Travels a la Carte

In this book Sophie Grigson and her husband explore the history of culinary traditions in Europe and sample some of the delights of European food today. Their route stretches to the extremes of Europe, from the Hungarian paprika harvest in the east to the fish cookery of Portugal in the west, and from the sun-soaked cuisine of Sicily in the south to the shoals of cod which swim in the Norwegian sea to the north. The authors bring the authentic tastes of regional specialities to the table and, inspired by what she sees, Sophie also recreates many tempting new dishes. The book takes cookery back to its roots in the far-flung corners where regional traditions survive and where new dishes develop naturally with the seasonal flow of ingredients rather than the vagaries of food fashion. If you thought you knew everything you wanted to know about the food of Hungary, Switzerland, France, Spain, Portugal, Sicily, Norway and Turkey, this book aims to change your mind. Sophie Grigson is the author of "Eat Your Greens" and has a weekly recipe column in "The Independent". William Black is an expert on fish and earns his living buying fish for top London restaurants.