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Banon Cheese
There are several kind of Banon: Banon Herbes de Provence (Provence
herbs), Banon poivre (black pepper), Banon sariette (savory). But the most well known is Banon a feuille (wrapped in chestnut
leaves).The origin of Banon feuille comes from the need to preserve the cheese which was an essential foodstuff at this time,
during the winter period when goats did not produce milk.
Banon is a small round cheese with a rind of natural mould from Provence
Alps Côte d'Azur.The cheese is very-well presented as it is wrapped in chestnut leaves and raffia after having been dipped
in "eau-de-vie" (alcohol) to avoid bad mould. The cheese is made from goat's milk. It is first ripened for 4 to 6 days before
being wrapped in the leaves. It is then left to ripen again for 5 to 15 days. Banon is a mild soft cheese with a nutty flavour
and a firm supple texture. As it ripens, the surface of the cheese takes on the colour and the aroma of the leaf, and the
odor of wet earth. Season: Spring to autumn for goat's milk cheese; all year for cow's milk cheese
This cheese is excellent served with Muscatel Raisins soaked in a
good Muscat dessert wine.
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RICHARD GRAHAM The Sea Dog's Guide to Better Feeding
London, Pedigree
Books. 1985, First Edition. Illustrated with delightful B&W drawings by Don Grant. An interesting collection of the author's
recipies for yachtsmen, sailors and sea-farers, including Marie Celeste Pie, Crab & Winkle Souffle and Port in a Storm.
All enlivened by the author's tales of yore. An excellent book, and small enough to tuck into any kitchen locker for future
reference, If you can find a copy that is!
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The History of Recipes
We are able to trace the history of `recipes`
back into history, at least as far as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and quite possibly further than that. Interesting though
that is, generally, these old cookbooks were just very basic pictorial, hieroglyphic or cunieform recipes for preparing food.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to historians are a few tablets in Sumerian
which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded
as having made drinkers feel blissful and exhilarated.
As we move into The time of the romans around 25BC a roman
called Apicius wrote a collection of documents showing how to cook the recipes prepared by his fellow Romans. In his publication,
Apicius describes how the roman meals were separated into appetizers, main meal and dessert, a very modern way of dining.
He also recounts how the ancient Romans were skilled in the use of many different aromatic flavours, including a few that
are still present in modern kitchens such as basil, rue and asafoetida.
As we move on, we find a couple of books which
were published in the 1300s - one book published under the title `Forme of Cury`, and another named `Curye on Inglish`. The
titles are a little misleading though, these two books are unconnected to the indian food that we all know today, but rather
accounts of the types of food cooked for the upper classes of that time.
Later, in the fifteenth century, people returning
from the crusades brought back many new foods and spices from Arab countries, such as coriander, parsley, and rosemary. These
new culinary innovations created an eruption in recipe manuscripts, most of which still exist in private cookery archives.
During the next few centuries, the powerful and wealthy strove to serve the most extravagent banquests, and as a consequence,
cooks and their recipes were greatly in demand. Notwithstanding that, it was during the 18th century with Hannah Glasse and
then primarily the 19th century that haute cuisine and recipe books really came of age. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton and
Elizabeth David devoted much of their lives to assembling, trying out, and recording recipes for their fellow cooks to enjoy.
By the advent of the 20th century, cook books were starting to become popular as a result of more people being able
to read, more free time and having more money.
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| Sumerian recipe tablets |
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