{"title":"Ria Loohuizen","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"realm-of-fig-and-quince-book-ria-loohuizen-9781903018743","title":"The Realm of Fig and Quince","description":"Quince and fig must be the most romantic of all European fruits, perhaps because they are among the oldest, perhaps because the luxury of their perfume and texture provokes the most enthusiastic of responses in the poetry and prose of Persia, of Greece, and of the West itself. The Dutch author Ria Loohuizen has already written The Elder and The Chestnut , published by Prospect Books, and here she offers the same blend of history, anecdote, literary reference and recipes in respect of the fig and the quince.Because the quince has so particular and pungent a flavour, anticipating in some ways the citrus fruits of the later modern era, it was the precursor ingredient of many marmalades (the word was indeed coined for the quince) and conserves. She therefore includes a brief look at sugar in early-modern cookery as preface to a section on quince pastes (of which the Spanish membrillo is the most famous modern version). Her recipes range wider than Europe, including Persia to the east and North Africa to the south, for the stamping grounds of these fruits were far greater than merely the West. Some of them are truly enticing: chicken with quince and walnut sauce; quince sherbet; Turkish stuffed quinces; quince mostarda ; savoy cabbage with fennel and quince; anchovy and fig sauce with fried shrimp; stuffed figs with olive oil ice cream; rabbit with figs; fig bread from the Maghreb; and fig tagine.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49554806079761,"sku":"GOR006082098","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"GB \/ GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":52579295756561,"sku":"GOR008709847","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1903018749.jpg?v=1751218847"},{"product_id":"elder-book-ria-loohuizen-9781903018316","title":"The Elder","description":"The elder is a tree or bush (or even weed) for which humanity has found a use for each and every part: the leaf, the bark, the wood or branch, the flower and, finally, the berry or fruit. Some of these functions, or associations, are both mythic and grounded in superstition: that the elder encourages the fertility of cattle for instance; or its relation to witchcraft; or is place in Celtic folklore. Others are more nearly medicinal: it was an essential to classical and medieval physicians. And, of course, it may be eaten and drunk. The flowers lend their fragrance to gooseberries, or are sensational as a spring fritter. The berries are wonderful as ice cream, or as wine. Ria Loohuizen has pursued the elder into every corner of history, literature and kitchen usefulness. She claims this is only the second book on the tree (the first being published in 1644). In an evocative text, she explores its meaning to early physicians, its place in mythology and folklore, its occurrence in literature (Jane Austen, Thomas Hardy, etc.) and gives maximum exposure to recipes for medicaments as well as delicious sweet dishes and drinks. Here you may find how to make elder ointments or lotions to ward off rheumatism as well as chilblains. And you will read detailed instructions for elderflower champagne, or elderflower syrup, or elderberry wine. Then there are recipes for tarts, fools, jams, jellies, fritters, glazes and vinegars as well as some details about the Jew's Ear mushroom which grows only on the elder tree. This book was first published in Holland in 2002. It has been translated by the author.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49578275897617,"sku":"GOR001425742","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"US \/ VERY_GOOD \/ SBYB","offer_id":50393344049425,"sku":"CIN1903018315VG","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false},{"title":"GB \/ WELL_READ \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":50957096386833,"sku":"GOR014145371","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1903018315.jpg?v=1750867054"},{"product_id":"on-chestnuts-the-trees-and-their-seeds-book-ria-loohuizen-9781903018323","title":"On Chestnuts: the Trees and Their Seeds","description":"In England the horse chestnut or conker is a much-loved tree. Its edible cousin, the sweet chestnut, is valued here in winter for a turkey stuffing or a bag of hot nuts from the brazier, but is much less common than in warmer southern climes where it has been an actual staple of the diet of some regions, as well as a crowning delicacy of sweet shops, patisseries and charcuteries. In fact, the horse chestnut is a relative newcomer, not arriving in Europe (from its home in northern India) until the 16th century. The sweet chestnut, originating in Asia Minor, has been with us since the earliest classical times. Both species have medical healing properties: the horse chestnut is used to treat respiratory problems in horses (hence, perhaps, its name) and many vascular complaints (varicose veins, poor circulation) in humans. It is an essential component of Bach's Rescue Remedy. Its wood, not much used in construction, was once widely employed in making artificial limbs. The sweet chestnut, by contrast, is a matchless timber. The trees attain great size (the trunk of the largest, in Sicily, was measured at 62 metres girth), and great age. Its importance to European diet has led to its being called l'arbre a pain by the southern French. Its high vitamin C content meant that it was once a popular cure for scurvy. Most importantly, it was an important ingredient in Italian, French and Spanish cookery. Ria Loohuizen includes about 50 recipes for things as varied as a terrine of chestnuts and wild mushrooms, a breast of duck with chestnuts, pancakes made with chestnut flour, and the famous Italian chestnut cake Castagnaccio. She also gives useful hints about roasting nuts on an open fire, choosing fresh nuts in the market-place, grinding chestnut flour, and making that best of all sweetmeats, marrons glaces.","brand":"WoB","offers":[{"title":"GB \/ VERY_GOOD \/ INTERNAL","offer_id":49770647781649,"sku":"GOR004448250","price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/1903018323.jpg?v=1751451923"}],"url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/collections\/author-books-by-ria-loohuizen.oembed","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}