New England bakeries that merged in 1898 to form the National Biscuit Company("Nabisco"), name all of their products after local areas, including crackers called "Beacon Hill" and "Harvard." When they created a new fig cookie in 1891, they named it for Newton, Massachusetts. It quickly caught on and has been continually manufactured since.
What's even better than finding out about the names is the recipes. There are recipes in the back of the book of some of the foods listed.
The Kennedy Biscuit Company, one of a number of regional New England bakeries that merged in 1898 to form the National Biscuit Company("Nabisco"), name all of their products after local areas, including crackers called "Beacon Hill" and "Harvard." When they created a new fig cookie in 1891, they named it for Newton, Massachusetts. It quickly caught on and has been continually manufactured since.
What's even better than finding out about the names is the recipes. There are recipes in the back of the book of some of the foods listed.
November 3, 2015
Non-fiction. Book about the origin of the names of popular dishes and where/why some foods are called what they are. Portabello mushrooms are nothing but overgrown creminis and do you know who the maitre d' was at the Waldorf when the famous salad was invented? Fettucine Alfredo was indeed invented by a guy named Alfredo but he only made it because his pregnant wife had lost her appetite and refused to eat. Alfredo whipped up the fettucine, bechemal, garlic and cheese dish one night and a few months later Alfredo junior was born. I love etmyology and I am a total foodie..Hello?! engaged to a chef! so this was a fun, informative little book to read.
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February 22, 2010Food & their origins/names
July 2, 2011
Fun, fun, fun!
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews