The Taste of Bread
by Raymond Calvel, Ronald L. Wirtz
List Price:
Our Price: $101.19
You Save: $37.81 (27%)
Availability: Usually ships in 9 to 14 days
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Raymond Calvel, Ronald L. WirtzAdapter: James J. MacGuire
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-03-01
ISBN: 0834216469
Number of pages: 205
Publisher: Springer
Accessories:
Book Reviews of The Taste of Bread
Book Review: An imperfect, invaluable book
Summary: 4 Stars
I am NOT the ideal reader for this book, since my interest is far more in bread history than in actually making it (something I do very badly). And so there are huge swathes of this book which impress me by their apparent precision and their description of the workings of various ingredients without my being able to judge their accuracy or even, entirely, their usefulness. There are, however, very few serious books on bread history (though lots filled with colorful myths) and Calvel's book is also important, if imperfect, on that score. For one thing, he lived through a period when the baguette was still a new bread and the now exotic "wine merchant's bread" (pain marchand de vin) was a standard item, as well as various wartime changes and restrictions and the ups and downs of bread quality at different periods. As a result his history on such things tends to be dependable (I have quibbles even here, but data is so rare on some of this, it is hard to say definitively that he is wrong). He is less dependable for developments that occurred before his period of activity and on a few points is shockingly wrong. The 19th century "pain viennois" for instance was made, like the modern one, with some milk added; Calvel claims it was not. The term "pain de fantaisie" (fancy bread; literally, "fantasy bread") has existed since the 18th century; he gives a rather confused explanation of its origin in relation to the baguette (which was indeed a pain de fantaisie at its start but only one, and a rather late, example of the genre). His expertise is at the same time illustrated and undermined by his mention of August Zang, the Austrian officer who brought the croissant (and some important techniques) to France. The fact that he mentions him at all is a sign of his erudition in the field; the fact that he (like previous but equally erroneous sources) calls him "Baron Zang" shows that he has accepted second hand information without doing any primary research (contemporary records make it clear that Zang was a commoner). This goes to the heart of the weakness in his history before about 1930 - he seems to have accepted legends of the trade (like the baker he was) and never bothered to do hard historical research (like the professor he became). Along the same lines, he credits Zang with introducing the poolish method, when in fact it is first mentioned in France decades after Zang's activity there. Etc. For those trying to research such subjects in any serious way, Calvel's book is invaluable; unfortunately, it is also undependable. Among the many positives which make the book a treasure despite such lapses is the fact that he includes photographs of most of the modern French breads. One would think such an image would be easy to find, but in fact even France's National Bakers' Union offers nothing of the sort. And so if bread as a subject interests you in any serious way, either technically or historically, you should at least find a chance to browse this book. The American version (I read French but have not seen the original) is pricey, but may well be worth owning. Certainly, it is a modern classic in the field.
Bread Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Bread Books
Bread Machine Easy: 70 Delicious Recipes That Make the Most of Your Machineby Sara Lewis
Hamlyn; Published: 2007-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $6.52
Price in other shops:
Bread Machine Easy: 70 Delicious Recipes That Make the Most of Your Machineby Sara Lewis
Hamlyn; Published: 2010-09-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $4.33
Price in other shops:
Muffins: Sixty Sweet and Savory Recipes... From Old Favorites to Newby Elizabeth Alston
Gramercy; Published: 2003-02-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $14.98
Light and Easy Bakingby Beatrice Ojakangas
Gramercy; Published: 2000-10-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.99
Bread Baking: An Artisan's Perspectiveby Daniel T. DiMuzio
Wiley; Published: 2009-02-24; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $22.15
Price in other shops:
Bread Machine Bookby Barbara Norman
Dell; Published: 1995-06-01; Mass Market Paperback; Book
Best price: $7.50
The Bread Bibleby Rose Levy Beranbaum
W. W. Norton & Company; Published: 2003-10-17; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $21.28
Price in other shops:
Fifty-Five Best Brownies in the Worldby Honey Zisman, Larry Zisman
St. Martin's Griffin; Published: 1991-07-15; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.95
Brother Juniper's Bread Book: Slow-rise As Method And Metaphorby Brother Peter Reinhart
Running Press; Published: 1993-09-20; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.95
Price in other shops:
The Book of Bread (Perennial Library)by Judith Jones, Evan Jones
Harper Perennial; Published: 1986-10-28; Paperback; Book
Best price: $28.00
Similar books summaries and other product reviews
The Italian Baker, Revised: The Classic Tastes of the Italian Countryside--Its Breads, Pizza, Focaccia, Cakes, Pastries, and Cookiesby Carol Field
Ten Speed Press; Published: 2011-11-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $21.28
Price in other shops:
American Pie: My Search for the Perfect Pizzaby Peter Reinhart
Ten Speed Press; Published: 2003-11-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $15.99
Price in other shops:
Classic Sourdoughs, Revised: A Home Baker's Handbookby Ed Wood, Jean Wood
Ten Speed Press; Published: 2011-07-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $11.44
Price in other shops:
Peter Reinhart's Artisan Breads Every Dayby Peter Reinhart
Ten Speed Press; Published: 2009-09-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $18.25
Price in other shops:
Crust and Crumb: Master Formulas for Serious Bread Bakersby Peter Reinhart
Ten Speed Press; Published: 2006-09-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.12
Price in other shops:
The Bread Builders: Hearth Loaves and Masonry Ovensby Daniel Wing, Alan Scott
Chelsea Green; Published: 1999-07-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $21.69
Price in other shops:
Tartine Breadby Chad Robertson
Chronicle Books; Published: 2010-09-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $22.50
Price in other shops:
Advanced Bread and Pastryby Michel Suas
Delmar Cengage Learning; Published: 2008-04-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $64.99
Price in other shops:
The Bread Baker's Apprentice: Mastering the Art of Extraordinary Breadby Peter Reinhart
Ten Speed Press; Published: 2001-11-14; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.73
Price in other shops:
Bread: A Baker's Book of Techniques and Recipesby Jeffrey Hamelman
Wiley; Published: 2004-09-03; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $19.98
Price in other shops: