by John Midgley
(Random House, 1992, 65 pages)
by Colette Rossant (Clarkson Potter, 1999, 160 pages)
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The Goodness of Olive Oil by John Midgley (Random House, 1992, 65 pages) and Memories of a Lost Egypt by Colette Rossant (Clarkson Potter, 1999, 160 pages)
Something about small books is so appealing, as if they are the essence, the heart of a single subject. When done well, as these two books are, they assume a treasured spot on the bookshelf.
The Goodness of Olive Oil came out in the early 1990s, when small, single-subject food books became fashionable. Others in the "Goodness" series, by the same author, focus on garlic, legumes, and root vegetables. This book is graced with lovely watercolors by Ian Sidaway. The format is simple: A 25-page essay on the history, cultivation, and use of olives and olive oil is followed by about 40 pages of recipes that use olives or olive oil as a main ingredient.
Did you know that 90 percent of the world olive crop is pressed for oil? And can you guess which country consumes the most olive oil per capita? (It’s Greece, particularly Crete.) Do you know that the color of olive oil is determined mostly by the ripeness of the fruit (green olives produce a green, peppery oil; ripe olives, a golden oil), as well as by locale, quirky growing conditions, and other somewhat mysterious factors. An ancient and noble tree, the olive is both master and servant of those who cultivate it. No wonder Thomas Jefferson wrote, "The olive tree is surely the richest gift of Heaven." (For sample recipes, see below.)
The second book, Memories of a Lost Egypt, is food writer’s Colette Rossant’s autobiographical account of her childhood in Egypt, where she was abandoned by her mother to be raised by her Egyptian grandparents in pre-World War II Cairo. The book is interleaved with recipes that the family’s cook, Ahmet, prepared, usually with young Colette at his side in the kitchen. Here is an example of the prose:
"Grandmaman was a great believer in the restorative power of leeks. She would recommend leeks to my teenage cousin Renée, who was complaining of being too fat. ‘Eat only leeks for one day,’ she would say in her imperative tone of voice, ‘and you will be slim.’ She told Zaki, my eighteen-year-old cousin, to eat leeks to heal his acne, and would insist that I eat them at least twice a week so that I might sing in tune like my other cousins. We never saw any results, but we continued to listen to her and eat leeks."
Although the author’s distant relationship with her mother would be a source of pain in her life for decades, the richness of her childhood in Egypt helped to sustain her. As a journalist and food writer, she has authored eight cookbooks and was nominated for a James Beard Award for food writing. Sample recipes follow.
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