The Oldways Table: Essays and Recipes from the Culinary Think Tank [Hardcover]

K. Dun Gifford (Author), Sara Baer-Sinnot (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 2007

Oldways was founded to challenge the pervasive rise of junk foods, fad diets, and genetically modified agriculture, and to advocate a return to healthy, traditional old ways of eating. Since 1990, its education programs have promoted the timehonored preparations and dietary principles that have nourished people around the world for centuries.THE OLDWAYS TABLE tells the story of how this food think tank became a respected force in the international food world, and compiles fifteen years of its groundbreaking work into a far-reaching compendium. Founder and president K. Dun Gifford and executive vice-president Sara Baer-Sinnott explain the Oldways food philosophy and present exemplary contributions from the organization'¬?s diversesupporters, including noteworthy chefs, food writers, nutritionists, sustainability experts, and industry specialists. Among the book'¬?s ninety essays, Deborah Madison rhapsodizes about the many virtues of shopping at local farmers'¬? markets, Bill Niman explains the value of choosing pasture-raised pork, and Lynne Rossetto Kasper explores the region of Emilia-Romagna, the heart of Italy'¬?s artisanal foods. It also presents more than one hundred recipes, including Paula Wolfert'¬?s Cracked Green Olive and Walnut Salad,Zarela Martinez'¬?s Corn Masa-Green Plantain Tortillas, and Lidia Bastianich'¬?s Shrimp and Swiss Chard Soup with Arborio Rice-all flavorful examples of how to bring the healthy old ways of eating and drinking to today'¬?s dinner table.An eclectic work to be sampled or savored, THE OLDWAYS TABLE is a treatise on healthy eating, a treasury of classic recipes, and an informed tribute to the world'¬?s most enduring food traditions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A thought-provoking gem. For those who believe we can and should eat, drink, and cook better, Oldways will read like a bible."-Kansas City Star"If I were asked to name the one group that has most influenced the way we eat today, my answer would be Oldways. It would certainly not be the nutrition establishment, which in 1988, the year Dun Gifford thought up Oldways, was still promoting the politically inspired USDA food groups, condemning every type of fat, and prescribing diets that nobody on the face of the earth ever ate. With the nutrition department at Harvard, Oldways and Gifford discovered the Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil and rich wine, and promoted its life-giving properties in the most innovative ways. Here we have recipes from some of the prophets who understood this all along-Paula Wolfert, Carol Field, Nancy Jenkins, many others. Their subsidiary discoveries are just as important-do you realize that eating chocolate does not raise your cholesterol?"-Jeffrey Steingarten, author of The Man Who Ate Everything"THE OLDWAYS TABLE is one of the most impressive, exciting, comprehensive, and important books on the subject of food and agriculture ever published. There are dozens of wonderful, thought-provoking essays and beautiful, simple recipes from some of the greatest minds in the food world today-all woven together by the Oldways philosophy and vision, which is rooted in common sense and a passion for all things edible. Thank you, Dun and Sara, for your devotion to making the table (and therefore the world) a better place for all of us."-Jasper White, chef and author of 50 Chowders"Oldways pioneered the brilliant concept of joining high-level nutrition science evidence with chef-quality recipes and meals, and THE OLDWAYS TABLE invites everyone to sit down and enjoy its joyous approach to eating well for lifelong good health."-Frank Sacks, MD, Professor of Nutrition and Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School"It would be hard to imagine a more valuable compendium covering the history and application of the highly praised Mediterranean Diet Pyramid and the trends toward healthful, sustainable, and traditional eating emanating from it. With its accessible explanations of the science behind the movement, practical information on all food categories, and varied enticing recipes, this book will surely become a much-used classic in any serious kitchen library."-Mimi Sheraton, author of Eating My Words

From the Publisher

"If I were asked to name the one group that has most influenced the way we eat today, my answer would be Oldways. It would certainly not be the nutrition establishment, which, in 1988, the year Dun Gifford thought up Oldways, was still promoting the politically inspired USDA food groups, condemning every type of fat, and prescribing diets that nobody on the face of the earth ever ate. With the nutrition department at Harvard, Oldways and Gifford discovered the Mediterranean diet, rich in olive oil and rich wine, and promoted its life-giving properties in the most innovative ways. Here we have recipes from some of the prophets who understood this all along--Paula Wolfert, Carol Field, Nancy Jenkins, many others. Their subsidiary discoveries are just as important--do you realize that eating chocolate does not raise your cholesterol?"
--Jeffrey Steingarten, author of The Man Who Ate Everything

"The Oldways Table is one of the most impressive, exciting, comprehensive, and important books on the subject of food and agriculture ever published. There are dozens of wonderful, thought-provoking essays and beautiful, simple recipes from some of the greatest minds in the food world today--all woven together by the Oldways philosophy and vision, which is rooted in common sense and a passion for all things edible. Thank you, Dun and Sara, for your devotion to making the table (and therefore the world) a better place for all of us."
--Jasper White, chef and author of 50 Chowders

"Oldways pioneered the brilliant concept of joining high-level nutrition-science evidence with chef-quality recipes and meals, and The Oldways Table invites everyone to sit down and enjoy its joyous approach to eating well for lifelong good health."
--Frank Sacks, MD, Professor of Nutrition and Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School

"It would be hard to imagine a more valuable compendium covering the history and application of the highly praised Mediterranean Diet Pyramid and the trends toward healthful, sustainable, and traditional eating emanating from it. With its accessible explanations of the science behind the movement, practical information on all food categories, and varied enticing recipes, this book will surely become a much-used classic in any serious kitchen library."
--Mimi Sheraton, author of Eating My Words

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Ten Speed Press (January 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1580084907
• ISBN-13: 978-1580084901
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 1.2 x 10.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #653,050 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful essays and good recipes, April 10, 2007

By 

H. Grove "Errant Dreams Reviews" (Maryland, USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Oldways Table: Essays and Recipes from the Culinary Think Tank (Hardcover)

"The Oldways Table" is less of a cookbook and more of a guide to finding and enjoying the most healthy, delicious, and fine foods the world has to offer. The mission of Oldways is "to help consumers make wise choices about eating, drinking, and lifestyle," and to emphasize "the traditional pleasures of the table." In some ways this makes it a rather gourmet book with sections on imported cheeses, wines, olive oils, and more, which might make it seem inaccessible to poorer sections of the populace. However, there's also a great deal of information of use to anyone, discussing various aspects of sustainable food production (ensuring we make food choices that contribute to the availability of food in generations to come), healthy diet and more, all couched in terms of delicious food rather than dense scientific terms.

"The Oldways Table" includes many memoir-like interludes filled with enjoyable tales of rustic clambakes or authentic meals in historic cities, and it certainly makes a leisurely and fascinating read. I know far more than I did before about the production of cheese, the difference between processed cheese, unprocessed cheese, and unpasteurized cheese, and so on. It's interesting to know exactly what goes into making the best of the cured meats of Italy, and what makes them different from region to region.

The recipes themselves are largely simple and quite delicious. There's a dish of edamame beans, olive oil and sea salt that is positively alchemical in its simple and luscious taste. An eggplant-based soup made us sigh with delight. Unfortunately, while the tastes were delicious, it definitely helps to have plenty of kitchen experience when you make these recipes, as some of them don't appear to have had much kitchen-testing. For example, the "creamy vanilla bread pudding with cherry compote" is absolutely divine, but the instructions have a few... issues. For starters, the first direction is to preheat the oven, but then before using it you complete another several steps that take about an hour and a half. The recipe calls for "4 to 5 cups cubed white bread (enough to fill a 9 by 13-inch pan)", yet 4-5 cups of bread wasn't even close enough to "fill" a 9 x 13 pan, so I had to guess whether the amount was the important part or the filling the pan was the important part (I decided to almost-fill the pan, and it worked out well).

Since the recipes are the lesser part of the book by volume and quality-control, I'd primarily recommend this book to those interested in reading and learning about healthy, sustainable food choices and practices. If you have the experience in the kitchen to trouble-shoot any mistakes you find, then certainly do make the recipes--they're quite delicious and enjoyable!

3 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Oldways Table, January 27, 2009

By 

Cynthia Gay (Morgantown WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Oldways Table: Essays and Recipes from the Culinary Think Tank (Hardcover)

The Oldways Council and the Whole Grains Council represent international experts in the field of nutrition. This is a beautifully written and designed book with lots of history.