If you take the feminist, tree hugger, hipster caricatures
of Portlandia seriously; you may find
it hard to believe that the great northwest city of Portland is the home of
charcuterie masters of quality meat, Olympia Provisions. Charcuterie is the art
of salting, smoking and curing of meats and have little doubt the vegetarians,
health food nuts and PETA members scurrying from the exits if the accidently
stumbled into shop.
Part cookbook, part travel log, and jam packed with
mouthwatering recipes and photos, Olympia
Provisions, serves up not only an insider’s view of the process of charcuterie,
but also covers the journey of discovery that these folks undertook to visit
the masters of the craft. Along the way they learn the secrets of the craft and
bring it back to America.
The photos of the often far flung places they visited
are spectacular and breathtaking. The shot of the Aescher, what they describe
as a hut, but in reality is a large alpine house quite literally built into a
curving notch in a mountain is stunning. A narrow spit of trail, leads those
adventurers willing to make the trek up to what ends up being about more than
just a journey, but a true culinary experience.
Then there are the recipes, a wondrous array of
Gustatory delights. My plan formed early in the thumbing of pages to work my
way through each one of the multitude of hot dog topping combinations. Be
forewarned, it will be a marathon undertaking with 19! Yes 19! variations to
choose from including combinations and ingredients from the four corners of the
world and even a breakfast dog entry to start your day.
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