Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Frankl..., Rae Katherine Eighmey
Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Frankl..., Rae Katherine Eighmey
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Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Franklin
A Founding Father’s Culinary Adventures

Author: Rae Katherine Eighmey

Narrator: Pam Ward

Unabridged: 10 hr 19 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 01/16/2018


Synopsis

In this remarkable culinary biography, Rae Katherine Eighmey presents Benjamin Franklin’s experimentation with food throughout his life.At age sixteen, he began dabbling in vegetarianism. In his early twenties, citing the health benefits of water over alcohol, he convinced his printing-press colleagues to abandon their traditional breakfast of beer and bread for “water gruel,” a kind of porridge he enjoyed. Franklin is known for his scientific discoveries, including electricity and the lightning rod, and his curiosity and logical mind extended to the kitchen: he even conducted an electrical experiment to try to cook a turkey.Later in life, on his diplomatic missions—he lived fifteen years in England and nine in France—Franklin ate like a local. Eighmey discovers the meals served at his London home-away-from-home and analyzes his account books from Passy, France, for tips to his diet there. Yet he also longed for American foods; his wife Deborah sent over some favorites including cranberries, which amazed the London kitchen staff.He saw food as key to the developing culture of the United States, penning two essays presenting maize as the defining grain of America. Eighmey revives and re-creates recipes from each chapter in his life.Stirring the Pot with Benjamin Franklin conveys all of Franklin’s culinary adventures, demonstrating how Franklin’s love of food shaped not only his life, but also the character of the young nation he helped build.

About Rae Katherine Eighmey

Rae Katherine Eighmey is an award-winning author, food historian, and cook. She is the author of numerous books, including Abraham Lincoln in the Kitchen, Soda Shop Salvation, and Food Will Win the War, and she has won blue ribbons in the Minnesota and Iowa State Fair food competitions.

About Pam Ward

Pam Ward has had many incarnations, having performed in dinner theater, summer stock, and Off-Broadway, as well as in commercials, radio, and film. But she found her true calling reading books for the blind and physically handicapped for the Library of Congress Talking Books program, for which she received the prestigious Alexander Scourby Award from the American Foundation for the Blind. She now records from her studio amidst the beauty of the Southern Oregon mountains.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Paul

Not as much food content as I was expecting, and quite a bit more Benjamin Franklin content — which isn't a bad thing. The information about Franklin's personal life and travels was quite interesting. I'll have to give this a second look if I'm feeling adventurous when cooking one day.......more

Goodreads review by Libby

This book was trying to be too many things at once: a biography, a culinary history, and a cookbook. I think the book would have benefited from a little bit more focus - the little bits of each type of book were interesting, but on the whole, it left me unsatisfied in all the categories. There was a......more

Trying to put too much in one book. Personal tidbits and history good, wished for more recipes as it was marketed more as a cookbook than a biography . Some books can be both, but didn’t feel this one pulled it off......more


Quotes

“We’ve all been taught to believe that only one of the Founding Fathers was a true gourmand. Well, roll over, Thomas Jefferson, because it turns out Benjamin Franklin may be the true founding foodie father of this country.” Alton Brown, author and TV host

“An inviting recipe for a Franklin biography and one that is entertainingly presented. It is both well sourced and well sauced. Enjoy!” George Goodwin, author of Benjamin Franklin in London

“Most intriguing are the many recipes…Well documented, thoroughly tested, and kindly adapted to the modern kitchen, they offer readers the opportunity to imagine their way back into the eighteenth century.” Booklist