Cooking, they say, is a matter of transformation, and of all the transformations perhaps the most magical is that of quince. A hard, off-white, barely edible hunk of mouth-puckeringness turns deep blush, fragrant and flavoursome. Absolute magic. Take it a step further -- by straining off the juice and boiling briefly with some sugar, and the transformation is complete. I defy anyone who doesn't already know to connect quince jelly with the fruit from which it comes.
Hot on the heels of the Dallas Morning News, mighty NPR has a story about pecan prices and the insatiable Chinese. What can I say? I'm flattered, of course. And also smart enough to realise that my podcast with James McWilliams, author of The Pecan: a history of America's native nut, probably had nothing to do with it.
The Dallas Morning News is warning all good Texans that prices for their beloved pecans -- to make the official state pie, of course -- are likely to be very high this year. This would not normally have caught my eye, had I not earlier talked to James McWilliams about pecans and history. That wa...
“Thinking about the squirm” was just one memorable phrase in Laurie Taylor’s fascinating interview with Alex Rhys-Taylor, who had just published a paper on Disgust and distinction: the case of the jellied eel. 1 Much was made of the jellied eel as a signifier of the working classes, with an un...
Last night, we came home to a burst water main and the street awash. This morning, the street below was dry and so were the taps in the house. Luckily, there was enough old water in the kettle for a cup of tea each (though not the customary two) or else we'd probably be lying there still, parched. Taking the dog out, therefore, I loaded my backpack with an empty 5-litre demijohn and set off.
