Note: This book is called The Language of Food in the UK.
“I have started to see poetry in the strangest of things: from the roughest nub of nutmeg to the pale parsnip seamed with soil. And this has made me wonder if I can write a recipe book that includes the truth and beauty of poetry. Why should the culinary arts not include poetry? Why should a recipe book not be a thing of beauty?”
This historical fiction set in the 1800s in Kent, is the alternating musings of two narrators, Eliza Acton and Ann Kirby. Before Mrs. Beeton and well before Julia Child, there was Eliza Acton, who changed the course of cookery writing forever.
Eliza was a poet during a time when women authors were not taken seriously unless they had a man’s pseudonym. When a publisher told her to “just go write a cookbook” she was frustrated and disappointed at first. But upon further reflection, she realised that food might just be a very worthy thing to describe, and that the recipes of the day could use some sprucing up. “Like a poem, a recipe needs to be clear and precise with nothing extra, inexact or flabby…like a poem.”
Ann is a young girl from an impoverished family who shares Eliza’s passion for food and dreams of being a cook, but in her station, can never aspire to such a position. Ann becomes Eliza’s helper in the kitchen. As they cook together, Ann learns about poetry, love and ambition. The two develop a radical friendship, breaking the boundaries of class while creating new ways of writing recipes.
Sadly the recipes were later shamelessly plagiarised by Isabella Beeton. Eliza’s book called Modern Cookery for Private Families met with success, but sixteen years later Mrs. Beeton’s Book of Household Management became even more successful.
I liked this book, but didn’t love it. It felt a bit flat and stilted to me at times, but I think it’s still a good choice for book clubs, especially with regards to its examination of strong ambitious women during a time when they had little agency. I do enjoy dual narratives and I appreciated the historical fiction aspect of this novel. The ‘foody’ elements are a nice bonus!
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