What do you think?
Rate this book
Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels
"A scholarly (though often hilarious) triumph of culinary anthropology."― Washington Post Celebrate the joys of Patrick O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin series with this delightful cookbook, full of the food and drink that so often complement Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin's travels. Collected here are authentic and practical recipes for such eighteenth- and early-nineteenth- century dishes as Burgoo, Drowned Baby, Sea-Pie, Solomongundy, Jam Roly-Poly, Toasted Cheese, Sucking Pig, Treacle-Dowdy, and, of course, Spotted Dog. Also included are historical notes on the origins of the dishes as well as sections on the preparing of roasts, puddings, and raised pies."[A] splendid cookbook...graced with erudite bits of naval and gastronomical history....Deftly researched and written in prose nearly as funny as O'Brian's own."― Publishers Weekly "A thoroughly readable cookbook, as well as a useful appendix to a great series of novels and a newly opened window into a time now nearly 200 years gone."― San Jose Mercury News Illustrated
336 pages, Paperback
First published November 4, 1997
11 people are currently reading
813 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
January 28, 2011
Exactly what it purports to be. Sadly, I have never been able to trick anyone into a British Admiralty themed dinner party.
January 18, 2013
Grossman and Thomas set out to make every single food, beverage, or potion mentioned in O'Brien's Aubrey/Maturin novels, from the obvious (Spotted Dick) to the distasteful (roasted rats!) to the utterly unappetizing (boiled bird shit Stephen drank while marooned on an island). As the authors live in the US two centuries later, much has changed in the food world. They take us on their culinary journey as they puzzle out raised pies, with pie walls a half-inch thick, construct a roasting aparatus, and boil innumeral puddings. Studded throughout are the choicest bits of O'Brien's prose, showcasing both his incredible knowledge of history and his wonderful sense of humor.
I loved this book. I nearly laughed out loud when they described their attempt to make the breadfruit pap that was Jack's prison fare.
I loved this book. I nearly laughed out loud when they described their attempt to make the breadfruit pap that was Jack's prison fare.
"Having plenty of breadfruit, we made this, as in duty bound; the results were so unpleasant that we haven't the heart to describe them in much detail...If you dig it up in a day or two you will find it, as Captain Cook said, 'soft and disagreeably sweet.' Wait a few more days for the second fermentation--when you dig it up it will still be soft and disagreeable, but no longer sweet. Captain Cook says this mess will keep 10-12 months, during which time it can be rolled into balls, baked, and eaten 'either hot or cold, and hath a sour and disagreeable taste.'Their commitment to authenticity was incredible, from determining just when pear pies stopped being dyed down to puzzling out exactly how the rats would have been cooked on that fateful evening after they were stolen from Stephen's science experiment. This book would possibly be more enjoyable to a meat-eater (I found myself skimming many of the actual recipes, because one set of animals stuffed with another set of animals starts looking all the same to me after a while), but I think any fan of the Aubrey/Maturin books would enjoy this.
We did not have the patience to wait the full 10 months; but we can certainly vouch for the taste.
Makes an awful lot of pap.'"
November 21, 2018
Any cooks intrepid enough to find, cook, and eat fat rats in onion sauce and who yet lived to tell the tale and discuss the recipe and ensuing meal, deserve four or five stars -- if not the Purple Heart. I'm taking off one star because the authors refused to try the sea water, rain and albatross droppings ;)
PS: They thought the rats were delicious, rather like tender stewed rabbit.
PS: They thought the rats were delicious, rather like tender stewed rabbit.
February 25, 2010
This is a great cookbook, and not just for fans of Aubrey/Maturin, but being a fan of theirs doesn't hurt.
Anne Grossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas put together a fascinating mix of literary veneration and nautical cooking, collecting all the recipes eaten by Jack and Stephen over the course of their adventures so that we, their fans, can eat everything from lobscouse and spotted dog to bashed neeps and voluptuous little pies.
I used the book in December 2008 to make my family a Christmas at Sea meal. The thought of hare was too much for my mother when trying the hare stew, but even she took a bite, despite her fear. The bashed neeps and stuffed pork roast were the real hits of the night, and my father and I got to share some winks and chuckles over the appropriate Aubrey/Maturin quotes we read from the book as we ate (particularly the whining from Killick).
The best part of Grossman/Thomas' book is that the food is incredibly edible. I expected most of it to be brutal fare, but everything I have tried so far has been delicious.
I makes me wish that tortoise wasn't on the endangered list because that turtle soup looks very yummy. Mmmm.
So if you love good food, tall ships or Aubrey/Maturin, give Grossman/Thomas' Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey Maturin Novels more than a passing glance. Your tummy will thank you.
Anne Grossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas put together a fascinating mix of literary veneration and nautical cooking, collecting all the recipes eaten by Jack and Stephen over the course of their adventures so that we, their fans, can eat everything from lobscouse and spotted dog to bashed neeps and voluptuous little pies.
I used the book in December 2008 to make my family a Christmas at Sea meal. The thought of hare was too much for my mother when trying the hare stew, but even she took a bite, despite her fear. The bashed neeps and stuffed pork roast were the real hits of the night, and my father and I got to share some winks and chuckles over the appropriate Aubrey/Maturin quotes we read from the book as we ate (particularly the whining from Killick).
The best part of Grossman/Thomas' book is that the food is incredibly edible. I expected most of it to be brutal fare, but everything I have tried so far has been delicious.
I makes me wish that tortoise wasn't on the endangered list because that turtle soup looks very yummy. Mmmm.
So if you love good food, tall ships or Aubrey/Maturin, give Grossman/Thomas' Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey Maturin Novels more than a passing glance. Your tummy will thank you.
July 1, 2009
I figured it was about time to investigate the cuisine of my ancestors. Add the connection with the Aubrey/Maturin novels, and buying this was a no-brainer. I can now claim not only to have made Spotted Dog, but to have successfully fed it to guests without a single complaint (for the record, Spotted Dog (or Spotted Dick (no comment ('dog' and 'dick' being archaic variants of the word 'dough'))) is a steamed flour pudding with small dried currants, topped with a creamy custard sauce flavored with brandy and rosewater). It's quite delicious when fresh, and can be fried up later for extra nutritional value. I have yet to tackle the recipe for Millers in Onion sauce, probably because "millers" is the name used by seafaring 19th Century Limeys for the rats, which were a handy onboard source for protein when supplies ran low. On top of all this, it's a fun read even if you don't dare to try any of the recipes.
February 16, 2011
Far more than just a cookbook of historical recipes. This book is also a book of history as well as a literary companion to the Aubrey/Maturin series. Very lovingly written and researched, with much the same sense of humor that O'Brian showed in his novels - the authors have even referred to themselves as "the Amiable Sluts" in reference to one of many surprisingly offhand quips throughout the series. Rather than simply being content with a regurgitation of historical recipes or entirely modern adaptations, they set out to personally make these dishes (all the ones they could legally! Alas, some ingredients are illegal for health and/or conservation purposes) in the traditional manner, but with helpful tips on how to obtain certain ingredients or how to produce certain effects in the modern kitchen. In other words, we are hearing firsthand from somebody who actually tried it and figured out how to be as faithful as reasonably possible.
Each dish in the cookbook was featured or mentioned in the novels, and each recipe includes an excerpt in which it was mentioned. These tend to be highly entertaining in and of themselves, as meals were one of O'Brian's favorite playgrounds for humor. There are also historical explanations of certain dishes and techniques, for the perplexed.
I've made several of the recipes and I can assure you that they were excellent. The coq au vin, in particular, was a hit.
Each dish in the cookbook was featured or mentioned in the novels, and each recipe includes an excerpt in which it was mentioned. These tend to be highly entertaining in and of themselves, as meals were one of O'Brian's favorite playgrounds for humor. There are also historical explanations of certain dishes and techniques, for the perplexed.
I've made several of the recipes and I can assure you that they were excellent. The coq au vin, in particular, was a hit.
April 12, 2012
You gotta love recipes that begin with "Six pounds of beef..."
I got this book as a Christmas gift (thanks Joe!) and am intrigued by it not only because of my love of Patrick O'Brian, but also for the historical information included.
My favorite: "Boiled Shit", which isn't a real recipe of course, but Maturin's reply to Cpt. Aubrey when asked what he drank while briefly abandoned on a bare rock of an island.
I got this book as a Christmas gift (thanks Joe!) and am intrigued by it not only because of my love of Patrick O'Brian, but also for the historical information included.
My favorite: "Boiled Shit", which isn't a real recipe of course, but Maturin's reply to Cpt. Aubrey when asked what he drank while briefly abandoned on a bare rock of an island.
March 6, 2009
Every year a bunch of us who love O'Brian get together and have a dinner, based on the recipes found here from a book in the series. We have these on the USS Constellation, docked in Baltimore. My wife and I have roasted Pork, made various desserts and had a great time! She was lucky to see the writer of this book at the Maryland Historical Society.
November 10, 2022
In the interest of thoroughness and verisimilitude, the authors cooked and ate rats. Nothing more need be said.
January 4, 2011
Very fun cookbook, reproducing eighteenth century dishes referred to in Patrick O'Brien's "Aubrey/Maturin" novels. Instructions for ship's biscuit include the direction to knead by beating with a marlinspike. They also offer two alternative methods: "One is to run it repeatedly through a hand-cranked pasta machine; the other, much more exciting though a bit less efficient, is to put it in a large stout bag and repeatedly drive a car over it."
September 16, 2011
Lobscouse...
I didn't know what it was until I read this book - then I realised I had grown up eating it throughout my childhood.
In Liverpool, they use the latter part of the word, 'Scouse' which gives the people of Liverpool their nickname. However, further down the Trent Mersey Canal, you get to Stoke on Trent, where the locals use the first part - 'Lobby'.
Read the book for a good recipe, and lots of other obscure 18th century culinary tips.
I didn't know what it was until I read this book - then I realised I had grown up eating it throughout my childhood.
In Liverpool, they use the latter part of the word, 'Scouse' which gives the people of Liverpool their nickname. However, further down the Trent Mersey Canal, you get to Stoke on Trent, where the locals use the first part - 'Lobby'.
Read the book for a good recipe, and lots of other obscure 18th century culinary tips.
July 21, 2013
My parents own a copy of this book, and I first dipped into it at their house. We prepared a sea pie and lobscouse for a party after the opening of the Master and Commander movie--which was fun but couldn't compare to the entire Aubrey/Maturin series. The dinner took forever to cook but was well worth it. Still, I dot think I need to eat sea pie ever again. So rich! The cookbook is hilarious and has excellent historical information.
April 12, 2015
Any cookery book that includes advice like "...but for speedier results, run the ingredients over with a small car" has to be good.
A lovingly written and warm journey through the novels of Patrick O'Brian with recipes. It's like reading them anew with fresh eyes - wonderful (if potentially fatal*) stuff.
These ladies must lay a noble table.
*There is a recipe that calls for four POUNDS of foie gras.
A lovingly written and warm journey through the novels of Patrick O'Brian with recipes. It's like reading them anew with fresh eyes - wonderful (if potentially fatal*) stuff.
These ladies must lay a noble table.
*There is a recipe that calls for four POUNDS of foie gras.
March 30, 2012
I'm still threatening to have a Master and Commander dinner party and serve some of the horrific traditional meals served on the ships. But where do you find food grade suet?
January 8, 2024
Eat like a sailor of the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars…per the Master and Commander novels…
Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels by Anne Chotzinoff Grossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas is a wonderful food exploration of literary food accompanied by recipes for those interested in duplicating the food of the fictional characters in the novels.
The authors of this book have read all of the Jack Aubrey novels and thoroughly researched every line mentioning a food or drink that exists in that world. While they state that they did not cover every single culinary reference, they did collect up all the important and significant ones…organizing them across a range of categories. Each section also includes passages from the books relevent to the meal or drink at hand along with historical context for some of the dishes.
The first and most important chapter (at least as it concerns the characters in the novels) is a break down of the food served at the Captain’s Table and eaten by the captain, his main officers, and those fortunate enough to attend such a dinner. Breakfast and holiday meals are also included, but you should know that these fall into a category that would be the finest available to an officer serving aboard a warship.
Next we have chapters for meals taken by other officers of the ships (the wardroom and the gunroom) and those of the crewmen…with the lowest ranks limited to the bare essentials (though there is a very nice chart breakdown of the food set aside per day per crewman to give you an idea of just how much food the ship would be expected to carry).
My favorite chapter was easily the one covering drinks. This breaks down a wide range of mixed drinks and their origins…followed by a list of wine names and descriptions of their modern equivalent.
Other chapters cover prison food (from the few times when characters were incarcerated), “land meals” (when the characters were on shore on a foreign port or visiting a local tavern), and an unappetizing chapter about rat soup among a few other sections.
I doubt theee are many works that so perfectly capture the food of fictional characters, and I am pleased to add this to my reading collection.
While the recipes are relatively bare, a culinary tour of a fictional world is much appreciated….
Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels by Anne Chotzinoff Grossman and Lisa Grossman Thomas is a wonderful food exploration of literary food accompanied by recipes for those interested in duplicating the food of the fictional characters in the novels.
The authors of this book have read all of the Jack Aubrey novels and thoroughly researched every line mentioning a food or drink that exists in that world. While they state that they did not cover every single culinary reference, they did collect up all the important and significant ones…organizing them across a range of categories. Each section also includes passages from the books relevent to the meal or drink at hand along with historical context for some of the dishes.
The first and most important chapter (at least as it concerns the characters in the novels) is a break down of the food served at the Captain’s Table and eaten by the captain, his main officers, and those fortunate enough to attend such a dinner. Breakfast and holiday meals are also included, but you should know that these fall into a category that would be the finest available to an officer serving aboard a warship.
Next we have chapters for meals taken by other officers of the ships (the wardroom and the gunroom) and those of the crewmen…with the lowest ranks limited to the bare essentials (though there is a very nice chart breakdown of the food set aside per day per crewman to give you an idea of just how much food the ship would be expected to carry).
My favorite chapter was easily the one covering drinks. This breaks down a wide range of mixed drinks and their origins…followed by a list of wine names and descriptions of their modern equivalent.
Other chapters cover prison food (from the few times when characters were incarcerated), “land meals” (when the characters were on shore on a foreign port or visiting a local tavern), and an unappetizing chapter about rat soup among a few other sections.
I doubt theee are many works that so perfectly capture the food of fictional characters, and I am pleased to add this to my reading collection.
While the recipes are relatively bare, a culinary tour of a fictional world is much appreciated….
June 30, 2017
The sheer volume of research and experimentation that the authors did for this book is enough to earn four stars. They butchered their own rats for goodness' sake.
January 2, 2019
Wonderful book! The recipes work, plus it's a very entertaining read.
May 6, 2024
Fascinating, funny, incredibly researched, an absolute joy to read!!
June 8, 2016
1st Recorded Reading: September 2001
2nd Recorded Reading: February 2007
This book has to do with the food of the Aubrey / Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian: what it is, and how it is made. I first read this book in September 2001, and again in February 2007, and I have enjoyed reading it again, even though I have not made any of the recipes.
Cooking in the early 19th century was somewhat different than cooking now, in these 2010s; for one thing, there was limited refrigeration and extremely limited freezing for food. (I would say no freezing, but there is always outside in winter.) The two authors of this book, confirmed lovers of the Aubrey / Maturin tales, attempted to make most of the stuff mentioned in the books, and in some cases to make it according to early nineteenth-century techniques, using early nineteenth-century ingredients. And they obviously had a lot of fun doing so.
The first chapters of the book deal with food eaten on shipboard; The Captain's Table, The Wardroom and The Gunroom, The Seamen's Mess, A Glass of Wine with You, Sir, and In The Heat of Battle (Dishes Eaten Cold). Next we have the foods of Jack Ashore, In Durance Vile, The Miller's Tale (which is about rats), and The Sick-Bay. At the end are some catchall chapters with necessary instructions on the making of English puddings (basically a dough of flour, suet, and flavorings, tied in a cloth, then boiled) and of raised pies (most of which call for the making of a container of dough, to cook the pie in).
This is a fun book to read, and throws light on cooking and eating in the context of the Patrick O'Brian books; and, of course, they include the recipe for Toasted Cheese, the meal beloved of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin.
2nd Recorded Reading: February 2007
This book has to do with the food of the Aubrey / Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian: what it is, and how it is made. I first read this book in September 2001, and again in February 2007, and I have enjoyed reading it again, even though I have not made any of the recipes.
Cooking in the early 19th century was somewhat different than cooking now, in these 2010s; for one thing, there was limited refrigeration and extremely limited freezing for food. (I would say no freezing, but there is always outside in winter.) The two authors of this book, confirmed lovers of the Aubrey / Maturin tales, attempted to make most of the stuff mentioned in the books, and in some cases to make it according to early nineteenth-century techniques, using early nineteenth-century ingredients. And they obviously had a lot of fun doing so.
The first chapters of the book deal with food eaten on shipboard; The Captain's Table, The Wardroom and The Gunroom, The Seamen's Mess, A Glass of Wine with You, Sir, and In The Heat of Battle (Dishes Eaten Cold). Next we have the foods of Jack Ashore, In Durance Vile, The Miller's Tale (which is about rats), and The Sick-Bay. At the end are some catchall chapters with necessary instructions on the making of English puddings (basically a dough of flour, suet, and flavorings, tied in a cloth, then boiled) and of raised pies (most of which call for the making of a container of dough, to cook the pie in).
This is a fun book to read, and throws light on cooking and eating in the context of the Patrick O'Brian books; and, of course, they include the recipe for Toasted Cheese, the meal beloved of Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin.
February 4, 2014
A fun and entertaining cookbook companion to the Aubrey/Maturin novels with tons of historical cooking research along with anecdotes from the books. You just gotta love a recipe that contains the words "beat with a marlinspike"! While I'm infinitely thankful not to have to live on these eighteenth century recipes, I did enjoy making "Drowned Baby", one of Jack's favorite foods (a thumbs-up from the family). I look forward to trying a couple more recipes, but feel I must draw the line at "Soused Hogs Face" and "Millers in Onion Sauce"!
April 17, 2014
A real pleasure to read, VERY good cookies :) I need to try the Flip as well... Funny and very instructive.
Portable Soup...
'Oh,' she said, and absently she took three spoonfuls of the soup. 'Lord above, ' she said, 'what is this?'
'Soup. Portable soup. Pray take a little more, it will rectify the humours.'
'I thought it was luke-warm glue. But it goes down quite well, if you don't breathe.'
The Fortune of War.
Ahahahah
Portable Soup...
'Oh,' she said, and absently she took three spoonfuls of the soup. 'Lord above, ' she said, 'what is this?'
'Soup. Portable soup. Pray take a little more, it will rectify the humours.'
'I thought it was luke-warm glue. But it goes down quite well, if you don't breathe.'
The Fortune of War.
Ahahahah
July 15, 2009
While not exactly a cook book you'll reach for daily, for fans of the Aubrey/Marurin series it's both informative and adds seamlessly into the O'Brian canon. Each reciept has excerpts from the book it's mentioned in as well as historical background on the dish, and it's cooking preparations. Great for food historians, and naval history buffs.
Read
July 6, 2011Lobscouse & Spotted Dog is as much a documentary of how the recipes came into being as it is instructions for preparing food. I read about a quarter of it, learning more about all the great food from the Aubrey & Maturin series and remembering all the great stories. One day I'm even going to cook something from it.
October 3, 2013
I don't normally read cookbooks cover to cover, but I couldn't help myself with this. I've always wondered about the foods that Patrick O'Brian describes so vividly in the Aubrey/Maturin series, and this mother-daughter team did an impressive amount of work recreating many of the recipes. I'm looking forward to making at least a few of the less involved recipes myself.
September 6, 2009
This was both delightful and awful, as it put so many things into context. An excellent companion to the age of sail novels. Mostly it made me very glad my dinner is not cooked in a ship's galley circa 1820.
December 23, 2011
Want to know how to make soused pig face, dead baby, or bird shit? That last one is literal! It's a fun read, and the punch recipes are actually quite good. If you are a fan of the Aubrey/Maturin books, you'll quite enjoy this companion.
July 2, 2018
Clever idea, excellent recipes, and very entertaining to read.
December 3, 2007
Alarming.
This is a giant "don't eat that!"
I could not find anything here that I'd want to make, but still, I loved reading it.
This is a giant "don't eat that!"
I could not find anything here that I'd want to make, but still, I loved reading it.
January 26, 2009
excellent companion/reference book.
Want to read
April 6, 2009Annie- this is for you: wittles is up! Isn't the title great?
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews