The Gourmet's Guide to Europe, By Lieutenant - Colonel Newn- ham Davis
(editor) and Algernon Bastard. (Grant Richards. 3s. 6d.)—These two gentlemen, modern successors of Ulysses, have seen the cities of many men—and learnt their cookery. And they have returned, nothing the worse, we hope, to their native land, and here tell the tale of their adventures. The first chapter deals with Paris, and the second with "French Provincial Towns." These are more or less familiar scenes; but there is much to be learnt about them from the gourmet's point of view. It is, how- ever, in more remote places that the knowledge of our travellers moves our respectful astonishment. The little sausages and sauerkraut of Nuremberg, the Omelettes &allies of Aachen, the Datteri of Spezzia, the Spa getti, seasoned with mince-meat and egg-plant, of Palermo, the snails of Seville, washed down with Manzanillo, the Sopa de Camarao (a bisque of prawns) of Lisbon, the Paprikahuhu (a stewed chicken) of Buda-Pesth,—these are among the things which it is not for every one to know. The gourmet who shall follow this Guide will come home very well pleased, or very ill pleased, with himself, according to the power of his digestion and the depth of his purse.—As it is not for every one to undertake journeys of this kind, however fertile of pleasure and instruction they may be, we may mention in this connection Practical Cooking and Serving, by Janet McKenzie Hill (W. Heinemann, 10s. net), a book which seems to answer well to its sub-title of "A Complete Manual of How to Select, Prepare, and Serve Food." Miss Hill begins with first principles, as, for instance, the application of heat to the articles to be cooked. Hot fat, to take an example, is an essential medium. But how many cooks know how to use it ? How many know that for fritters they should have it at a temperature of 345 deg. Fahr. ; for croquettes and the like, 380 deg.; for whitebait and thin slices of potato, 400 deg.? There is no rule of thumb about this ; it is exact science.
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