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Lobscouse and Spotted Dog: Which It's a Gastronomic Companion to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels Paperback – September 17, 2000

4.7 out of 5 stars 213

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"A scholarly (though often hilarious) triumph of culinary anthropology."―Washington Post

Celebrate the joys of Patrick O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin series with this delightful cookbook, full of the food and drink that so often complement Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin's travels. Collected here are authentic and practical recipes for such eighteenth- and early-nineteenth- century dishes as Burgoo, Drowned Baby, Sea-Pie, Solomongundy, Jam Roly-Poly, Toasted Cheese, Sucking Pig, Treacle-Dowdy, and, of course, Spotted Dog. Also included are historical notes on the origins of the dishes as well as sections on the preparing of roasts, puddings, and raised pies."[A] splendid cookbook...graced with erudite bits of naval and gastronomical history....Deftly researched and written in prose nearly as funny as O'Brian's own."―Publishers Weekly "A thoroughly readable cookbook, as well as a useful appendix to a great series of novels and a newly opened window into a time now nearly 200 years gone."―San Jose Mercury News Illustrated

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Editorial Reviews

Review

A thoroughly readable cookbook, as well as a useful appendix to a great series of novels. -- San Jose Mercury News

About the Author

Anne Chotzinoff Grossman is a writer and musician.

Lisa Grossman Thomas owns and operates a computer consulting company.

One of our greatest contemporary novelists,
Patrick O’Brian is the author of the twenty volumes of the best-selling Aubrey/Maturin series, as well as many other books, including Testimonies, The Golden Ocean, The Unknown Shore, and biographies of Joseph Banks and Picasso.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0393320944
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; First Thus edition (September 17, 2000)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 336 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780393320947
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0393320947
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.04 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.1 x 0.9 x 9.2 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 out of 5 stars 213

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
213 global ratings
Would that I had found this cookbook years ago...
5 Stars
Would that I had found this cookbook years ago...
Prodigious fine cookbook! If you read the novels, there is really nothing to discuss; you need this companion cookbook. I have included photos of the "Boned Larks in a Pie," "Shrewsbury Cakes," and of course the "Lobscouse."
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Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 1999
As anyone familiar with Patrick O'Brian's famous Aubrey/Maturin series knows, amid swash-buckling adventures in Admiral Nelson's Navy, thought-provoking prose, and a truly wonderful friendship that includes celebrating music together (Jack and Stephen play string duets when not out saving the Royal Navy, King, and Country), the books also revel in descriptions of meals and dishes. Voila--this delightful gastronomic companion to the books!
Let me tell you, this book is deLISH--foreward by Patrick O'Brian himself. The mother/daughter authors preface the book by explaining how "Patrick O'Brian fever" broke out amongst themselves and all their friends (the books are contagious!); they ended up on a feverish research adventure to write this gastronomic companion. The authors set out to emulate O'Brian in point of accuracy and meticulous research. In short, they've basically reconstructed mid-to-late 18th century/early 19th century cooking! In actually reconstructing/preparing dishes, they conceded as little as possible to the amenities of the modern kitchen (however, the final recipes adapt preparations to 20th century ingredients and conditions).
They took quite a scholarly approach to researching the book--e.g., studying the social and economic raisons d'etre for the raised pie and the two wholly different traditional approaches to its construction, tracing the etymology of a dozen different suet pudding names back to a single root, following the evolution of pudding back to its Roman sources and establishing its common ancestry with sausage, etc.
Here you'll find how to make such dishes as Burgoo, Syllabub from the Cow, Ship's Biscuit, Skillygalee, Drowned Baby, Sea-Pie (anywhere from one to six or more "decks"!), Figgy-Dowdy, and of course, that noble pudding, Spotted Dog, gleaming on its plate and accompanied by true egg custard. It's a dazzling array of historical recipes that cover everything from what's served at Captain's Table to the Wardroom and Gunroom to the Seamen's Mess to dishes eaten cold (a chapter called "In the Heat of Battle") to feasts ashore--all of course, with direct references to foods and meals served up in the novels.
What makes this 300-page book truly delightful, though, are the plethora of quotes from the books, lots of historical background, and. . .and. . .MUSIC! Yes! Throughout the book are the musical scores and texts for several songs from the period! You will find the words and score for "The Roast Beef of Old England" (any Steeleye Span fans out there?) in the opening chapter. "Spanish Ladies," "Heart of Oak," "Lumps of Pudding," and "When the Stormy Winds Do Blow" are some others. Too cool for an early music fanatic like moi!
Some scrumptious ideas for a historical re-creation-type feast, folks! And, I predict that pot-luck suppers may never be the same if enough of us get our hands on this book!
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Reviewed in the United States on June 23, 2012
I came across this book while looking for a recipe for lobscouse years ago, not so much for cooking but for including a description in a story I was doing with a writing club. What a delightful find!

Lobscouse is actually served in local restaurants where I was born, so I know from personal experience that it tastes better than it looks (picture something that has already been eaten once and thrown up again), but I have never attempted to make it myself. This book was a chance discovery and sounded interesting enough to order a copy. I was not familiar with the Aubrey/Maturin novels at the time, but nonetheless have read this book with great pleasure. I've used it quite a bit, too, but more as an inspiration and to look up period details for writing than for cooking.

The food described often may not be something I would want to cook or eat myself (fried rats, anyone?), but the descriptions and snippets from the novels bring each recipe to life and make it a delight to read. It also made me want to check out O'Brian's novels. On top of the humor evident throughout the book, I really appreciate the research and dedication that went into providing authentic descriptions of 18th century food preparation with some fascinating details.

And who knows, maybe one day I'll actually give it try and cook some lobscouse for old time's sake.
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Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2013
I gave this 4 stars instead of 5 because it's more interesting to read than practical to cook from.

I IS fascinating to read. And for those of us interested in historical cooking, it's really compelling; I know I want to try making mushroom catsup, for instance. And I wonder if I can rig up a spit in front of my fireplace...

I find the pies as a sort of early Tupperware to be fascinating, though I am not sure I'd want to eat stuff stored thus.

There's a real focus on storage here, and that's fascinating for me. The fermented stuff? well, it's probably safe. Some of the others? I wonder. But- I love reading about what people did before we had reliable refrigeration and freezing.

Recommended for historical cooking/food fans.
Reviewed in the United States on March 19, 2024
In my house we love the O'Brian books. Now we can enjoy learning what all those historical food actually are and try them for our selves. Anyone who has read a seafaring book or books that reference historical British recipes will enjoy this cookbook.
Reviewed in the United States on June 10, 2023
Nice supplement to reading the Patrick Obrian books
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2017
This is a cookbook/historical narrative on the foods mentioned in the Patrick O'Brian series of novels. It is fascinating as a description of what the sailors ate while at sea, as well as on land in the late 1700's/early 1800's. The authors attempted to make all of the food items consumed in the series using ingredients and methods as close to authentic as they could get in modern times. Some of the recipes were for things neither the authors nor anyone else would eat unless absolutely desperate to avoid starvation, and even then I for one would starve first. Many of the recipes involved hard to find ingredients or things we would avoid for health reasons these days--suet puddings, for instance. Yet I did make a cake according to the book's instructions and it came out well and tasted very good. In any case, I loved reading about the eating habits of the people on those ships. The book is well written with plenty of humor to make reading it enjoyable.
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Top reviews from other countries

Mark Hamm
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating book.
Reviewed in Canada on June 30, 2023
Interesting book with recipes, pictures, and music. Looking forward to making a roly poly!
Andrew D. Cockayne
5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 5, 2019
As the authors concede, many of the recipes in this book require ingredients that are hard to find, expensive or both. I would add that many of them require a lot of work. (for 'Mrs Pulling's Pie' we are advised to take note that the calves foot jelly takes a full day to make - it is one of 26 ingredients - one day I will eat this pie, I swear it.)

Recipe books, though, are read much more for pleasure than with a definite intention to cook something and in this case, the authors have done all the hard work on our behalf. To go as far as eating ‘Millers in Onion Sauce’ is, to my mind, worthy of an award – who knew they’d turn out to be delicious? (I’ll be glad of this recipe come the end of the world.) To have stopped short on p231 is entirely excusable, as is the failure to bake a dog or smoke a human hand.

Some of the recipes I will attempt, though on a reduced scale (‘Clam Chowder...serves 40’), very likely the 'Mince Pie' and 'Christmas Pudding' - and, of course 'Spotted Dog' - but the real joy of this book comes from the spirit in which it is written: A combination of genuine scholarly hard work and real enjoyment in doing it. It is the same spirit in which POB’s Aubrey/Maturin books are written. There can be no higher praise.
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Which is a must have addition to the collection!
Reviewed in Australia on August 11, 2018
A fan of Aubrey/Maturin and co? This book is great fun! Very well put together - apart from the gems of recipes and artwork, the musical scores and songs a lovely surprise.
Looking forward to my first taste of Voluptuous little Pies. 😁👍🏼
G. Lindsay
5.0 out of 5 stars If you love Patrick O’Brien
Reviewed in Canada on March 26, 2023
If you live Master and Commander and the other Patrick O’Btien novels. And cooking. Then is a great book for you. It has recipes for all the food mentioned in the books. Like souced pigs face. Plus excerpts from the novels. It’s a lot of fun.
Old Mike
5.0 out of 5 stars I love cookery books
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 2, 2020
I love cookery books, probably more than I love cooking. This is a joyful companion to the novels, which I happened to be reading at the time I bought this. It seemed that for every few pages I read I was looking up the recipe for what someone was eating. Not just the recipes either, but the things surrounding them. Although these recipes are from the late 1700s to early 1800s my mother was still feeding us on 'Dead Baby', 'Spotted Dick' and 'Jam Roly Poly', and very nice comfort food it was. Altogether a book well worth adding to any cooks library.
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