Who Put the Beef in Wellington?: 50 Culinary Classics—Who Invented Them, When, and Why

Winter, writer, and producer of the U.K. food show Saturday Kitchen, shares his passion for food and its history in this charming collection of 50 culinary classics, beautiful food photographs, historical photographs, and historical tales. Winter thrills the reader with different versions of each recipe’s story, told in wonderful detail. Readers learn about Reuben Kulakofsky, a Lithuanian-born grocer who, according to folklore, created the Reuben sandwich for his friends playing late night poker, and Ding Baozhen, governor of Szechuan Province in China in the late 19th century, who fell in a river and was recued by a family who served him Kung Pao chicken. Other classics demystified: Oysters Rockefeller whose origins lie in Louisiana; Pizza Margherita, made by a Neapolitan pizzaiolo in honor of Queen Margherita of Italy; Lobster Thermidor; Bananas Foster; and the Pina Colada. This book is a original, clever, extremely informative, and entertaining, a fun spin on a collection of classics that’s sure to please home cooks and history buffs alike. (Dec.)