Rowan Jacobsen
Rowan Jacobsen puts a lot of research into his books and his interests have ranged from chocolate to oysters and most recently the terroir of food. For his event here for his book on chocolate he brought samples of different grades of dark chocolate which disappeared quickly into the mouths of the audience(and staff). For A Geography of Oysters, he spent a year traveling the country and sampling its oysters. He, of course, had an oyster tasting at the store. He eats oysters regularly, despite the challenge of living in rural Vermont, and also organizes private oyster tastings.
His new book, American Terroir will be published in September 2010 and we will be listening (and hopefully eating when he comes to Bear Pond Books on September 14. See our events page for updates on this event.
Why does honey from the tupelo-lined banks of the Apalachicola River have a kick of cinnamon unlike any other? Why is salmon from Alaska’s Yukon River the richest in the world? Why does one underground cave in Greensboro, Vermont, produce many of the country’s most intense cheeses? The answer is terroir (tare-WAHR), the taste of place. Originally used by the French to describe the way local conditions such as soil and climate affect the flavor of a wine, terroir has been little understood (and often mispronounced) by Americans, until now. For those who have embraced the local food movement, American Terroir will share the best of America’s bounty and explain why place matters. It will be the first guide to the flavor landscapes of some of our most iconic foods, including apples, honey, maple syrup, coffee, oysters, salmon, wild mushrooms, wine, cheese, and chocolate. With equally iconic recipes by the author and important local chefs, and a complete resource section for finding place-specific foods, American Terroir is the perfect companion for any self-respecting locavore.
Beautifully written and illustrated, A Geography of Oysters is an indispensable guide to the oysters of America, describing each oyster’s appearance, flavor, origin, and availability. Readers will learn how to shuck, how to pair wines and oysters, and how to navigate a raw bar with skill and panache. The book includes recipes, maps, black-and-white photos, and a color guide, as well as lists of top oyster restaurants, producers, and festivals. Painting a picture of the quirky characters who farm oysters and the gorgeous stretches of coast where these delicacies are found, A Geography of Oysters is both terrific reading and the guide that foodies of all types have been waiting for.
