The Core of an Onion: Peeling the Rarest Common Food―Featuring More Than 100 Historical Recipes

 

The Core of an Onion is a very well written and engaging monograph on the culinary history of onions with recipes collected and curated by Mark Kurlansky. Released 7th Nov 2023 by Bloomsbury, it's 240 pages and is available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats. 

This is a foodie's delight: an erudite, accessible, delicious, nuanced ode to the onion, and the myriad uses to which it suits itself. The book is split into two main parts: a history and botany of the onion (and family Liliaceae),  followed by a generous selection of recipes featuring onions.

There are numerous forays along the way. The author writes quite engagingly with quips and history which are both interesting and meticulously researched. From appearances in literature to traditional cuisines the world over, he talks about onions (and manages to make it quite interesting). 

The recipe section is arranged thematically: soup, sauces, boiled roased braised & stuffed, caramelized & glazed, fried, eggs & onions, eggs puddings custards & cakes (!!), tarts & pies, bloody onions (recipes utilizing blood as an ingredient), pickled, bread, and sandwiches. 

Recipes are written out longhand, with background stories and in a chatty/personal style. More or less as if a relative were relaying the method of making a family recipe without writing down a recipe. Most recipe have a more or less exact list of ingredients (measurements given in imperial (American) units)... followed by a general method of preparation. 

This book's primary audience will be foodies who are interested in culinary history and the sociological aspects of the ingredients we use to feed ourselves; and this is an excellent and exceptionally thorough deep dive. 

The author/publisher have included a solid bibliography and cross referenced index. The bibliography resources are probably worth the price of admission alone, and will give the eager reader many hours of further background reading.

Five stars. Excellent choice for public library acquisition, home reference, and gift giving to food enthusiasts. 

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.