As is well known, up to the century, court physicians recommended to Kings of France and their entourage wine for their ailments. Some preferred Bordeaux, others Burgundy.

Surprisingly, the results of their recommendations have not been publicized widely.We know little about them Professor Pitte correctly concludes that the residents of Bordeaux business more like Anglo-Saxons whereas Burgundians behave more like emotional Mediterranean merchants.

Here are two comments that should explain their thinking.
“ They are peasants in Burgundy, but boy, oh boy, are they peasants with pretty healthy bank accounts.”

Patrick Forbes, executive producer, Oxford Films and TV
“In Burgundy everything is available to drink and nothing is for sale, in Bordeaux nothing is to drink and all the wine is for sale.”

Burgundian wines are relatively expensive due to supply and demand, in Bordeaux production is much bigger and more uniform. In Bordeaux there are more than 8000 estates (i.e chateaux) which belong to individuals from many countries, whereas in Burgundy there are only 200 major vineyards owned and managed by 20 000 individuals.

This explains the variety and styles in the marketplace of Burgundy wines versus Bordeaux.

Also in Burgundy there are two major grapes pinot noir and chardonnay, whereas in Bordeaux there are many more.

In this seminal book the author delves into the key roles played by medieval monks, dukes and peasant vignerons in building their respective reputations and in creating the rivalry between bourgeois Bordeaux and earth Burgundy that we know today.
This is a book to read and keep as a reference for all wine lovers, particularly those who prefer French products.

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Most people think of shiraz and/or chardonnay when they talk about Australia, yet this huge country with many climates produces a significant amount olive oil.

This industry is relatively young compared to Mediterranean countries, but growers have made good use of up-to-date research conducted by European scientists and selected the most suitable lands and climates to plant their olive groves.

Moore River Region, Margaret River and Great Southern Region in Western Australia, the Fleurie Peninsula in South Australia, North, Central, and Western Victoria, northern slopes of New South Wales, Hunter Valley and the Murray Irrigation Area and South eastern Queensland are the most densely planted. Tasmania also has some groves.

The preferred varieties are – frantoio, correggiolo and lecino, all of which are of Italian origin.

Many producers use olive harvesting machines, but a few prefer the more gentle hand picking.

Olives are pressed within 24 hours of harvest to ensure freshness of the end product.
Extra virgin, virgin, regular, and pomace oils are produced.

Inj view of the fact that Australia has no olive oil tradition, many manufacturers produce and market flavoured olive oils i.e chile, herbs, spices, saffron just to name a few.

Although Australia imports olive oil, it also exports to the U S A, China, New Zealand, even to Italy and Spain.

Australian olive oil is more expensive than Mediterranean products mainly because olive oil groves are much smaller and the government does not have financial support programmes unlike European jurisdictions.

Australian olive oils taste slightly less vacuous than those from Mediterranean countries, but from a flavour perspective can stand their own ground against any on the world.

Canada does import Australian olive oil but so far marketing efforts have been very sporadic and inconsequential.

If and when you visit Australia taste and see for yourself. You may even bring back a few bottles and hope more companies will import them and at prices the average consumer can afford.

Kailis Organic Olive Oil Groves and HJOI export to Canada but are not widely distributed.

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He is not just a chef de cuisine, but understands perfectly that a restaurant owner’s/manager’s responsibility is to generate satisfied guests who become regular patrons. This can only be achieved by pleasing their palates and provide service with care.

Lessons in Wine Service never touches on the technical aspects of serving wine, i.e opening the bottle, decanting, and pouring.

This book is all about “reading the table” and catering to the needs of guests who were lucky enough to get a reservation in the celebrated restaurant of Charlie trotter.

The author E.O. Lawler explains in sufficient detail how Charlie Trotter encourages his sommeliers and service staff to be of service, how he sends them to famous wine regions and wineries to explore their philosophy, and experience the “terroir” where the grapes are grown, harvested, and vinified.

They in turn can authoritatively and convincingly communicate their experiences to guests.

Here the author explains how all service staff attend weekly information meetings, how wines are to be described, sold, served, and cared for.

Charlie Trotter’s restaurant is expensive, but it offers value to those who can afford to dine there. His sommeliers are instructed to sell wine according to the needs of guests. Should a guest state that he could only afford a low-priced wine, it is provided.

There are very expensive wines on his extensive (60 pages) wine list. Some go for $ 35,000.00 but there are also $ 50.00 bottles which are available and taste fine.

Winemakers and winery owners such a A. Gaja from Piedmont, Joy Sterling CEO of Iron Horse Vineyards, and many others regularly visit Charlie Trotter’s restaurant to present their new vintages or present their wines.

In all, this is an excellent book on restaurant service, management philosophy, and effective training, and should be on the reading list of all sommelier programmes, all restaurant managers (even at eateries that serve no alcoholic beverages) and servers.

A “must read” book for all involved in the service industry.

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Zen is a school of Malayana Buddhism that emphasises meditation and experimentation rather than theoretical knowledge and information contained in textbooks.

Followers of Zen Buddhism live by the teachings of masters before them.
This branch of Buddhism originated in southern India by a prince turned monk – Bodhidharma. It spread from there to China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan.
Tassajara Zen Mountain Centre was founded in 1996 in Carmel-by-the-Sea, California and is the oldest Japanese Buddhist monastery in the U S A.

In Tassajara Dinners and Desserts, Dale and Melissa Kent explain in a very detailed fashion how they cooked for all in the monastery for seven years before taking on care taking I the foothills of the eastern Sierras, where they garden, cook, and promote sustainable living principles and organic food.

The authors describe the daily life at the monastery – rising up early, to reflect on meditation, kindness and cooking for all, while chanting and bowing a lot, and after the meal how everything is sanitized again and put in place for use the next time. For Zen Buddhists, kitchen work is sacred activity. Here all work in silence and concentrate on the task on hand.

All cooking is performed with reverence to all who will partake of the food.
At Tassajara cooking is interpreted as spiritual practice.

Accordingly to authors, carefully, and lovingly prepared food tastes better, and simple dishes take on a special elegance.

Recipes are all vegetarian and consist of few and readily available ingredients. All are relatively easy to prepare even for those who have little interest and desire to learn. This book emphasises the importance of food, its preparation, presentation and what it represents. Very few recipes call for canned food, and all are healthy, delicious, and thoughtfully perceived.

Anyone Buddhist or vegetarian or simply interested in new food experiences will benefit greatly from the contents of this book and be inspired to live thoughtfully and to be kind to others.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

He starts with kitchen basics, then goes on to explain sauces, condiments, herbs, spices, appetizers, soups, sandwiches, pizzas, salads, vegetables and fruits, beans, grains, pasta, fish and shellfish, poultry meat, eggs, bread, and finishes with desserts.
The writing is engaging and flows beautifully without neglecting technical details.
This is a book for all young people. Those who live on their own will love it because the recipes are easy to follow and can be altered with the addition of one or two ingredients, and those who are planning to marry should embrace it. Everything most North Americans like to eat and much more is here. Many recipes can be partially of fully prepared, and refrigerated or frozen. The author does not advocate freezing, but mentions it where feasible and applicable, to make life easy for busy people.
Millions of young people who live alone cannot cook, and by necessity frequent fast food facilities, or inexpensive eateries where flour, salt, fat and sugar are processed sold as nutritious food. Needless to say the results show on streets as excessively fat individuals with no resistance to any kind of disease.
The first dictum in these eateries is to make people feel full. There is little nutritional value of what is being served.
This book is invaluable for people to understand what cooking should be, and what nutrition means without having to spend lot of money or time.
He uses canned foods where feasible and necessary, whereas in most cases authors always use fresh ingredients. There is a lot to said about fresh and seasonal ingredients, but in North America, particularly in large cities, this is not always practical.
This tome’s recipes will provide countless , easy and inexpensive meals for anyone interested in cooking and nutrition.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

It is true that no one can forecast everything accurately, but if the model forecast model happens to be logical, and with relevant data, chances are predictions will be correct.
This is a timely book, and everyone, particularly investors, small and large, should read it carefully, think about what the author is predicting and the reasons for his thinking.
The charts in this easy-to-read book explain practically everything that should be known by any investor. However, knowledge of markets is insufficient to make good investment decisions, application of the knowledge gained now for the future is crucial, and Harry S. Dent Jr. seems to have covered all the angles. According to him, stocks will rally in mid-2009, and later (2010) all gain will be lost.

The prudent investor who watches markets carefully and acts according to the advice provided in this book is likely to protect and even realize gains.
According tot eh author, market volatility in the near and far future will be remarkable and unprecedented. Those who have market knowledge, as he does, will benefit. He provides the vehicle the investor should follow as outlined in this book.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

According to their way of thinking, valuable nutrients are lost above these temperatures. It is true that heat kills some nutrients, but it is also true that it makes mastication easier, and kills pathogenic bacteria not speaking of rendering digestion faster and easier. There are even fruitarians, who survive by eating nothing but fruits.
There is no book offering ideas about how to best combine fruits and nuts for fruitarians.
Matthew Kenney was trained in classical cooking, but after a few years in the profession he had his epiphany to devote his time to invent and experiment with raw food and ultimately write a book to immortalize his recipes.
The book is divided into the following chapters: Blossom, Contemporary, Inspiration, Spice, Radiance, Revolution and Meaningful. This alone shows his vivid imagination.
Raw food recipes cannot be created without a vivid imagination.
But more importantly there is no need for expensive equipment. All you need is a counter top blender, and a dehydrator to reduce water content to preserve food.
Raw food recipes contain nuts for texture and to provide protein, and there are many in this book requiring almonds, pine nuts, walnuts, peanuts, pistachios just to name a few.
The photography by Miha Matei is commendable and will help a great deal towards presentation of your creations.
Matthew Kenney starts every section with a quote to lead into the text, which, at least to my mind, is a nice way to combine thoughts.
Entertaining in the Raw is recommended for all who like to cook and entertain. It may be of use to cutting edge chefs trying to titillate the palates of discriminating diners.
Highly recommended!

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

Wolfgang Stuppy Ph.D. (comparative seed morphology and anatomy) and Robe Kesseler, professor, (Central St. martin’s College of Art and Design) set out to inform people everywhere about the world of fruits –edible, inedible, and incredible.
The information in this lavishly illustrated book is simply unmatched from a botanical perspective. It deals with tropical fruits, how they are dispersed, and where they thrive. Both authors also devote a lot of pages to fruits commonly grown and consumed in the northern hemisphere.
First they explain that fruits are the ripened ovaries of flowers of specific plants. Many fruits like tomatoes, peas, beans, corn, peppers and cucurbits are used as vegetables, some raw, some cooked, and some in both ways.
The authors explain that there are three types of fruits – simple, aggregate and multiple.
Simple fruits (tomatoes, avocadoes, stone fruits, apples, pears, red currants) are one whole unit with seeds, and skin.
Aggregate fruits (raspberry, blackberry, strawberry contain many small segments that have grown around a core.
Multiple fruits (figs, pineapples, mulberries, breadfruits) are an amalgam of hundreds of parts in a procreative shell or skin.
Mangosteen is considered to be the “Queen of Fruits” and tastes delightful if picked ripe and consumed shortly after.
Olives, figs, pomegranates and grapes were the first fruits cultivated by humans several millennia ago and since then have been developing hybrids or by finding “terroir” most suitable for them to thrive.
Fruits contain a lot of phytochemicals, are high in soluble fibre, water and vitamin C, all of which happen to be beneficial to humans.
Fruits – edible, inedible, incredible, contains photography seldom seen in any book, and this alone justifies acquiring it.
Close up pictures (electronic microscope enhanced) of exotic fruits allows the reader to have a glimpse into the inner world of textures of them.
This publication is written by scientists for people with an interest in botany, and ordinary consumers, deserves the attention of all who eat fruits, and are interested in knowing more.
All libraries everywhere need to acquire this spectacular book and encourage interested parties to read it carefully, not once, but several times.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

Even today, food fraud continues with some staples namely rice – Basmati rice. Most people know, or at least have heard that Basmati rice is either from India or Pakistan. It tastes and smells much better than regular long-grain rice.

Yet a scientific research conducted by M. Woolfe Ph.D., then working at the British Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food) established that out pf 363 Basmati rice samples gathered in the United Kingdom, only 54 per cent were pure. The rest were blended with much less expensive rice and passed on as the authentic product at more than double the price of regular rice.

But there is more. Bread has been tampered with since the very beginning of baking.
Most of the time the flour has been blended with that of inferior grade – often wheat flour with corn or rye or both. Even more frequently, the weight is less than stated on the package.

Bee Wilson also writes extensively about “free-range chicken” and farmed salmon pointing out how these “plants” actually raise these animals and at what cost to the environment and taste. Coffee is also a subject that is dealt with in great detail – if a reader follows the advice; the price of the book pays itself in a few weeks.

Today, more than ever before, food products are recalled in the U.S.A. and Canada. These recalls are the result of poor and/or greedy managers trying to maximize profits at the expense of public health. They get way with it until the public displays an outrage due to a death or media exposure. Government agencies cannot control “plants” as thoroughly as before. They are short staffed due cost cutting measures.
Whereas previously meat inspectors were on the killing floor in abattoirs inspecting carcasses, today they spend most of their time in offices filling out forms to report “plant” activity and statistics.

Much of what grocers, fishmongers, meat packers, and butchers get away with can be attributed to general public’s ignorance of food, and the gullible attitude towards attractively packaged or presented merchandise. She believes, rightly so, that should food-savvy consumers ask relevant questions, merchants wills top fraudulent practices to a large extent.

Surprisingly, there is no effort on the part of governments to increase food inspections, which proves once again the old Roman dictum CAVEAT EMPTOR.

Buy this book and read it not once, but twice, and refer to it from time to time!

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

Lettuce, potatoes, carrots and many other vegetables and fruits are developed to absorb water in excessive quantities growing larger than originally intended by nature. Needless to say, these vegetables and fruits offer weak flavours.
The same is true for chickens, beef, and pork. Lamb is still not much tempered with through chemicals, hormones, and other artificial treatments.
Jesse Ziff Cool, a restaurateur and caterer believes in organic and healthy food, but as a practitioner also knows that occasionally organic ingredients can be impossible to find. In such cases she is prepared to make concessions.
In Simply Organic she explains the advantages of healthy eating and cooking using seasonal produce, all the while emphasising locally grown food. In the nine chapters of this lavishly illustrated book you will find easy-to-prepare recipes for spring, late spring, early summer, midsummer, Indian summer, autumn, early winter and deep winter.
This is a book for people who value healthy, tasty and flavourful food, interested in good cooking, and don’t mind spending time shopping.
Organic food is less readily available as id the mass-produced version, and more expensive. The increased cost is the result of lower yields per acre but more intense flavour. Fertilizers, insecticides and herbicides are chemicals that encourage vegetables and fruits to absorb more water and thus grow large but offer less intense flavours.
If you compare the taste if a commercially grown iceberg lettuce to an organic one you will be convinced for eternity that the latter tastes much better. Iceberg lettuce lacks flavour to begin, and with diluted taste you are essentially ingesting large quantities of water in a web of greens.
If you wish to experiment with romaine or cos lettuce, the result will be the same.
In Simply Organic, the author offers recipes that ordinary people can confidently duplicate at home. She conceded substitutes may have to be employed. She is a realist and not a zealot when it comes to cooking.
This is a book all should buy, read, and use as many recipes as practicable and desired. The results will be health-giving meals proudly prepared and offered to family and friends.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

Gordon Ramsay is a disciplined cook. He advocates using every scrap of food, gives advice as to what tastes good, and costs less. The book is divided into breakfast, different types of lunch recipes, BBQ’s, suppers, children’s menus, and entertaining and healthy desserts.

No effort has been spared to provide tasty recipes that most people can afford.
The photography is excellent and that alone is worth the price of the book, but more importantly, readers will understand that food is as much for the eyes as it is for nourishment and presentation. Gordon Ramsey’s Healthy Appetite is suitable for all – young and old who like to eat well, and enjoy healthy food.

All professionals should be interested in this exceptionally well-illustrated book, not just for the presentations, but also for the recipes that healthy food fanatics demand. Luxury hotel clientèle are most interested in such food, and willingly pay.

All basics of cooking (stocks, sauces, cooking methods) are covered in sufficient detail for the beginner and/or advanced cook to obtain satisfactory results.
A book to buy, enjoys, and try recipes!

You will be happy to have made such a purchase.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

Rose Murray is an accomplished and devoted cook, who grew up in a self-sufficient farm near Collingwood, Ontario, and learned early on from her mother the importance of using local produce and ingredients. She travelled to many parts of Canada and compiled recipes presented in this book.

In her latest book, Taste of Canada, she explains each province’s cuisine and how it evolved, giving credit where due, and reasons for its evolution. She explains the origins of tourtiere, provides and up-dated recipe for perogies, modern coq Au vin, and grilled arctic char with orange-onion salsa. Her recipes reflect modern eating preferences and can be produced easily by anyone with time on his/her hands, and a little interest in tasty food.

Everyone knows about smoked salmon, but how many think of combining smoked salmon with cream cheese balls on a skewer, and to present it with citrus greens?
When you are entertaining foreign guests, try her wild rice pancakes with sour cream and caviar or her recipe of fiddlehead greens. Similarly you can offer a modern tourtiere turnover with phylopastry.

Rose Murray sets the record straight by stating that Canadian cuisine is regional, must be regional, simply because of the size stretching from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific, covering several time zones, influenced by immigrants from well over 150 countries, and that it is still evolving. Canadian cuisine is still a work in progress much like the social fabric and government structure.

Food stylist Jennifer Stamper has done an excellent job in her domain and Shawn Taylor excelled in taking pictures. Overall, this is a book that deserves a place in your library, and if you have family or business associates overseas, you might consider buying a few copies to give as presents.

Recipients would be happy and thankful.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

Artisan, a division of Workman Publishing Inc. New York, 294 pages 2008.

David Tanis does not settle for store bought mayonnaise, he tells the reader to make it, and explains how easy it is to whip up a cup of home-made, heavenly mayonnaise an what to do if it “beaks” in the process.

According to him, even garlic used in cooking must be fresh in season. Simplicity and spontaneity of recipes provided should not be confused with less or bland taste! To the contrary, if you gollow his instructions to the letter, you will find his recipes flavourful, enjoyable and healthy.

Books written by celebrity chefs provide complicated recipes, and even more complicated presentations. One must wonder how many home cooks can afford the time and expense to create them at home. A platter of figs and other recipes gives you 24 three-course seasonal and fresh food menus that you can follow easily; even you can only afford little time for cooking. The catch here is to live close to a farmer’s market.

David Tanis is such a food purist, and rightly so, he even distinguishes between common iodized salt, sea salt, kosher salt, fleur de sel from France ad Maldon salt from England. A cook who goes into such detail knows how important it is to source fresh ingredients. This book should be in every professional and home cooks’ library and be referred to constantly.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

WORKMAN PUBLISHING NEW YORK 1996, 548 pages.

The Cheese Primer is extensive – divided into cheese production, purchasing, storing and service. After this general information, the author delves into France region by region, then comes Italy, followed by Switzerland, the British isles, Spain, the U S A and Canada.

The information provided is valuable for cheese lovers, restaurateurs and cheesemongers. This book should be on the must-read list of all who like cheese and all people who have anything to do with cheese, like hotel purchasing agents, caterers, convention planners, wedding consultants, just to name a few.
It is written with enthusiasm, based on first hand knowledge, and richly illustrated.
Canada’s cheeses get only a little more than one page out of 548 pages. I believe this to be too little for all the excellent cheeses of Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia.

Other countries i.e Argentina gets only a few lines, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Bulgaria, Romania and other Middle Eastern countries are not mentioned at all, despite the fact that they produce significant amounts of cheese. Including these countries may have added 40 – 50 pages, which would rendered the book too voluminous.

The Cheese Primer is an excellent book for all who are interested in cheese and would like to learn more. For all restaurateurs and chefs, this should be an excellent reference source. This highly detailed, informative book is recommended and should grace the library of all consumers.

Guest Writer – Hrayr Berberoglu E-mail or interested in his books?.

There are some products that make life much easier.

These are two of those. Minced garlic or ginger on glass is very practical. Think of a hectic afternoon when the food should be on the table on the double and the wok is ready to cook.

In use:

Hell oil in hot wok and turn off the lid on the jar. Take half a teaspoon of minced garlic and ginger into the wok. Much easier can’t it be….

It is very convenient to have a couple of such glass standing in the refrigerator. It is great to have in standby. On Sundays, when you are having dinner and roast lamb, then you must have a whole clove of garlic.

Read more and find more information at the producer’s website: Blue Dragon.

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On læsø, there are about 20 bee-keepers who works with The Brown Bees. They are very proud of the brown bees and they are very peaceful and pleasant to work with. And they are trying to keep the species as pure as possible, so in the eastern part of the island, it is only illegal to keep brown bees.

Summer honey from Læsø is in taste very aromatic and good. Heather honey which is ready in September is strong and spicy. We did like this honey from Læsø very well and can encourage those who have the opportunity to try it out.

Source: Den Brune Bi

The taste of Læsø

Bjesk from Læsø are a herb snaps conducted on pure ingredients straight from nature’s larder. This is one of Læsø’s specialties. The brand is sold in most shops on the island under the name ‘nature’s liquor’.

We did taste some of the variety and bought us 2 of those we liked best. We can probably say that we liked best them that had the most taste. Some of the variety was a little tasteless. In one of the restaurant ‘Smaken of Læsø’, you can taste the snaps before you buy it.