美国国家公共电台 NPR New Biography Features Recipes Of Famed Chef And Cookbook Author Paula Wolfert

 

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

We have a new biography to talk about - a biography with recipes. It's the story of Paula Wolfert. Wolfert lived in Marrakesh for a time and wrote the first major American cookbook from there. It's called "Couscous And Other Good Food From Morocco." Then she circled the Mediterranean¹, learning to speak eight languages as she chronicled the food of the region.

Top American chefs say she did for Mediterranean cooking what Julia Child did for the French kitchen. Emily Kaiser Thelin was Wolfert's editor and became her biographer. She describes Wolfert's tenacity² in finding flavors.

EMILY KAISER THELIN: She really wanted to learn this one lamb dish of the city that is famous for being cooked only by men in a clay pot in the coals of the public baths, or hammams, overnight. And nobody knew how to make it. And finally, her chauffeur³ said, actually, ma'am, I know how to make it. And he took her on this midnight trip through the souks to get the lamb, the garlic, the pot.

WERTHEIMER: Thelin's new book is called "Unforgettable: The Bold Flavors Of Paula Wolfert's Renegade Life." Our listeners should know Thelin and I know each other. And when we talked, she told me it was a challenge to sell publishers on the story.

THELIN: I shopped a proposal for her life story, and about a dozen publishers told me her time had passed. But I felt her accomplishments⁴ were too important to not have a book. So with support from the photographer on the book, Eric Wolfinger, he suggested we simply publish it ourselves and use Kickstarter to raise the money, which allowed us to publish it.

WERTHEIMER: There were, obviously, two important factors - one that you mentioned, that publishers felt readers wouldn't even remember her, but there was also the very big problem that Wolfert herself is not well.

THELIN: Yes. She was diagnosed with dementia in January of 2013, but that is a big part of what motivated us to act.

WERTHEIMER: Memory is a kind of subtext in the book. You invoke⁵ memory from the title, "Unforgettable." I mean, you wanted everyone to have that in mind, I guess, as they read the book?

THELIN: Yeah. We saw the opportunity to cook with her as another way to research her experiences and her stories to see what memories these recipes might evoke⁶.

WERTHEIMER: But you found, I guess, to your shock and horror, that she couldn't really cook anymore.

THELIN: She could not. One of the first symptoms of Alzheimer's - and many types of dementia - is it takes away your sense of smoke, which is incredibly important as a food-safety measure as a cook. And so we very quickly took her away from the stoves, but she still could sit there and watch us cook.

We also would have her do certain very easy prep steps like this incredible eggplant relish⁷ that her grandmother taught her which involves squeezing the eggplants between her hands. And that was an incredible moment because she - while she was standing⁸ there talking to me and saying I don't remember anything about this dish, clearly, her hands showed an incredible familiarity with the steps.

WERTHEIMER: There are several photographs of Wolfert in the book wearing an apron⁹. What's written on the apron is - keep calm and follow the recipe. Now, she is known for being able to remember recipes in great detail and tasting something and knowing what's in it. You make the recipes in the book very detailed¹⁰ with very clear instructions and accurate measurements - more detailed than her books were, as I recall. Why'd you do that?

THELIN: Her cookbooks assume a high degree of cooking experience. Her biggest audience were professional chefs. And she basically wrote her books for them. I wanted to let anybody cook these. Obviously, couscous is one of the most difficult recipes in the book. We chose most of her most accessible recipes so that you could discover the wonderful flavors of pomegranate molasses or sumac. Or - we wanted everyone to be able to enjoy the incredible layered and truly unforgettable flavors of the best Paula Wolfert recipes.

WERTHEIMER: Well, let's get back to our country and this weekend. This is the Thanksgiving holiday. So I'm going to ask you for a recommendation for a post-Thanksgiving antidote¹¹.

THELIN: Absolutely. The cracked green olive relish, which is from southeastern Turkey, is a terrific palate cleanser. And it uses wonderful fall foods like pomegranate seeds. And you just want to be careful making it because you'll never want to stop making it. It's so good.

WERTHEIMER: Emily Thelin spoke¹² to us from our member station KQED in San Francisco. Her book about Paula Wolfert is called "Unforgettable." Thank you very much.

THELIN: You're so welcome. Thank you for having me.

WERTHEIMER: You can find that recipe for cracked olive relish online at npr.org.

(SOUNDBITE OF GODDAMN ELECTRIC BILL'S "ECOTONE")

1 Mediterranean   

adj.地中海的；地中海沿岸的

参考例句：

• The houses are Mediterranean in character.这些房子都属地中海风格。
• Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean.直布罗陀是地中海的要冲。

2 tenacity   

n.坚韧

参考例句：

• Tenacity is the bridge to success.坚韧是通向成功的桥。
• The athletes displayed great tenacity throughout the contest.运动员在比赛中表现出坚韧的斗志。

3 chauffeur   

n.(受雇于私人或公司的)司机；v.为…开车

参考例句：

• The chauffeur handed the old lady from the car.这个司机搀扶这个老太太下汽车。
• She went out herself and spoke to the chauffeur.她亲自走出去跟汽车司机说话。

4 accomplishments   

n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就

参考例句：

• It was one of the President's greatest accomplishments. 那是总统最伟大的成就之一。
• Among her accomplishments were sewing,cooking,playing the piano and dancing. 她的才能包括缝纫、烹调、弹钢琴和跳舞。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

5 invoke   

v.求助于(神、法律)；恳求，乞求

参考例句：

• Let us invoke the blessings of peace.让我们祈求和平之福。
• I hope I'll never have to invoke this clause and lodge a claim with you.我希望我永远不会使用这个条款向你们索赔。

6 evoke   

vt.唤起，引起，使人想起

参考例句：

• These images are likely to evoke a strong response in the viewer.这些图像可能会在观众中产生强烈反响。
• Her only resource was the sympathy she could evoke.她以凭借的唯一力量就是她能从人们心底里激起的同情。

7 relish   

n.滋味，享受，爱好，调味品；vt.加调味料，享受，品味；vi.有滋味

参考例句：

• I have no relish for pop music.我对流行音乐不感兴趣。
• I relish the challenge of doing jobs that others turn down.我喜欢挑战别人拒绝做的工作。

8 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

9 apron   

n.围裙；工作裙

参考例句：

• We were waited on by a pretty girl in a pink apron.招待我们的是一位穿粉红色围裙的漂亮姑娘。
• She stitched a pocket on the new apron.她在新围裙上缝上一只口袋。

10 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

11 antidote   

n.解毒药，解毒剂

参考例句：

• There is no known antidote for this poison.这种毒药没有解药。
• Chinese physicians used it as an antidote for snake poison.中医师用它来解蛇毒。

12 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。