During our lifetime most of us venture to new cities for either work, family events or vacation. When you visit a new area for the first time what is the first thing on your mind? Is it the weather? Things to see and do? The food? Perhaps, it is some combination of these questions.
One comment we hear repeatedly is that "when I visit a city I usually like to take home a local
cookbook". Why is that? Well, one reason is that food is a HUGE part of our lives, and we all know that food is prepared differently in different regions of the US. When we think of the Gulf Coast, we think of fresh seafood. In Louisiana, it is Cajun. If I am going to the New England area, I am thinking of lobster, chowder, etc.
cookbook". Why is that? Well, one reason is that food is a HUGE part of our lives, and we all know that food is prepared differently in different regions of the US. When we think of the Gulf Coast, we think of fresh seafood. In Louisiana, it is Cajun. If I am going to the New England area, I am thinking of lobster, chowder, etc.Now, the simple truth is the capability to recreate these foods is available for us right in our own hometown bookstores, but yet it's our nature to fit in with the culture we live in. That's not to say that we don't enjoy different foods from time to time but when we go to a city or region known for a specialty, we want to try it out. I can't imagine going to Philadelphia and not seeking out a great Philly Cheese Steak. Plus, if I can find a cookbook that teaches me how to make one that good, I want to buy it.
What is the point in all of this? We love food, and we love to know about authentic food. If you are thinking about developing a community cookbook make sure that you include some signature dishes revolving around the local culture, specialties, and ethnicity because that is what your customers will be looking for.
While on a recent vacation to Canada, my husband and I tried a delicious new dish that we almost missed out on completely: poutine. We were trying a local fish and chips "hut" where salmon poutine was on the menu. Always eager to try new things, but unsure of what it was, we decided on a different side dish altogether. Then the local in front of us raved to her friends how wonderful it was, and we decided we had to try it. So glad we did...chips (French fries to us Yankees) topped with chopped green onions, shredded salmon and drizzled with a spicy mayonnaise. We later discovered that it originated in Quebec and is traditionally served as chips topped with fresh cheese curds and brown gravy (even better!). Now I wish there was a cookbook holding recipes for all the variations we saw...I can't wait to try to re-create it at home!
ReplyDeleteI wonder how many similar stories are out there?
ReplyDeleteWhile I didn't pick the book up in SF one of our favorite cities is SF and immediately upon obtaining SF Entertains we tried a sweet curried mustard chicken--WOW!
what does the term poutine mean?
ReplyDeletePoutine is just the term they use for this type of Canadian junk food, and means, "fries with cheese and gravy." There is a very interesting etymology of "poutine" at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poutine that discusses, among other things, the possibility of the term deriving from the English word "pudding."
ReplyDelete