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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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?.