A Gastronomer's reading Shelf - 2024

Your brainy Elf on a Shelf

In English

The Sexual Politics of Meat - 25th Anniversary Edition: A Feminist-Vegetarian Critical Theory (Bloomsbury Revelations) (English Edition) by Carol J. Adams. A book that was suggested to me, and I adored:

The Sexual Politics of Meat is Carol Adams' inspiring and controversial exploration of the interplay between contemporary society's ingrained cultural misogyny and its obsession with meat and masculinity. First published in 1990, the book has continued to change the lives of tens of thousands of readers into the second decade of the 21st century.

Published in the year of the book's 25th anniversary, the Bloomsbury Revelations edition includes a substantial new afterword, including more than 20 new images and discussions of recent events that prove beyond doubt the continuing relevance of Adams' revolutionary book.

Slow Down: How Degrowth Communism Can Save the Earth (English Edition) by Kohei Saito:

Will green capitalism save the planet? Is it even trying?

Not when the very logic of the capitalist system pits it against Earth's life-support systems, as the Japanese philosopher Kohei Saito demonstrates in this astonishing international bestseller.

Drawing on cutting-edge research across multiple disciplines, Saito shows how nothing but a transformation of our economic life can save us from climate collapse. Karl Marx himself reached this breakthrough at the

end of his life, long before climate change had even begun. It radically altered his vision of proletarian revolution. Now that we are entering our own end-game, we must grasp Marx's final lesson before it is too late.

Classic German Cooking by writer and recipe developer

Luisa Weiss

, who is also a fellow Substack writer:

A collection of more than 100 of the best, most emblematic recipes of German and Austrian home cooks, from the author of Classic German Baking.

To many, German food is humble comfort food, the kind of food that may not win a beauty award, but more than makes up for it with its power to soothe, nourish and cheer. In Classic German Cooking, Luisa Weiss—who was born in Berlin to an Italian mother and American father, and married into a family with roots in Saxony—has collected and mastered the essential everyday recipes of Germany and Austria.

Classic German Cooking features traditional and time-honored recipes that are beloved in homes across the region, such as Rinderrouladen (Braised Beef Rolls), Quarkauflauf (Fresh Cheese Soufflé), Hühnerfrikassee (Chicken Fricassee) and authentic Viennese Gulasch or Alpine Germknödel (Plum Butter-Stuffed Steamed Dumplings). Cozy Apfelküchle (Apple Fritters) bring warmth to an afternoon snack, while tangy Spargelsalat (White Asparagus Salad) signals the sweet start of Spring.

Luisa gives history and context to the cooking of Germany and its influences worldwide. Sprinkled with both personal stories and historical insights, Classic German Cooking will leave you with a well-rounded understanding of the cuisine and its lasting influence.

In Italian

È facile diventare un po' più vegano: Fai del bene al pianeta cambiando la tua alimentazione by Dr. Silvia Goggi, an Italian nutrition medical doctor, colleague of our fellow Substack writer Dr.

Viola Zulian

. This book has actually changed the way I eat:

How would you react if you were told that there was a very powerful drug that could not only treat the most common chronic diseases today, but also prevent them? A drug that reduces the probability of having heart attacks and tumors; that lowers both blood pressure and cholesterol and helps keep blood sugar and weight under control; that, in patients who suffer from chronic pain, limits the need for anti-inflammatories and painkillers. Would you want it? Of course, yes. Well, this drug exists and it is called a plant-based diet, based on cereals, legumes, vegetables, fruit, dried fruit and oil seeds. It's a shame that today it doesn't enjoy the consideration it deserves and that we often hear about it inappropriately on TV, in newspapers or on social media. But if you get to read "La salute è servito" to the end, the idea of ​​switching to a plant-based diet will come spontaneously from you. It will be a convinced and reasoned choice, which you will defend tooth and nail in discussions, and you will be indignant when someone dares to question its validity. In the first part of the book, Silvia Goggi illustrates those notions of nutritional science that are essential for making informed choices at the table; in the second part, she analyses the most widespread chronic-degenerative diseases of our time (from heart disease to diabetes, from kidney disease to endometriosis) and, with data in hand, explains how a plant-based diet can make a decisive or at least significant difference in the management of symptoms and complications; finally, to complement the scientific information - rigorous but always accessible to anyone - here are 50 delicious recipes, all photographed, from which to immediately take inspiration. Because you certainly don't think that following a plant-based diet means giving up the taste and pleasures of the table, do you?

La cucina dei rifugi di Montagna:

All the flavors of the mountains enclosed in more than 100 recipes, an expression of the rich gastronomic tradition of the valleys of Italy, from the Alps to the Apennines. Bread dumplings, spätzle, canederli, pizzoccheri, polenta taragna, venison in blueberry sauce, strudel... Many preparations suitable for all tastes, from first courses to desserts.

Cucina Aperta by Chef and author Tommaso Melilli of Osteria della Gloria:

For over two centuries, restaurant kitchens have remained a hidden and inaccessible place, experienced intensely by the few who worked there and serenely ignored by everyone else. In the last twenty years there has been a clear reversal of the trend: we have become passionate about that fascinating and curious space, which we like to observe on the screens in dozens of TV programs or behind the glass of the increasingly numerous open kitchens. Tommaso Melilli, chef and writer, invites us to take a step further: a kitchen must not only be open, but also open. Because the profound beauty of this profession lies in the daily encounter between chefs and waiters on one side, and a group of hungry strangers on the other. An encounter that an open kitchen can make even more precious and sincere. This book is thus the intimate diary and the daily work notebook, between Milan and Paris, of a young chef who alternates stories of things cooked and adventures of people who eat. Between the tastes and disgusts of an uncompromising childhood, never-ending evenings in surprising bistros, discoveries of other cultures and other culinary traditions, Melilli gives us back the atmosphere of a tasty and lively world where, between one dish and another, a thousand stories intersect every day.

Cucina Botanica by recipe developer and vegan Chef Carlotta Perego:

A book to read as a map to orient yourself in the world of plant-based cuisine, traveling new paths and experimenting with new flavors. Pages full of advice on plant-based nutrition and how to interpret the ingredients we have available in different ways, obtaining tasty dishes, suitable for all seasons and for the whole family. Suggestions for better organizing your shopping and weekly menu, because Cucina Botanica offers an innovative point of view, but also knows how to adapt to the frenetic pace of everyday life. You will discover that cooking vegetables with love is the best way to respect ourselves, animals and the planet.

In Spanish

La nariz de oro: El primer caso de madame Marchand by our fellow Substack writer, sommelier and storyteller

Cris Silva

Julia Petit, the brand new sommelier at the Ritz, is responsible for serving the twenty best vintages of Dom Pérignon during the historic tasting held in the hotel restaurant. What Julia does not imagine is that the evening will turn her life upside down. The death of one of the guests during the tasting and the disappearance of one of the bottles of the oldest vintage of the prestigious champagne make the Parisian Margot Marchand, a renowned wine collector, suspect that not everything that glitters is gold in Barcelona wine society. The paths of both women will inevitably intertwine when Marchand decides to track down the stench emanating from the Red Circle, an select club of men who dominate the highest spheres of wine, until she uncovers the secret kept by the best sommeliers in the city.