The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution

The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution
by David Kamp

The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution
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Book Summary Information

Author: David Kamp
Edition: Paperback
Published: 2007-07-17
ISBN: 0767915801
Number of pages: 416
Publisher: Broadway

Book Reviews of The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution

Book Review: Brilliant
Summary: 5 Stars

David Kamp sets his treatise, THE UNITED STATES OF ARUGULA, at that precise moment in time when America came of age culinarily -- when this nation amalgamated a discrete cuisine of its own, no longer looking to France for inspiration.

Kamp focuses on the many elements which combined to form what we have come to call American cooking. This ranges from the types of ingredients we now take for granted, such as sun-dried tomatoes and balsamic vinegar, through the concepts of regional and seasonal produce, and on to the foreign influences of Asia and Europe.

He explicates the theories of organic foodstuffs and sustainable farming and he pays tribute to those who gave life to these movements.

He also acknowledges the cookware stores which literally brought us the tools of fine cooking, such as Williams-Sonoma. He explains in detail about the gourmet shop Dean-&-DeLuca, which first showcased many imported ingredients we take for granted today, and prepared some of the first dishes those ingredients created: For example, pasta salad in balsamic vinaigrette with sun-dried tomatoes and basil -- and, of course, arugula.

Along the way, Kamp could not fail to pay attention to the brigade of writers who fed this new interest by bringing pertinent information into every kitchen, especially mentioning Julia Child, James Beard and Craig Claiborne.

Also included are the chefs and restaurateurs who originally popularized -- and often created -- these new trends, people who now are household names, such as Wolfgang Puck, Michael McCarthy, Thomas Keller, Alice Waters, Jeremiah Towers and Danny Meyers.

THE UNITED STATE OF ARUGULA is a must-read for anyone with interest in modern American gastronomy. And it's a fun walk down memory lane for anyone who participated in those first days of America's adventure in codifying the elements of fine dining.

Summary of The United States of Arugula: The Sun Dried, Cold Pressed, Dark Roasted, Extra Virgin Story of the American Food Revolution

The wickedly entertaining, hunger-inducing, behind-the-scenes story of the revolution in American food that has made exotic ingredients, celebrity chefs, rarefied cooking tools, and destination restaurants familiar aspects of our everyday lives.

Amazingly enough, just twenty years ago eating sushi was a daring novelty and many Americans had never even heard of salsa. Today, we don't bat an eye at a construction worker dipping a croissant into robust specialty coffee, city dwellers buying just-picked farmstand produce, or suburbanites stocking up on artisanal cheeses and extra virgin oils at supermarkets. The United States of Arugula is a rollicking, revealing stew of culinary innovation, food politics, and kitchen confidences chronicling how gourmet eating in America went from obscure to pervasive—and became the cultural success story of our era.

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