MAINE & NEW ENGLAND FOOD & DRINK
 Gravenstein. Coe’s Golden Drop. Mendocino Cox. The names sound like something from the imagination of Tolkien or perhaps the ingredients in a dubious magical potion rather than what they are—varieties of apples. But as befits their enchanting names, apples have transfixed and beguiled humans for thousands of years. Apple: A Global History explores the cultural and culinary importance of a fruit born in the mountains of Kazakhstan that has since traversed the globe to become a favorite almost everywhere. From the Garden of Eden and Homer’s Odyssey to Johnny Appleseed, William Tell, and even Apple Computer, Erika Janik shows how apples have become a universal source of sustenance, health, and symbolism from ancient times to the present day. Featuring many mouthwatering illustrations, this exploration of the planet’s most popular fruit includes a guide to selecting the best apples, in addition to apple recipes from around the world, including what is believed to be the first recorded apple recipe from Roman gourmand Marcus Apicius. And Janik doesn’t let us forget that apples are not just good eating; their juice also makes for good drinking—as the history of cider in North America and Europe attests. From "The Edible Series". Hardcover. 132 pgs. $17.00 |  Just as 21st century Maine mixes summer people and hunters, Portland sophisticates and rugged lobsterman, Black Fly Stew: Wild Maine Recipes combines modern and historic elements of Downeast cooking. This eclectic collection of recipes draws upon Kate Krukowski Gooding's smorgasbord of life experiences, grounded by a life of summers in Jackman, Maine and twenty-five years of living in Portland. As just one example, this globe-trotting/hunter/spice lover combines in her Spicy Island Venison recipe the most popular game meat with Scotch bonnet chili pepper, all-spice, curry, tomatoes, lime juice and coconut milk. Wild! The key connection among these tasty recipes is their many layers of flavors. This is not fast food; like a sunny August day in Maine, these dishes and drinks are meant to be savored with family and friends. So enjoy the way Maine food should be - flavorful, delightfully surprising, and inspirational for the lost art of mealtime conversation. Paperback. 221 pgs. $19.95 |
 Maine is one of the hottest culinary destinations in the country. To celebrate, Down East Books is proud to present the Best Maine Food series, a new line of cookbooks showcasing the state's great food. Kicking it off is this revamped edition of a true Maine classic. In these redesigned pages, longtime food columnist Marjorie Standish tells you how to prepare everything from finnan haddie to dilly green tomatoes to blueberry buckle. Paperback. 254 pages. $19.95 |  Created for the U.S. Food Administration during World War I, this poster addresses the matter of civilian food supply. Food-Don't Waste It...still good advice! From the collections of Maine Historical Society. 12" x 18". Shipped in a mailing tube. $9.95 |
 Heavy canvas tote with Maine Historical Society logo (MHS). Reverse side has the text "FOOD: 1. buy it with thought. 2. cook it with care. 3. use less wheat & meat. 4. buy local foods 5. serve just enough. 6. use what is left. Don't Waste It". Tote has side panels and flat bottom making it perfect for carrying groceries! Originally created as a poster by the U.S. Food Administration during World War I, circa 1917, as a way to address the matter of civilian food supply. Good advice that still applies today! Click on image for larger view. $20.00 |  Old recipes, like old friends, are usually most dependable, observes noted author Kenneth Roberts in his pithy introduction to this classic recipe compendium put together by his niece, Marjorie Mosser, in the 1930s. The long career of this bible of Maine cookery has proved him right. With Robert's outspoken commentaries sprinkled throughout, excerpts from some of his best-selling books, and maxims from Maine kitchens, this old favorite is a must-own collection for any modern cook. Down East Books is proud to present this revamped edition-with a brand new foreword by food historian Sandra Oliver-as part of the all-new Best Maine Food cookbook series. Hardcover 448 pages $29.95 |
 Though tiny, the herring has played an enormous role in history. Battles have been waged over it. International economic alliances have formed over it. Major cities owe their prosperity to it. Political powers have risen and fallen with herrings own rise and fall in population. How can this all be attributed to this unassuming little animal? In Herring: A Global History, Kathy Hunt looks at the environmental, historical, political, and culinary background of this prolific and easily caught fish. Over the centuries, herring have sustained populations in times of war and hardship, and the fish’s rich flavor, delicate texture, and nutritious meat have made it a culinary favorite. Its ease of preparation just grill, broil, fry, pickle, salt, or smoke and serve have won it further acclaim. Engaging and informative, the book features fifteen mouth-watering recipes. It will appeal to food lovers, history buffs, and anyone who has ever enjoyed a British kipper, German Bismarck, Dutch matjes, or Jewish chopped-herring. Color photography throughout. From "The Edible Series". Hardcover. 143 pgs. $19.95 |  Whether drizzled into our tea or spread atop our terms of endearment, there’s one thing that is always true about honey: it is sweet. As Lucy M. Long shows in this book, while honey is definitely the natural sweetener par excellence, it has a long history in our world as much more, serving in different settings as a food, tonic, medicine, and even preservative. It features in many religions as a sacred food of the gods. In this luscious history, she traces the uses and meanings of honey in myriad cultures throughout time. Long points to a crucial fact about honey: it can be enjoyed with very little human processing, which makes it one of the most natural foods we consume. Its nutritional qualities and flavors dramatically reflect the surroundings in which it is produced, and those who produce it—bees—are some of the most important insects in the world, the chief pollinators of wild plants and domesticated crops alike. Showing how honey has figured in politics, religion, economics, and popular culture, Long also directly explores its tastiest use—in our food and drink—offering a history of its culinary place in the world, one sweetened with an assortment of delicious recipes. Lively and engaged, her account will give even the saltiest of us an insatiable sweet tooth. Part of "The Edible Series". Color images throughout. Hardcover. 184 pgs. $19.95 |
 Oliver Curtis, a junior at Baxter Academy in 2017, spent a year in the Telling Rooms Young Emerging Authors program writing and sketching a cookbook of invasive species. How to Eat Green Crab is packed with scientific information and recipes involving some of Maine's most invasive marine species, told in Oliver's humorous and personal manner. Oliver has his commercial green crab fisherman’s license, and he and his mom have been busily testing recipes for Green Crab, Common Periwinkle, and European Flat Oyster in their kitchen. This book was featured in an article by Mary Pols in the Portland Press Herald and has garnered early attention from local foodies and national scientists alike. Paperback. 54 pgs. $16.95 |  Other than that it tastes delicious with butter, what do you know about the knobbily-armoured, scarlet creature staring back at you from your fancy dinner plate? Food writer Elisabeth Townsend here charts the global rise of the lobster as delicacy. Part of the Edible Series, Lobster: A Global History explores the use and consumption of the lobster from poor man’s staple to cultural icon. From coastal fishing in the Middle Ages to the Industrial Revolution and modern times, Townsend describes the social history of the consumption of lobsters around the world. As well, the book includes beautiful images of rarely seen lobsters and both old and contemporary lobster recipes. Whether you want to liberate lobsters from their supermarket tanks or crack open their claws, this is an essential read, describing the human connection to the lobster from his ocean home to the dinner table. Hardcover. 144 pgs. $15.95 |
 For more than four hundred years the people of coastal Maine have clung to their rocky, wind-swept lands, resisting outsiders’ attempts to control them while harvesting the astonishing bounty of the Gulf of Maine. Today’s independent, self-sufficient lobstermen belong to the communities imbued with a European sense of ties between land and people, but threatened by the forces of homogenization spreading up the eastern seaboard. In the tradition of William Warner’s Beautiful Swimmers, veteran journalist Colin Woodard traces the history of the rugged fishing communities that dot the coast of Maine and the prized crustacean that has long provided their livelihood. Through forgotten wars and rebellions, and with a deep tradition of resistance to interference by people “from away,” Maine’s lobstermen have defended an earlier vision of America while defying the “tragedy of the commons”—the notion that people always overexploit their shared property. Instead, these icons of American individualism represent a rare example of true communal values and collaboration through grit, courage, and hard-won wisdom. Paperback 384 pages $18.00 |  Everyone loves lobster - especially Maine lobster. This fun, fact filled book brings the reader on the lobster's journey from ocean floor to plate, stopping along the way to get to know the people and places of Maine's iconic industry. Hardcover 96 pages $14.95 |
 In Oysters: A Global History Carolyn Tillie delves into the culinary, artistic, sexual, historical, and scientific history of the humble bivalve. She shows how the oyster encouraged immigration and industry in the newly established United States, how it perpetuated slavery among those working in the oyster beds, and how Japan unexpectedly became the savior of the world’s oyster industry. Packed with colorful anecdotes, recipes, and more than fifty illustrations, this little book is a delightful introduction to the lore of the oyster. From the Edible Series. Hardcover. 174 pgs. $19.95 |  Portland, Maine's culinary cache belies its size. The vibrant food scene boasts more that three hundred restaurants, as well as specialty food businesses, farmers' markets, pop-up dinners and food trucks. Local food writer Kate McCarty taps into the evolution of this little foodie city. Color and black & white photos throughout. Paperback. 159 pgs. $19.99 |
 From obscure Pre-Columbian beginnings in the Andes Mountains to global popularity today, the story of the potato is one of rags to riches. In Potato, esteemed culinary historian Andrew F. Smith reveals the captivating story of a once lowly vegetable that has changed—and continues to change—the world. First domesticated by prehistoric people in the Andes, the potato has since been adopted by cultures around the globe. For instance, the potato was aggressively adopted by cooks in India and China, where it has become a dietary staple. In fact, these two countries now stand as the world’s largest potato producers. Nonetheless, despite its popularity, in this era of both fast food and health consciousness, the potato is now suffering negative publicity regarding its low nutritional value. Its health benefits continue to be debated, especially considering that the potato is most often associated with the ubiquitous but high-calorie french fry. Potato is a captivating read that provides a concisely written but thoroughly researched account of the history, economy, politics, and gastronomy behind this beloved starch—as well as recipes. As loaded with goodies as a well-dressed baked potato, this book is comforting and satisfying. From "The Edible Series". Hardcover. 142 pgs. $15.95 |  The humble peanut butter and jelly or bologna and cheese or corned beef on rye—no matter your cooking expertise, chances are you’ve made and eaten countless sandwiches in your lifetime. It’s quick, it’s simple, and it’s open to infinite variety and inventiveness. If there’s something bread- or bun-like in your cupboard, there is a sandwich waiting to happen. Though sandwiches are a near-universal food, their origin can be traced to a very precise historical figure: John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, who, sometime before 1762 being too busy to stop for dinner, asked for some cold beef to be brought to him between two slices of bread. In Sandwich ,award-winning food writer Bee Wilson unravels the mystery of how the Earl invented this most elementary but delicious way of eating. Wilson explores what sandwiches might have been like before the eighteenth century, why the name sandwich stuck, and how the Earl’s invention took off so quickly around the globe. Wilson brings together a wealth of material to trace how the sandwich has evolved, looking at sandwiches around the world, from the decadent meatball hoagie to the dainty cucumber tea sandwich. Loved the world over, this popular food has surprisingly never before been the subject of a book-length history until now. From "The Edible Series". Hardcover. 148 pgs. $15.95 |
 Growing naturally only in Maine and parts of Canada, wild blueberries are prized for their intense flavor and color. The Wild Blueberry Book follows the story of these luscious berries as they make their way from the barrens to your table, with some stops along the way for pie-eating contests, baking competitions, and even an annual musical celebrating the culture that has grown up around Maine's official berry. You'll meet growers, rakers, beekeepers, processors, winemakers, blueberry queens, and some of the food scientists who are unlocking the secrets behind blueberries' amazing health benefits. Recipes too! Hardcover 80 pages $14.95 |
