391: Acquired Tastes: The Lives and Recipes of Eight Culinary Ambassadors with James Chatto
Unreserved Wine TalkShow Notes
What did lasagna taste like in Renaissance Italy before tomatoes and ragù became standard? Why are some of Thailand's most iconic royal desserts rooted in Portuguese convent recipes? How did a chance conversation at dinner unexpectedly unlock hidden pieces of food history? In this episode of the Unreserved Wine Talk podcast, I'm chatting with James Chatto, co-author of the terrific new book Acquired Tastes: The Lives and Recipes of Eight Culinary Ambassadors. You can find the wines we discussed at https://www.nataliemaclean.com/winepicks.
Giveaway Three of you are going to win a copy of James Chatto's new book, Acquired Tastes: The Lives and Recipes of Eight Culinary Ambassadors. To qualify, all you have to do is email me at [email protected] and let me know that you've posted a review of the podcast. I'll choose three people randomly from those who contact me. Good luck!
Highlights Why did James transition from acting and music into a career as a food writer? What did James learn from his godfather, Robert Morley, about why food writing is ultimately about people? What inspired James, Wendy, and their historian son to structure Acquired Tastes around real people who carried recipes from one culture into another? How did Renaissance Italians make lasagna with and why did James find the recipe so unexpectedly delicious? What memorable kitchen disaster turned a promising chocolate cake into something "dry as chalk"? Who was Maria Guyomar de Pinha and how did she become a key figure in Thai royal desserts? What do you need to know about the Thai dessert foi thong and its history? Why does James believe recipes certain recipes have survived for centuries? Who was Queen Bona Sforza and how did she influence Polish food culture? What coincidence connected James with a modern Italian wine importer whose hometown still preserves Queen Bona's legacy centuries later?
About James Chatto James Chatto read English at New College, Oxford, before becoming an actor and musician; today, he is one of Canada's best-known writers on the subjects of food and drink. He has written seven books, including A Kitchen in Corfu, the best-selling A Matter of Taste (with Lucy Waverman) and two memoirs, The Man Who Ate Toronto and The Greek for Love. As a journalist, he spent decades as Toronto Life's restaurant columnist, Senior Editor of the LCBO's magazine, Food & Drink, and editor of harry magazine; his writing has appeared in dozens of publications in Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. A co-founder of the Canadian Culinary Championship, he is a Chevalier of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Taste Fromage de France, and a Freeman of Corfu Town. He is a puppetmaker.
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