Traditional Foods of Britain : An Inventory

This inventory is part of a Europe-wide initiative by Euroterroirs under the aegis of the European Union to list foods and food products produced in one place for three generations or more. It was conceived to encourage the greater acceptance of European regulations for designations of origin, geographical indications and certificates of special character (all derivatives of the Appellation Controlee movement). This may sound like a mouthful but those producers wishing to protect themselves from spurious imitation will tell you otherwise. Such a list as is this book is an essential preliminary to the extension of the movement from France and Italy, where it is well entrenched, to Britain. This is a repertoire of raw materials (breeds of beef, apples, cobnuts), generic products (cheese, cream, whisky, bacon, buns, breads) and branded goods (Worcester sauce, Colman's mustard). As entry follows entry, a portrait of Britain's gustatory identity paints itself in your brain. At last, the reader feels, some real conception of Britishness is within our grasp. Each of the 400 entries gives a brief historical account and justification for its presence, a short technical description and one or more addresses where the echt product can be found. It is no substitute for the Food Lovers' Guide, it works to a different remit. There is no escaping this is an important book.