Barbara Santich – författare

'We have two cuisines in France, that of the north and that of the south', boldly stated the first cookbook directly concerned with southern French cuisine in 1830. This book investigates the reasons for and background to these differences, specifically in Provence. In the absence of cookbooks for the region in the 18th century, it uses innovative methodologies relying on a range of hitherto unexplored primary resources, ranging from household accounts and manuscript recipes to local newspapers and gardening manuals that focus on the actuality of the 18th century Provençal table.The sources emphasise the essentially seasonal and local nature of eating in Provence at this time. In many ways eating habits echoed generalised French patterns, according to class, but at the same time the use of particular foods and culinary practices testified to a distinctive Provençal food culture, partly related to geographic and climatic differences but also to cultural influences. This food culture represented the foundation for the Provençal cuisine which was recognised and codified in the early 19th century.From a diverse archive of documents has emerged new evidence for the cultivation and consumption of potatoes and tomatoes in Provence and for the origins and evolution of emblematic dishes such as bourride, bouillabaisse and brandade. In linking the coming-of-age of Provençal cuisine to post-Revolutionary culture, in particular the success of restaurants and the flourishing of gastronomic discourse, this book offers a new understanding of the development and evolution of regional cuisines.

'We have two cuisines in France, that of the north and that of the south', boldly stated the first cookbook directly concerned with southern French cuisine in 1830. This book investigates the reasons for and background to these differences, specifically in Provence. In the absence of cookbooks for the region in the 18th century, it uses innovative methodologies relying on a range of hitherto unexplored primary resources, ranging from household accounts and manuscript recipes to local newspapers and gardening manuals that focus on the actuality of the 18th century Provençal table.The sources emphasise the essentially seasonal and local nature of eating in Provence at this time. In many ways eating habits echoed generalised French patterns, according to class, but at the same time the use of particular foods and culinary practices testified to a distinctive Provençal food culture, partly related to geographic and climatic differences but also to cultural influences. This food culture represented the foundation for the Provençal cuisine which was recognised and codified in the early 19th century.From a diverse archive of documents has emerged new evidence for the cultivation and consumption of potatoes and tomatoes in Provence and for the origins and evolution of emblematic dishes such as bourride, bouillabaisse and brandade. In linking the coming-of-age of Provençal cuisine to post-Revolutionary culture, in particular the success of restaurants and the flourishing of gastronomic discourse, this book offers a new understanding of the development and evolution of regional cuisines.

The Original Mediterranean Cuisine is both culinary history and cookbook, with 70 recipes from fourteenth- and fifteenth-century Catalan and Italian manuscripts, adapted for today's kitchens. Starting with the natural and cultural affinities of Mediterranean Europe, such that a medieval merchant from Italy could be understood in Marseille and Barcelona, it demonstrates the culinary similarities that differentiated this region from northern Europe.The first edition was published by Wakefield Press in Australia in 1995 and licensed in 1996 to Chicago Review Press in the USA. This edition has been extensively revised and enlarged by a third and is lavishly illustrated with images from medieval texts. It includes new sections on the medieval table and table manners, and discusses the significance of the medieval banquet through a selection of menus.