The Book of Difficult Fruit

Discover 'The Book of Difficult Fruit', an enchanting 416-page collection that skillfully intertwines essays, recipes, and food lore centered around twenty-six intriguing fruits. Written by the talented Kate Lebo, this B-format paperback is not just a recipe book, but a heartfelt exploration that dives deep into the culinary, medical, and personal stories of each fruit. Each section is a masterclass in food history blended with memoir, offering readers a rich tapestry of knowledge that is both fascinating and unexpected.

From the robust A for Aronia, a berry renowned for its healing properties, to the mysterious D for Durian, known for its striking aroma and complex flavor, Lebo illuminates these difficult fruits through lyrical prose that is as poetic as it is educational. Engage your senses with Q for Quince, a fruit whose raw astringency tells a tale of contrasts, and M for Medlar, celebrated by Shakespeare, yet often overlooked in modern cuisine.

This unique work weaves together personal anecdotes, humorous insights, and philosophical reflections, encouraging readers to rethink their relationship with food and nature. With recipes that consider modern dietary needs, such as celiac disease, 'The Book of Difficult Fruit' presents a delightful challenge to traditional cooking.

Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled. Condition: BRAND NEW. ISBN: 9781509879267. Year: 2022. Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK.

Note: Shipping for this item is free. Please allow up to 6 weeks for delivery. Once your order is placed, it cannot be cancelled.

Condition: BRAND NEW
ISBN: 9781509879267
Format: B-format paperback
Year: 2022
Publisher: Pan Macmillan UK
Pages: 416


Description:
‘A richly researched food history, gentle memoir and left-field recipe book.’ i newspaper

‘A dazzling, thorny new essay collection.’ Samin Nosrat, New York Times

‘A beautiful, fascinating read full of surprises – a real pleasure.’ Claudia Roden

‘Inventive and charming . . . profound and deeply felt.’ Buzzfeed

Inspired by twenty-six fruits, essayist, poet and pie lady Kate Lebo expertly blends the culinary, medical and personal.

A is for Aronia, berry member of the apple family, clothes-stainer, superfruit with reputed healing power. D is for Durian, endowed with a dramatic rind and a shifty odour – peaches, old garlic. M is for Medlar, name-checked by Shakespeare for its crude shape, beloved by gardeners for its flowers. Q is for Quince, which, fresh, gives off the scent of ‘roses and citrus and rich women’s perfume’ but if eaten raw is so astringent it wicks the juice from one’s mouth.

In this work of unique invention, these and other difficult fruits serve as the central ingredients of twenty-six lyrical essays (and recipes!) that range from deeply personal to botanical, from culinary to medical, from humorous to philosophical. The entries are associative, often poetic, taking unexpected turns and giving sideways insights into life, relationships, self-care, modern medicine and more. What if the primary way you show love is to bake, but your partner suffers from celiac disease? Why leave in the pits for Willa Cather’s Plum Jam? How can we rely on bodies as fragile as the fruits that nourish them?

Lebo’s unquenchable curiosity leads us to intimate, sensuous, enlightening co