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Book Group: Apple: a global history, by Erika Janik

December 1, 2016 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Free
Apple : a global history (Reaktion Books, 2011) by Erika Janik

The Slow Food Russian River Book Group will be discussing the book Apple: a global history (Reaktion Books, 2011) by Erika Janik on Thursday, December 1, 2016.

If you have questions about the curious pollination of apple trees this Factsheet from the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs will give you some good  information: Crabapple Pollenizers for Apples.

To RSVP email the Book Group at sfrrbookgroup@gmail.com.  The Book Group is open to anyone who can read, loves cooking a dish, and likes a good conversation.

The Book Group meets the first Thursday of the month, 7 – 9pm in Sebastopol. It’s a convivial dinner. Please bring a dish for four and a beverage.

Membership

To be a member of the Book Group you don’t need to be a member of Slow Food, although – of course – we hope that with time you will become one.

Table of Contents

Introduction

1. From Almaty to America
2. Food of Legend
3. Cider
4. Wholesome Apple
5. Global Apple

Picking the Perfect Apple
Recipes
Select Bibliography
Websites and Associations
Acknowledgements
Photo Acknowledgements
Index

Summary of Apple: a global history

Gravenstein. Coe’s Golden Drop. Mendocino Cox. The names sound like something from the imagination of Tolkien or perhaps the ingredients in a dubious magical potion rather than what they are—varieties of apples. But as befits their enchanting names, apples have transfixed and beguiled humans for thousands of years.

Apple: A Global History explores the cultural and culinary importance of a fruit born in the mountains of Kazakhstan that has since traversed the globe to become a favorite almost everywhere. From the Garden of Eden and Homer’s Odyssey to Johnny Appleseed, William Tell, and even Apple Computer, Erika Janik shows how apples have become a universal source of sustenance, health, and symbolism from ancient times to the present day.

Featuring many mouthwatering illustrations, this exploration of the planet’s most popular fruit includes a guide to selecting the best apples, in addition to apple recipes from around the world, including what is believed to be the first recorded apple recipe from Roman gourmand Marcus Apicius. And Janik doesn’t let us forget that apples are not just good eating; their juice also makes for good drinking—as the history of cider in North America and Europe attests.

Janik grew up surrounded by apple iconography in Washington, the “apple state,” so there is no better author to tell this fascinating story. Readers will eat up this surprising and entertaining tale of a fruit intricately linked to human history.

Goodreads Reviews

“Edible books try to cover nearly every aspect of a food in about 100 pages. Some are more successful than others. Janik tries, but there’s simply too much information about apples to get anything like decent coverage in so few pages. But it’s still a fairly interesting read, and especially suited for those who aren’t going to be bothered by how briefly nearly every topic is covered.”

“What’s a hungry writer wannabie to do? Write on spec. This is the opposite of The New Book of Apples: The Definitive Guide to Over 2,000 Varieties. Some information. Some legend. And some recipes to fill up the space between the covers.”

Bibliographic Information

Author Janik, Erika
Title Apple : a global history / Erika Janik
Imprint London : Reaktion Books, 2011

Descript 132 pages : illustrations (some color) ; 21 cm
Series Edible
Contents From Almaty to America — Food of legend — Cider — Wholesome apple — Global apple — Picking the perfect apple
Note Includes bibliographical references and index
Summary Includes a selection of recipes
Subject Apples — History
Cooking (Apples)
Cider — History
Cooking (Dates)
ISBN 9781861898487
1861898487

Details

Date:
December 1, 2016
Time:
7:00 pm - 9:00 pm
Cost:
Free
Event Category:

Organizer

Slow Food Russian River Book Group
Email
sfrrbookgroup@gmail.com

Venue

Private Home in Sebastopol
Address with RSVP
Sebastopol, CA 95472 United States
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