Klaus Meyer is the author of the cookbook The Nordic kitchen: One year of family cooking. From the title of the book, it can be understood that it will include elements of family cooking and biographical stories from life. The author is authoritative, as his philosophy of the new Scandinavian cuisine has found its fans and followers. Meyer is also the founder of his cooking school, the host of a TV show about cooking, and the author of various cookbooks. This cookbook was chosen because its author is a professional in his field, a person who is widely known in culinary circles, and also because the recipes in the book are divided according to the seasons. Such a division is convenient and will allow not only to feel the change of season outside the home but also to enjoy recipes that most accurately fit and describe the mood of each season.
After reading the introduction, it will be apparent that the author’s goal is to change the food culture of his country. In addition, the purpose of writing the book was also the desire to inspire its readers to cook dishes carefully selected and collected in this cookbook. For a long time, Klaus Meyer gained experience in cooking and met with representatives of various cuisines to gain experience and determine what the main delicious and beautiful dishes are. The target audience is people who also love cooking, like the author, who believes that food should not just be bland and usually processed but should be different, complex, and naturally tasty.
The main emphasis noted in the book is that in childhood, the author’s parents did not strive to cook unique dishes. The principles of human existence dictated this; unusual cooking was equated to a crime. The author also tells a story about his trip to Spain, where he had the opportunity to get acquainted with the national cuisine and was delighted with his experience. The book is divided into four seasons: summer, autumn, spring, and winter, for each of which its cultivated and wild natural gifts are allocated, which will later take part in recipes. Meyer also gives instructions on the selection of some products and focuses the attention of readers and cooks on what the ideal ingredient should be. Recipes are modern and available for purchase in the current conditions of shops and food markets.
The book contains pictures of some ready-made dishes, which inspire cooking. Moreover, most recipes do not require particular skill, which also arouses readers the desire to cook a visually beautiful and, notably, delicious and nutritious dish. From this, it can conclude that this goal has been achieved by the author. Probably, the desire to change their country’s culture has also partially come true, although some people are still not ready to spend time cooking complex dishes. Still, in general, the author was able to achieve the goal of attracting people to cooking and showed that there are recipes that will help activate the desire to eat deliciously and beautifully. For example, on page 171, a ready-made dish is photographed, the recipe of which was given earlier (Meyer). There is no doubt that a person who likes to cook but is afraid of experiments will still decide to repeat this dish on his own and will be satisfied with the result.
The author wanted people to be given detailed instructions on using seasonal plants, fruits, vegetables, and berries and create unique dishes. My opinion is that the author was able to achieve this goal since the book is conveniently divided into each season; some ingredients have detailed descriptions and demonstrate how they can be used in cooking. On page 65, fruits, berries, herbs, and vegetables that grow in summer are given, followed by recipes for refreshing dishes that correspond to this hot, sunny season (Meyer). Looking through the recipes, I also became interested in preparing some new words for myself and using seasonal plants and fruits that I had not used before or did not know about their existence.
For comparison, a cookbook by Margaret M. Johnson called The Irish pub was chosen. From the book’s title, it is evident that the described recipes belong to Irish cuisine. The book’s recipes are divided not by season but by type, such as salads, meat dishes, fish, etc. This division may be less convenient for some readers as it does not give an understanding of how easy it will be to find seasonal ingredients. In addition, some recipes contain unique ingredients, namely national Irish ones, which may not be easy to find in some countries; for example, such a recipe is given on page 12 (Johnson). Probably without a specific cooking element, the dish will lose the expected taste.
To be able to cook dishes from Klaus Meyer’s book, it is not necessary to be a cooking professional or have a lot of experience. The recipes in his book are simple, and often the ingredients do not require pre-processing or preparation. The book by Margaret M. Johnson is a little more complicated, and a novice cook will not be able to perform all the steps of cooking accurately. Since my cooking experience is average, I would instead strive to cook a spectacular and straightforward dish from Meyer’s book. This book will allow to easily find the necessary products and quickly and easily prepare a dish and please my loved ones with a delicious lunch or dessert that will suit a specific time of the year.
In general, the recipes in both books are organized correctly and conveniently; that is, the necessary products are arranged in the order of their future use in cooking and specific weights and quantities given. Meyer’s book also provides some tips for readers on how to approach certain stages of cooking most effectively and efficiently. Many recipes in Johnson’s book have ingredients that are difficult to find in some stores and countries, which cannot be said about Meyer’s recipes. Both books have entire paragraphs that describe a separate ingredient, as well as provide additional information about this product that may be useful to the reader. The products that the authors describe separately in their books are necessary to demonstrate a particular cultural or seasonal value and give the dishes an exceptional taste.
The cultural values in Klaus Meyer’s book are expressed using various natural ingredients that create a particular taste of the dish. The features of the new Scandinavian cuisine are simplicity and asceticism, which gives people the desire to cook and meet all the Nordic culture. The author’s recipes are adapted to current conditions, but the general idea is still traditional Scandinavian. The author does not offer any reasons for changing the recipes’ ingredients. Still, readers can understand that Meyer sought to introduce people to the national cuisine but to do it in such a way that it was not difficult to cook it. With its desire to maximize the use of plant products and fruits, Scandinavian cuisine brought this feature to American cuisine, which slightly transformed it into a more useful one. Klaus Meyer’s book is convenient informative, and contains a suitable set of recipes for any time of the year. This book inspired me to try several recipes and evaluate how they correspond to the current season.
References
Johnson, M. (2005). The Irish pub. Chronicle Books.
Meyer, C. (2016). The Nordic kitchen: One year of family cooking. Mitchell Beazley.