S15 Ep1: Claudia Roden one of the greatest food writers of all time on the dishes that have shaped her

Desert Island Dishes

Food, Food Interview, Desert Island, Desert Island Dishes, Arts, Food Podcast, Dish, Interview, Society & Culture, Cooking, Chef, Personal Journals

4.8 • 780 Ratings

🗓️ 8 February 2024

⏱️ 58 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We are back! For a short mini series but back nonetheless! I missed you! And I'm very excited that today my guest today is Claudia Roden.

Described as the food writer who never goes out of fashion. She began collecting recipes in 1956, while a student in London. The Suez crisis of that year turned many people from Egypt into refugees: preserving the food culture of the Jewish community was as much practical as it was emotional.

These recipes led to her debut masterpiece A Book of Middle Eastern Food which really cemented Claudia’s future as one of the greatest food writers we’ve ever known. Her book revolutionised Western attitudes to the cuisines of the Middle East.

Her books have been loved by not only home cooks but also have laid the foundation for many of the most ambitious professional kitchens, and heavily influenced some of the most well known chefs working today, from the River Café, to Ottolenghi, Alistair Little and Moro to name just a few. Claudia’s talent for mixing up the scholarly with the practical is what really has set her apart. Often described as an anthropologist as well as a historian, essayist and poet - her books are as much about culture an anthropology as they are about recipes. But she says she doesn’t follow scholarly rules, and didn’t go to university, she is a food writer through and through who simply finds a dish and wants to learn all about it.

What is clear is that she is the Master of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean flavours and a hero for the industry and people who love food.

Thank you so much to our sponsor HG Walter for helping us to bring the show to you. Find them here: https://www.hgwalter.com

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This episode of Desert Island Dishes is brought to in partnership with the independent
0:04.3	family-run butcher, HG Walter. Now, I'm particularly excited about this because for over 10 years,
0:10.6	I have been a customer of HG. Walter for both my cooking jobs and also for at home too.
0:16.4	They are one of the most respected butchers in the UK, supplying some of the best chefs and restaurants
0:21.2	in the country. So it's quite cool to know that you are getting restaurant quality meat at home.
0:27.0	And I know I've said this a million times before, but if you start with good ingredients, your life
0:32.1	as a cook is so much easier. You barely have to do anything for it to taste delicious. And we know that good
0:38.6	quality meat is more important than ever. If you're anything like me, you are thinking more and
0:43.6	more about the provenance of the food you eat. And so having a butcher you can trust like HG
0:48.6	water is just a very comforting thing. Also, never underestimate the knowledge of a butcher. If you don't know how to
0:56.5	cook something, ask when you're in there. They know so much they can advise about cooking times,
1:02.0	the weight you need, and they'll always have delicious ideas for how they like to serve something.
1:07.1	I found this kind of information absolutely invaluable when I was starting out as a chef,
1:12.4	so I am thrilled to be telling you all about HG Walter today.
1:16.8	They're based in London, but they deliver nationwide, and you can find out more at
1:20.9	www.hgwater.com.
1:23.9	Thank you very much.
1:27.6	Hi, I'm Margie Nomura, welcome to the Desert Island Dishes podcast.
1:32.8	This is the podcast where every week I ask my guest to choose their seven desert island dishes.
1:38.9	These range from finding out about the dish that most reminds them of their childhood,
1:43.1	the best dish they've ever eaten,
1:45.0	and of course the last dish they would choose to eat before being cast off to the Desert Island.
	...

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