The Primal Cheeseburger: A Generous Helping of Food History Served On a Bun
The dissection of America's most popular meal--"two all-beef patties," etc.--may not sit well on everyone's stomach, but Rozin makes an admirable stab at emulating the late, great M. F. K. Fisher in culinary prose. Seven of her chapters delve into the psychological, historical, and culinary roots of ingredients comprising the cheeseburger platter: ground beef patty, bun, cheese, ketchup, vegetables (lettuce, tomato, onions, and pickles), french fries, and soft drink. Old and new facts are intertwined in a scholarly yet readable manner; we learn, for example, that ketchup derives its name and substance from Indonesian soy sauce and that "the Maillard effect" is the moniker for the browning of meat. Her final words sum up what most intuit after digesting a burger with accompaniments--that, despite its recently announced nutritional deficits, it's a meal of plenty and easily accessible to all.Barbara Jacobs