Elizabeth David — food writer extraordinaire

Anne here, still thinking about food in books.
There's a very funny scene in a P.G.Wodehouse story, Something New, where the young hero, Ashe, has been hired supposedly as valet, by Mr Peters, an overweight, dyspeptic, cigar-smoking, insomniac millionaire. For his health Mr Peters has been placed on a diet of "seeds and grasses" by his fashionable doctor. In order to help his employer get to sleep, Ashe reads to him from Peters' favorite bedtime reading book . . .

Ashe said, "Lie back and make yourself comfortable and I'll read you to sleep first."
"You're a good boy," said Mr Peters drowsily.
"Are you ready? 'Pork Tenderloin Larded. Half pound fat pork—"
A faint smile curved Mr Peters' lips. His eyes were closed and he breathed softly.
Ashe went on in a low voice: "four large pork tenderloins, one cupful cracker crumbs, one cupful boiling water, two tablespoons butter, one teaspoon salt, half teaspoon pepper, one teaspoon poultry seasoning."
A little sigh came from the bed.

The scene made me chuckle, but it also made me think that if I were to be read to from a recipe book, my absolute first choice would be the books of Elizabeth David — not just for the recipes, but for the beautiful prose, the evocative images, the absorbing discussions of various methods of cooking, and the delightful food-related anecdotes she includes in her books.

“To eat figs off the tree in the very early morning, when they have been barely touched by the sun, is one of the exquisite pleasures of the Mediterranean.” ― from An Omelette and a Glass of Wine

Elizabeth David is not well known in the US — she was a contemporary of Julia Child — but she's one of the most important and inspired food writers of the twentieth century. She's best known for educating British people about cooking and European food. Her writings have inspired generations of cooks, and are still treasured — and in print— long after her death. Such well known UK TV chefs as Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Simon Hopkinson and Nigel Slater cite her as their biggest influence.

Elizabeth David, clever, beautiful and born into a well-off family, had, as a seventeen-year-old girl, boarded with a Paris family while she studied at the Sorbonne. The tales she tells of this experience are a delight:

"Twice a week at dawn, Madame, whose purple face was crowned with a magnificent mass of white hair, went off to do the marketing at Les Halles, the central market where she bought all the provisions, including flowers, for the flat... She would return at about ten o'clock, two bursting black shopping bags in each hand, puffing, panting, mopping her brow as if she was about to have a stroke."  (From French Provincial Cooking)

But always it comes back to the food — in this case an observation about clever shopping and buying the right food - the best, the freshest, and what was in season.

Elizabeth later worked as a vendeuse (saleswoman) at the fashion House of Worth, and an actress, before traveling to places such as Malta, Antibes, Corsica, Tuscany, Capri, Greece, Crete, Egypt, Morocco and spending eight months in India. Her love life was scandalous and adventurous.

When she returned to Britain after WW2 the country was still on food rationing (even into the 1950's) and she was appalled at the cooking she encountered. Of the meals in one hotel, she wrote that the food was ‘produced with a kind of bleak triumph which amounted almost to a hatred of humanity and humanity’s needs’.

To quote from an article in the Guardian newspaper:
"The food was beyond bad: insupportable, in David's view, even allowing for the shortages; she was overcome with a sense of "embattled rage that we should be asked – and should accept – the endurance of such cooking". To comfort herself, she scribbled down lists of the things she most missed: apricots, olives, butter, rice, lemons, almonds…. This, then, was how she first began to write. Her notes and recipes were an expression of her yearning, a way of assuaging something that was not homesickness exactly, but which must have felt a lot like it."

In 1949 she started writing about Mediterranean cookery for the magazine Harper's Bazaar. At the time, most readers could not dream of following the recipes — olive oil was something sold in small bottles from a pharmacy, things like aubergines, zucchini, figs, saffron, pistachios and basil were almost unheard of and mostly unavailable, garlic was to be avoided — so as much as anything her writing was a delicious fantasy for people dreaming of escape from the dull stodge they faced each mealtime.

The articles were sensuous and vivid, evoking images of good, often simple food, sunshine, wine, and la dolche vite (the sweet life) - an unexpectedly delicious lunch in a French country inn, an English picnic, meeting up with friends in an Italian village. She laced the articles with relevant literary quotes, historical food snippets, methods, impressions, advice, and opinions. Reading her books, you get a glimpse of the depth and breadth of her knowledge.

Cleverly she kept the copyright of her articles, and collected and edited them for publication in her first book — A Book of Mediterranean Food.

She was highly opinionated: "Good cooking is honest, sincere and simple and by this I do not mean to imply that you will find in this, or indeed in any other book the secret of turning out first class food in a few minutes with no trouble.  Good food is always a trouble and it's preparation should be regarded as a labour of love."

Her books are still well worth reading, and as well as wonderful recipes, she evokes times and places and experiences that are long gone. Her recipes are all good — I first came across them when I bought a paperback copy of French Provincial Cookery when I was living in my first student share house. We all learned so much from that book, and many are still my standard go-to recipes.

She introduces French Provincial Cookery thus: “The dishes described are not spectacular, rich, or highly flavoured, the materials are the modest ingredients you would expect to find in a country garden, a small farm, or in a market of a quiet provincial town. But it is not rustic peasant cooking, for the directions for the blending of different vegetables in a soup, the quantity of wine in a stew, or the seasoning of the sauce for a chicken reflect great care and regard for the harmony of the finished dish. This is sober, well-balanced, middle class French cookery, carried out with care and skill, with due regard to the quality of the materials, but without extravagance or pretention.”

These are my original student house copies — dog-eared, grimy, bespattered, much-mended, beloved and well-used. I did have more, but some copies "walked" and I had to buy replacement editions.

The biggest trouble I have with her books is that I go to look up some recipe and find myself simply reading on and on, like a novel. Here, for instance is the way she introduces the chapter on fish in French Provincial Cookery:

"Probably some of everyone's most dismal nursery memories are connected with food. One might come to accept the stewed prunes, the hateful greens, even the tapioca pudding, as part of Nannie's mysterious lore as to what it was necessary to eat in order to survive the perils of childhood. The miseries of fish days were harder to overcome because the food looked so terrifying even before it was on your plate. Egg sauce didn't do much to compensate for the black skin and monstrous head of boiled cod; fish pudding, a few spiteful bones inevitably lying in wait in that viscous mass, and whiting biting their own tails were frightening dishes for children, and often painful too. . .
None of these dishes did anything to allay the suspicion which I fancy is shared by a good many English people when "fish for dinner today" is announced.. .
It was not until my first visit to the Mediterranean that I began . . . to appreciate the beauty of red mullet, bass or sardines brought straight from the sea to the grill and served crackling and golden with no garnish but a lemon . . . "

And so it goes. . .

Elizabeth David's books have been in continuous publication; she won many awards and accolades, but the one she was proudest of was her fellowship of the Royal Society of Literature. When she died in 1992, among the mounds of her favorite flowers — blue irises and violets—somebody placed a loaf of good bread and a bunch of herbs tied up in brown paper.

So what about you? Had you heard of Elizabeth David before this? Any favorite recommendations? Do you enjoy reading food writing, follow any food bloggers, or watch food and cooking shows on TV? Which are your favorites?

Comments

[Keziah Hill]

There's quite a good biography of her by Lisa Cheney. My mother's cooking was transformed both by Elizabeth David and Julia Child. We went from grilled lamb chops, mashed potato and peas to garlic, fresh veg and wine in cooking. Mind you, I am partial to a grilled lamb chop, but usually sprinkle oregano over them.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Keziah — I also love a grilled lamb chop and a squeeze a few drops of lemon juice over it. I grew up with Elizabeth David, but I must admit Id never heard of Julia Child until the movie came out. I loved it.

[Lori]

I've never heard of Elizabeth David but now I'm going to read her. I love reading food writing and have enjoyed so many books.

The first book I ever read that was as much about food as the life journey was Under the Tuscan Sun (loved the book, hated the movie). Since then I've read Julia Child, Ruth Reicl, Anthony Bourdain.

Food is just so important to us and when its inspired (or sometimes when its simple) it can be poetry. And who doesn't need more poetry in their life?

[Anne Gracie]

Lori, what a lovely comment — yes its such a joy when food writing is inspired.
Im sure youll enjoy Elizabeth David.
Do you know, Ive never read Under a Tuscan Sun — I didnt even realize it was a book.
Im off to buy it right now. Thank you.

[HJ]

I love Elizabeth David's writing, and remember with particular fondness French Country Cooking. Reading your quotation from the Guardian article about English food in the 1950s reminded me of Mary Stewart's earliest books, which often describe delicious food in France. Madam, Will You Talk? has some wonderful meals! I had thought that they were inspired by journeys Mary Stewart had made herself, but maybe she was also a reader of Elizabeth David? They both capture the heat and smells of the south of France so well.

[Anne Gracie]

HJ it was when I was blogging about the food scenes in Mary Stewarts books a fortnight ago that I decided to write about Elizabeth Davids writing this time. I would love to know whether they read each other or whether they were independently influenced by their travels and food. Im sure they were both affected by the rationing, and that made them (and other English writers of that era) write gloriously about food.

[Lil]

I love Elizabeth David's books, both to read and to use. I'm forever giving them to people as presents. Aside from the glorious food, I love her somewhat sardonic sense of humor. There's a passage in, I think, French Provincial Cooking where she is talking about peeling something hot and says (I misquote freely here) that women are better cooks than men because they withstand pain better.

[Anne Gracie]

Lil, yes, I often give them as gifts, too. A friend of mine lives in a house with two sets — one is the battered slightly food-stained set she uses on a day-to-day basis; the other set is pristine, and belongs to her husband, whose precious Elizabeth Davids nobody but he is allowed to touch. I dont remember the particular passage you referred to, but yes, her humor and the occasional sardonic comments and pithy observations are delightful. French Provincial Cookery is probably my most often used copy — and the one that most often sidetracks me from whatever I was doing before I picked it up.

[Miranda Neville]

Great post, Anne. I adore David's writing and her recipes and how they always emphasize simplicity. Much as I appreciate Julia Child's precision, boy does she make one work. Compare David's Boeuf Bourguignon with Child's famous version. Both equally delicious but the former is so much less trouble.

French Provincial Cookery is my favorite too and my ratty paperback is equally stained.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Miranda — yes, I always think Elizabeth David is so much more real than a lot of other cookery writers, and that shes teaching you principles of good cookery rather than an exact formula to produce the same dish every time. I also love her insistence that food should taste of what it is, not be swamped in various rich sauces, and that the key to good food is fresh, good ingredients. And simplicity.

BTW, I also have to mention here that your story in Christmas in the Dukes Arms was my favorite in the collection. :)

[Mary Jo Putney]

Anne--

I learned about Elizabeth David when I lived in England, but I didn't buy any of her books because I was busy working my way through Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. I didn't try all the recipes, but the ones I did try were a master class in cooking. (I even made croissants! They were a funny shape, but tasted delicious.)

Learning from another kitchen goddess would have been too much, but now I feel I should get one of her books. Which one would you suggest?

[Cathryn Hein]

Oh, I enjoyed this, Anne! Elizabeth David's cookbooks are an absolute favourite for all the reasons you put. Her writing is so evocative and beautiful. She makes even the most challenging dish sound amazing. Her books are a must in any food lover's collection.

[Anne Gracie]

I just did what Miranda suggested and compared the two recipes. Wow — yes indeed, Julia makes you work. Lots of little fiddly steps.
Its here:
http://www.tablespoon.com/recipes/julia-childs-beef-bourguignon/f7e0a6c5-710d-4c83-89a6-2a4936fec81a

Ive made Elizabeth Davids so often.
Some of her classic recipes are here, chosen by some of Britains top celebrity chefs:
http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/dec/08/classic-elizabeth-david-recipes

[Anne Gracie]

Mary Jo, my most often used one is French Provincial Cookery, but they all have their charms.
There was a penguin collection many years ago — a very small and slender book called Ill be with you in the squeezing of a lemon which contains a collection of her writings— thats a nice little taster if you can find it. I have a copy — I bought a dozen copies one year and gave all but one away as little Xmas gifts (with a pot of home made something) — but its long out of print.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Cathryn — yes, I think if youre any kind of foodie (as you are—love your blog, BTW), you need to have at least one Elizabeth David in the house. I also think that even if you didnt want to cook much, theyd still be a very informative and entertaining read.

[Jenny Haddon]

Oh thank you for this. Lovely to remember. I savoured Elizabeth David before I was ever allowed to cook. Our small house had a kitchen the size of catamaran's galley and, anyway, my mother was not the sort of cook who liked to be watched.

So, like you Anne, I first cooked as a student. For about a year, I did her boeuf en daube whenever it was my turn. It was so good that nobody ever complained that it was the same as last week. In the end I could cook that and chocolate mousse on autopilot.

Hmmm. Wonder if I still can . . .

[Cathryn Hein]

An author for travellers too. She gives me terrible itchy feet, especially with French Provincial Cooking. Adore that book. Sigh.

[Anne Gracie]

So glad you enjoyed it, Jenny. My mother was the same about keeping us out of the way of her cooking, and student houses were a lovely mix of tastes, expectations and experiment. I remember one housemate used to make a chicken tarragon, and to that end would grow tarragon so we could have it fresh in season. It was his favorite for visitors dish, and we never got sick of it, either. The chocolate mousse and the beef daube were very well used recipes in our house as well. And I, having a taste for strong and salty things, make the anchoaide regularly.

[Anne Gracie]

Cathryn, one day I plan to take a slow and leisurely drive through the Mediterranean and visit some of the places mentioned by Mary Stewart and Elizabeth David, and see if I can have some of the food they wrote about. Wouldnt that be a fabulous trip to make? :)

[Cathryn Hein]

It would indeed. If you go, can I come too?

[Anne Gracie]

Sure thing -- itd be a blast.

[Louise Reynolds]

Great post, Anne. I'm a huge fan of Elizabeth David as well. Your old editions look remarkably similar to my own and many meals have been cooked from those pages. Another favourite is MFK Fisher, roughly a contemporary of EDs. Her 'Gastronomical Me' is a gorgeous evocation of French life and dining before 'the war'. She's as good a writer as David, perhaps better. Then again, she's not a cookery writer as such.

[[email protected]]

BBC 4 did a docu-drama about Elizabeth David a few years back... Her life, loves, and food all faithfully and beautifully told. As a result I bought some of her books and now make a good risotto!

[Andrea Penrose]

WONDERFUL post, Anne. I was only vaguely aware of her, but now must be sure to read her writing. But, um, first I have to make a stop in the kitchen . . .

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Cara. I hope you enjoy her books. You can find some good references on the web, too.

[Anne Gracie]

I saw it, Sarah -- most interesting. She sounded so interesting — not necessarily easy to live with though. :)

[Anne Gracie]

Oh, thanks for that reference, Louise — Ill be sure to chase downMFK FishersGastronomical Menow, after that endorsement. I really enjoy reading those slice of life period pieces — not they were written as period pieces, but still, they evoke a time and place and transport me there.

[Jane]

Coincidentally, I just finished reading The Body in the Piazza by Katherine Hall Page, in which the main character, Faith Fairchild and her husband attend a cooking school in Italy. The descriptions of both the food and the scenery are to die for. And Elizabeth David receives a passing mention.

[Anne Gracie]

Jane that sounds like a lovely escape read — might be just the ticket for a chilly night. Thanks. Ill see if I can get hold of it. Thats the trouble with talking about books — it only feeds the addiction. :)

[Karin]

I've heard of Elizabeth David but never read her books, however I do read a LOT of books about food. I have several by MFK Fisher, including "How To Cook a Wolf" which is about coping with wartime food shortages, and "Consider the Oyster". Closer to the present day, my favorite is "Home Cooking:A Writer in the Kitchen" by Laurie Colwin. She mainly wrote fiction, but this book is sort of a memoir about food and entertaining with a few recipes thrown in. She writes about the first dinner party she gave, preparing an entire meal over a hot plate in her tiny studio apartment. Sadly, Colwin is no longer with us, she died rather young. Her fiction books are lovely too. There was recently a great piece about her lasting influence in the
NY Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/04/02/dining/laurie-colwin-a-confidante-in-the-kitchen.html?_r=0
Then there are Ruth Reichl's books, which are hilarious. The first one is "Tender At the Bone". And Calvin Trillin's very funny books, starting with "Alice, Let's Eat". He makes a strong case for substituting spaghetti carbonara for turkey as the traditional Thanksgiving meal, since Columbus was Italian, after all. And lastly, this is more of a field guide than a cookbook but it does have recipes, "Stalking the Wild Asparagus" by Euell Gibbons.

[Anne Gracie]

Thanks, Karin. With two recommendations for Fisher, Im definitely on the trail for her books now. The whole rationing and war time experience fascinates me — such difficult times, and needing so much ingenuity to cope, Im sure. Ive never heard ofLaurie Colwin., but that NYT article sure has me interested now. Thank you so much for the reference.

Ill chase up those other recommendations, too — I do enjoy a good chuckle. BTW, another funny book about coping with wartime shortages is a riff off theE. F. BensonLucia books by Tom Holt-- LUCIA IN WARTIME. This is one case where the imitation is, IMO, as good as the originals.
Thanks for joining in the conversation.

[Deniz]

I couldn't resist buying the Folio Society edition of her Mediterranean book!

[Anne Gracie]

Sounds wonderful Deniz

[Karin]

I'll look for that LUCIA book, thanks!