First published 1997
Anne Chotzinoff Grossman transforms the culinary world of Patrick O'Brian's beloved Aubrey-Maturin novels into a practical cookbook for modern kitchens. She gathers authentic recipes from the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, recreating the dishes that fueled Jack Aubrey and Stephen Maturin during their naval adventures. The collection includes period favorites like Burgoo, Sea-Pie, Solomongundy, Jam Roly-Poly, Sucking Pig, and the famous Spotted Dog, alongside more unusually named fare such as Drowned Baby and Treacle-Dowdy. Grossman provides historical context for each dish, explaining their origins and significance in naval life. The book also features comprehensive sections on preparing roasts, puddings, and raised pies using traditional methods. This cookbook serves both as a companion to O'Brian's novels and as a window into the eating habits of a bygone maritime era, offering readers the chance to taste history while celebrating one of literature's most acclaimed naval series.
Genres: adventure, cooking, 19th-century, food-and-drink, culinary, food-history
Vibes: cozy, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Aubrey-Maturin
Period: 18th-century, 19th-century
336 pages · Paperback · W. W. Norton & Company