Before You Die

1001 Foods You Must Taste Before You Die

Frances Case, General Editor

Universe Publishing, Division of Rizzoli International Publications

New York   2008

Let me start by saying that I don’t care for the title of this book.

     Ever since The Bucket List there’s been a slew of book titles, articles, videos, and so forth all based on the idea that we keep lists of things we’re going to accomplish before we die. Frankly, I don’t keep such a list, even mentally, nor do I know anyone who does. And even if I did, my list would certainly not be the same as yours. So very little on my list is something you must do before the grim reaper calls.

     The fact is, there is no reason at all why you must taste the foods highlighted in this book.

     Something else I don’t like is the size. Given the sheer amount of information contained in its 960 pages, and the quantity and quality of the photos, I’d have much rather seen this put out as a coffee-table book; one that I could keep on display as well as use as a reference work.

     There’s nothing we can do about either of those complaints except live with them. What we can do, however, is not bother reading the introduction. Much of it reflects Frances Case’s politically correct view of the culinary world, which, itself, can lead to errors of fact. For instance, he makes a big deal about seafood sustainability, which is one of the faddish food topics of the day. And, as part of that, he bemoans the loss of certainly delicacies “which have been made extinct in the wild…..like the giant catfish of the Mekong.”

     Now, there’s a lot that can be said about the Mekong catfish, but “extinct” isn’t one of them. Indeed, many of you may recall the photo of the 500 plus pounder that made the rounds of the web just two years ago. 

     He also makes a big deal about how various E.U. laws exist “to protect such traditional foods and ensure that substandard products do not enter the market and damage their reputation.” While much of that is true, he carefully ignores the fact that many AOC and PDO designations are assigned merely as thinly disguised non-tariff barriers, rather than protecting something that is truly unique.

     Fortunately, the intro is written in small type on a pale green background. The legibility is so poor that you aren’t likely going to read it anyway.

     I’ve discussed these negatives just to get them out of the way. The fact is, this is, overall, a great book that should be in everyone’s culinary reference library. The fact that it isn’t can only be attributed to the fact it was put out by a small, relatively unknown publisher. Result: There are numerous copies currently available in the used- and remaindered-book market at incredibly affordable prices. I mean, we’re talking as low as 86 cents, and an average price of only a buck. In short, the publisher’s loss is our gain.

     To be sure, as would be expected in an undertaking this large, with numerous contributors, there are some errors. For example, in the aromatics section, there is an entry for “Gilroy Garlic.” There is no such thing. California White garlic is the variety the folks at Gilroy choose for all its products. So it’s associated with that company and town. But “Gilroy” is not, and never has been, part of the varietal name.

     These kinds of errors are few, however. And are more than made up for by the astounding amount of information packed in the pages of this tome.

     Here’s an example. In a thread about Moroccan foods, Ahron (AfricanMeat) discussed making merguez sausages out of beef. I commented that I’d never heard of merguez being made of anything but lamb. If I’d have checked in 1001 Foods first I’d have discovered “as Islam prohibits the consumption of pig products, these are made with lamb, mutton, or beef.”

     Having a lot of data is one thing, being able to access it is something else. That is not a problem. The book is divided into eight sections: fruit, vegetables, dairy, fish, meats, aromatics, bakery and confections. Within each category the items are arranged, with rare exception, two-up on a page. Each item has a photo at the top of the text, and is anchored by a short description of the item’s flavor profile.

     Anyone who has tried to describe taste knows how difficult that can be. But the authors and editors of 1001 Foods come surprisingly close.

     Each page of text is faced by a full-page photo. Sometimes these are close-ups of the food item. Other times they are the item being harvested, or processed, or used in a dish. But they’re all beautifully done.

     To help locate specific items, there is both a food index in front of the sections, and a general index in the back.  

     “The main goal of this book,” Frances Case says, “is to encourage you to try new foods, broaden your palate, and discover new favorites.” It accomplishes that in spades.