The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir (California Studies in Food and Culture) [Paperback]

Amy B. Trubek (Author)

Book Description

Series: California Studies in Food and Culture | Publication Date: August 17, 2009

How and why do we think about food, taste it, and cook it? While much has been written about the concept of terroir as it relates to wine, in this vibrant, personal book, Amy Trubek, a pioneering voice in the new culinary revolution, expands the concept of terroir beyond wine and into cuisine and culture more broadly. Bringing together lively stories of people farming, cooking, and eating, she focuses on a series of examples ranging from shagbark hickory nuts in Wisconsin and maple syrup in Vermont to wines from northern California. She explains how the complex concepts of terroir and goût de terroir are instrumental to France's food and wine culture and then explores the multifaceted connections between taste and place in both cuisine and agriculture in the United States. How can we reclaim the taste of place, and what can it mean for us in a country where, on average, any food has traveled at least fifteen hundred miles from farm to table? Written for anyone interested in food, this book shows how the taste of place matters now, and how it can mediate between our local desires and our global reality to define and challenge American food practices.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A collection of eclectic information that satisfies, at least temporarily, the most inquisitive and academic of gourmands."--The Wine News

"Blends . . . history, economics, and other scholarly disciplines with engaging stories of Americans who are trying to recreate or retain local flavors."--Philadelphia Inquirer

"A must-read for anyone interested in the future of domestic culinary taste."--Imbibe Magazine

From the Inside Flap

"The Taste of Place provides a delightful and informed read, through the stories and analysis of people and places across the country, of terroir as dynamic; possessing a European-like food ethos but adapting to the American landscape."--Michael W. Hamm, C.S. Mott Professor of Sustainable Agriculture, Michigan State University

"This volume introduces a new and powerful idea into the quickly expanding American literature of food. Amy Trubek is better qualified than anyone I know to offer an American take on terroir--her background as an anthropologist, a chef, an orchardist, and an activist in the local food movement let her understand the idea of taste in all its diverse and wonderful dimensions, and her skill as a writer lets her communicate with great grace what she's figured out!"--Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy: The Wealth of Communities and the Durable Future

"Anyone concerned with the future of food in America should read this acutely perceptive, engagingly written, and, above all, compelling inquiry into the relationship between the taste of food and where it comes from. It is a delight, as well as a revelation, to travel with Amy Trubek as she criss-crosses America and the French countryside, talking to growers, distributors, vintners, chefs, farmers, scientists, and activists--to the women and men committed to making taste connections matter. Perhaps best of all, The Taste of Place invites us to undertake our own taste adventures, both far and near."--Priscilla Ferguson, author of Accounting for Taste: The Triumph of French Cuisine

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: University of California Press; 1 edition (August 17, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0520261720
• ISBN-13: 978-0520261723
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 6.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #521,843 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

5.0 out of 5 stars Great book on why locality matters for your food, April 11, 2011

By 

Matt Mitterko (Gainesville, FL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir (California Studies in Food and Culture) (Hardcover)

Amy Trubek's Taste of Place is a fantastic book. It's main thesis is that there is such a thing as terroir, or a taste of place, and she explores how this is manifested in the foods grown or developed in four separate locations: France, California, Wisconsin, and Vermont. Her goal, as she states in the introduction, is to provide positive evidence in answering the following question: "Thus can the French definition and embrace of terroir be transmitted, or perhaps invented anew, in the United States?"

There are two claims which she supports throughout the book: 1) Quality food can be produced locally, and should be appreciated as a part of one's own community; 2) The unique qualities of such carefully crafted food cannot be matched by similar foods elsewhere, and should be appreciated for their uniqueness. She notes that the latter claim is a particular challenge in the US, given that the global food system of which we are a part tends to scale up successful foods and mute distinct differences between products that might have exemplify a terroir.

The main reason I like this book is that I take it to be evidence of the positive contributions of the local food movement. That is, in each of the locales highlighted in the book, growers and producers have worked hard to develop unique foods and tastes based on locally relevant processes and the surrounding physical environment. That this is possible with distinct and recognizable goods like maple syrup and wine shows that it be beneficial to produce other crops and goods this way. Further, it shows us that we should appreciate those foods that clearly mark a taste of place within any region of the world, as a window to any region we may inhabit or pass through.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fabulous Read for Local Foodies, April 2, 2009

By 

Elizabeth Eckert "Connecting Health and Every... (Minot, ND USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir (California Studies in Food and Culture) (Hardcover)

Fabulous read! While I'm not much of a wine connoisseur, the opening section on wines was excellent background material for what was, for me, the "meat" of the book. That is, the sections on local food pioneers in different parts of the US. I want to go to those markets!

Trubek did an excellent job of portraying both the theoretical and practical perspectives of "taste of place" such that I, the reader, am further inspired to be involved with a growing local foods initiative in my own community. Well, hey, isn't that the hallmark of a good non-fiction read? I do believe it is. And on my next venture past Madison, WI, I'm planning to do some exploring.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book, even better to see author speak in person, December 20, 2008

By 

A Buyer (NYC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Taste of Place: A Cultural Journey into Terroir (California Studies in Food and Culture) (Hardcover)

My wife and I had the opportunity to see the author speak on the Taste of Place at a local library. It was pretty fascinating, and in some ways added more perspective to the book. They had maple syrups from around New England to taste as an example of the diversity of taste opportunities. This is why I attended, as I'm a local sugarmaker (http://www.tillinghastmaple.com). Covering the topic from a social as well as a food perspective, the book is much more than just a set of observations of product diversity related to location. It's more about people and how they develop community patterns of production and consumption. I highly recommend the book, even if you're not a "localvore" and typically find food production issues tedious.