Well Read and Well Fed - Successful book and food pairings
By Hklbrries
"Let's be honest. Talking about books is only part of what makes a book club fun. There's also the social aspect of getting together with friends, and then there's the food.
-
Whether a dish reflects an author's heritage, the story's setting or essential plot points, thematic food is a great way to enhance the book club experience.
-
After enjoying the simple pairing of food and books in their own clubs, Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp, friends and Costco members, set out to serve up a collection of recipes ideal for book club meetings.
-
Delicious details:
-
First the duo decided which books to include. They began by talking to friends, and soon they were talking to book clubs around the country.
-
It led them to found the website BookClubCookbook.com, followed by the publication of The Book Club Cookbook (Tarcher, 2004). For the book, they split their reading list and set out to identify key foods to pair. “About halfway through the process we contacted all of the living authors,” says Krupp. “When it comes to speaking with authors, it's typical that they're excited to be asked about food, because it's a question they don't often get.”
-
Their chat with author Markus Zusak for the 2012 revision of The Book Club Cookbook focused on a cookie. His novel The Book Thief includes a scene where the mayor's wife leaves a plate of cookies out for the story's young heroine.
-
“He said he knew exactly what kind of cookies they were going to be: vanilla kipferls,” says Gelman. “It's a cookie he associates with his childhood. Those kinds of authentic details help make a story ring true.”
-
While books such as Chocolat, by Joanne Harris, lend themselves to food pairing, Krupp says she and Gelman often have to be creative. She cites John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath as an example. “Some books deal with deprivation and hunger. Food is something that is longed for,” she tells The Connection. “So we called the Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California, and they gave us a recipe with foods that are grown in that area.”
-
Food for all:
-
Having spent the last decade talking to book club members from across the country, Gelman says they've noticed all kinds of dynamics.
-
Some members might be intimidated by having to cook for everyone, so they “try to include some simple suggestions.” For example, one book club member brought alphabet cookies to a discussion of Myra Goldberg's Bee Season, which features a child who has a gift for spelling.
-
They've also heard about meetings where everyone brings a dish and the other members guess its relationship to the book. “It's a good way to get into elements of the plot,” adds Gelman.
-
Another observation, says Krupp, is that “book clubs tell us all the time that they're intrigued by something they haven't tasted.” That proved especially true for Gelman and Krupp, who were curious about lebkuchen after reading this month's Book Buyer's Pick, Alex George's A Good American (page 53).
-
While the following recipes make it easy to know what to serve when you discuss A Good American, Krupp says finding the right recipe is part of the fun.
-
She says, “The process of finding foods and making them gives you something to talk about; it's part of the whole experience.”
-
Stephanie E. Ponder
-
Recipes in collection associated with this article: Frog Lemonade; Lebkuchen.
Ingredients
- _ _ _
Preparation
Step 1
_ _ _