The Language of Food: "Mouth-watering and sensuous, a real feast for the imagination" BRIDGET COLLINS

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This novel is based on fact and tells the story of Eliza Acton and her assistant Ann Kirby who collaborate to produce one of the greatest cookery books of all time, so great in facts some recipes are plagiarised by Mrs Beeton - naughty Isabella! The story is told alternately by Eliza and Ann. Told through the alternating perspectives of the two women, The Language of Food draws on fact and imagination as Eliza and Ann develop what will eventually be “the greatest British cookbook of all time”, published in 1845 as ‘Modern Cookery, in All Its Branches: Reduced to a System of Easy Practice, for the Use of Private Families’. It’s also a story of female friendship and fortitude, as the women, despite their different stations in life, work side by side, and a story of creativity and cooking as Eliza and Ann combine their talents for poetry and instinct for flavours. It's possible for speakers with a very high F0 to have a F0 higher than where their own F1 ought to be on some vowels, which can lead to problems with vowel identification. IIRC, classically-trained sopranos can also get F0 higher than even where some of their own F2s are expected; I am informed that they also are trained essentially to be able to consciously manipulate where their formants occur.) Eliza and Ann grow to create a strong friendship. Ann enjoys cooking just as much as Eliza and the two go about perfecting recipes that they serve to boarders and will add to the cookbook. Eliza has the chance to finally be separated from the constricting reach of her mother through marriage. She also has the chance to mend her estranged relationship with her oldest sister. There are many other aspects to this story, but I don't want to give too much information and spoil the surprises.

Almost immediately, Eliza and Ann find a rapport, and begin the process of testing recipes, ostensibly to feed the boarders at Mrs. Acton's establishment, but with the longer-term aim of writing a housekeeping and cookery manual for modern Victorian houskeepers. Despite her impoverished beginnings, Ann can read and write well, has a well-honed palate and relishes the opportunities that her employment and blossoming friendship with Miss Eliza provide. While the bulk of her paltry salary goes on bribing staff at the asylum, Ann grows in confidence and culinary skill. Meanwhile, Eliza discovers an unexpected fascination with and passion for food and cooking, adding a revolutionary quantitative aspect (prior to her book, recipes rarely included accurate quantities or cooking times) and drawing on her poetic skills as she records the various recipes she and Ann trial together in the kitchens of Bordyke House. The story is about Eliza Acton and Ann Kirby her assistant. They are cooks and working on what will be the greatest British Cook Book of all time. Eliza changed the way that cookery books were written and how cooks after her presented their recipes. In a nutshell, she was the woman who changed the face of baking and cookery books by listing the ingredients separately at the start of the recipe. Seems like common sense today but then it was revolutionary as no-one had thought of it before. All this calling food by seductive names has been going on a long time. In 1066, when the Normans (who were originally Norsemen) defeated the English, they brought with them French, which became the language for the upper classes. But everyone soon adopted these upscale words for food - pork, not pig, boeuf - beef - for cow, mouton - mutton - for sheep. Latterly we say 'jus' rather than gravy, and often 'cuisine' rather than cooking. A menu written in French will be presumed to be of higher class, better cooking and more expensive than a similar one in English.

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Overall, this is a lovely story of two very different women, from very different walks of life, coming together to create something worthwhile and helpful to generations of cooks who have benefitted from Eliza’s organization and instructions on not only the proper ingredients, but the steps needed to make the dishes a success. This format is still widely utilized today and has influenced several high-profile chefs over the years.

The writing is deliciously suggestive but also funny on occasion, as in this observation from Ann Kirby early on in the novel: I thought this book could also be profitably listened to by ad copywriters (if such a profession still exists) and people who are in the business of thinking up catchy name for edible products. England 1835. Eliza Acton is a poet who dreams of seeing her words in print. But when she takes her new manuscript to a publisher, she’s told that ‘poetry is not the business of a lady’. Instead, they want her to write a cookery book. That’s what readers really want from women. England is awash with exciting new ingredients, from spices to exotic fruits. But no one knows how to use them This is a book about food, so if course there is plenty of it—I loved the process of Eliza working on recipes, testing them out—sometimes on their own, while at others for guests at the boarding house—and how she works at writing them as well. Ann might start out as a maid but soon proves that she can be more in terms of giving her inputs on flavours and even adding her own little touches—something Eliza appreciates. It was interesting to see how Eliza brought about such a revolution in the way cookbooks were written, and was able to, through her poetic writing, take them to a different level. In fact, that poetic approach to and appreciation of different ingredients and tastes comes through in this book as well. For those interested, the author has included a few of the recipes at the end.How the sikbaj of Persia (sweet-n-sour stewed beef with sweet vinegar in it) became a fish dish like ceviche, fish & chips, tempura, escabeche, aspic – sailors’ help c.10th century; the influence of fish-during-Lent, the conquest of Peru, Portuguese Jesuits in Japan, of Sephardic and Ashkenazi Jews in Britain. Why should the culinary arts not include poetry? Why should a recipe book not be a thing of beauty?” But first, she must familiarize herself with a kitchen and gather recipes to add to her book. To help her with this task, she hires Ann Kirby, an impoverished young woman hoping to provide proper care for her ailing mother. Together, these women forge a bond while creating a series of popular cookbooks. It was a friendship that grew over time and endured for a lifetime. Eliza Acton was a poet in real life and the author has spared no effort in imagining the world of food, spices and cooking through the eyes of a poet and a woman who didn't even know how to boil an egg when she first ventured into a kitchen.

A 2015 James Beard Award Finalist: "Eye-opening, insightful, and huge fun to read." —Bee Wilson, author of Consider the ForkI love Abbs’s writing and the extraordinary, hidden stories she unearths. Eliza Acton is her best discovery yet’ Clare Pooley I'd like to think that the lesson here is that we are all immigrants, that no culture is an island, that beauty is created at the confusing and painful boundaries between cultures and peoples and religions. I guess we can only look forward to the day when the battles we fight are about nothing more significant than where to go for tacos. Told in alternate voices, this novel brings endearing friendship, the joy of cookery and creativity with food; and with limited options for spinsters, it also means certain independence. Eliza leaves the offices appalled. But when her father is forced to flee the country for bankruptcy, she has no choice but to consider the proposal. Never having cooked before, she is determined to learn and to discover, if she can, the poetry in recipe writing. To assist her, she hires seventeen-year-old Ann Kirby, the impoverished daughter of a war-crippled father and a mother with dementia. I give the book 3.5 stars, rounded down from 4 for the following reasons: I didn't like the completely unrecognizable Ann that appeared in the first chapter and the last chapter. I didn't like that too much time was spent on a dirty old man who enjoyed exposing himself. One encounter would have sufficed! There were entirely too many words that were italicized throughout the book. I suppose it is done for emphasis, but in my opinion, excessive.

I will concede the point about the typos -- because, yeah, there are definitely a few misspellings someone should have caught. I think the most unfortunate typos were the ones in the French because now I'm wondering whether the Middle French had typos and I will never know, because do you even know what Middle French looks like? Yeah. but i really enjoyed this book, despite how long it took me to come to that conclusion. food and etymology are both inherently fascinating to me, and i still think with fondness of my undergrad etymology class and wish i'd studied it more in my academic career. it's definitely a good read for those of you who have an interest in the subject matter. you will learn about the connections and differences between macaroni, macaroons, and macarons and you will learn an awful lot about bread. and what "semantic bleaching" is. and why we use words of anglo-saxon origin for the animals we eat, like "pig," "cow," "hog," "sow," but words of french origin for the resulting meat: "veal," "beef," "pork." Overall, the novel is extremely accomplished, the plot unfolds organically and it’s very hard to put down. It conveys really well just how important Eliza Acton is in the cookery world and how much is owed to her. I applaud the author for creating such a marvellous novel without a huge amount of evidence to go on. Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction or those who love food!!

As a book, this didn't really feel very cohesive, more a random collection of articles probably written for something else originally and just gathered together here. And the writing style was a bit variable as well. Some chapters feel quite narrative and flowed well, some felt pretty dry. Worth reading, but not that great. The author did a good job highlighting women's roles during this time period and society's expectations. It was something she was able to explore a bit not just with the two leads but some of the other female supporting characters as well. When you hold someone in such high esteem and then discover something they have hidden that brings them down to a human level again you are highly disappointed, and this became the downfall of the two women's relationship.