Book Review:----the Creators: Individuals of Irish Foods, by Dianne Curtin

The promo for a new cookbook : The Creators: Individuals of Irish Food, reads as follows: “A collection of stories about the people behind some of Ireland’s best fresh produce and artisan specialities. The Creators is written for anyone for whom buying, cooking and eating good food is one of life’s ultimate pleasures.”
This is a book that is a “must-have” for anyone with Irish ancestry, who is an historical buff, has a penchant for things culinary or is interested in some of the most stunning photography of the Irish countryside ever published.
A quiet, gastronomic revolution has been occurring in Ireland for over thirty years.
Fuelled by an exploding interest in the “old fashioned” ways of traditional cooking and yet incorporating a desire for a variety of modern cuisine, Irish consumers are enjoying not only some of the world’s most delectable dishes, but are again strolling the weekly farmers’ markets as part of the regular shopping chores .
In Ireland’s south-east corner, the city of Cork has become a center for diversified food produce and the area has become internationally known as the largest region in the country for organic and “natural” food production. Dianne Curtin, the author of the book (along with her photographer husband Philip) introduces us to a selection of unique individuals who have, for all intents and purposes “done the impossible” and have turned the proverbial and cynical “it cannot be done” into thriving and productive businesses.
Dividing her book into three sections: From Land and Field; From the Waters and Special Delicacies, Dianne weaves an intriguing story of ordinary men and women (from a variety of backgrounds and cultures) who meet the challenges of life and bureaucratic governments head-on and win.
Describing these personal battles and victories, she explains the drive behind organic farming, incorporating her husband’s breath-taking photographs and includes some traditional, some modern and some very “haute cuisine” recipes for the adventurous reader to attempt at home.
Who would have imagined that it would be possible for an Irish exile to become homesick by reading a cookbook? But such is the case here. The stories of the lives and struggles of the five farmers, the four “fishermen” and the other chefs, cooks and producers extolled in the Special Delicacies section, can only inspire and transport the reader back to the days of childhood and to places that are more than just names on a map.
Irish born and even “grafted-in” readers will be enthralled by the memories the book calls to mind. The recipes and the products described evoke sights and smells of bygone days and easily develop a yearning for the natural food that was so common in Ireland prior to the coming of the hyper-markets and the giant processed-food conglomerates.
This is also indeed a book that genealogists will want to place in their libraries. With a resurgence occurring in the search for Irish ancestry, families can use this text as a guide to the lives and homes of family forebears. No, the locations may not be exactly the same, but the wealth of both written and visual information will leave the reader with an awe and respect for the tenacity and skill of these men and women who are winning against all odds and who are proving that healthy living can once again be appropriated by ordinary people.
Dianne Curtin has taken both the traditional and progressive of Irish food production and cooking and has dramatically shown how these are now being interwoven in a diversification that is quickly making “gourmet Ireland” the envy
of most of Europe and beyond.
This book contains many exciting and scintillating recipes, which the average home-cook can easily attempt to whet the palates of the old and traditional or the young and hip alike. Yet it is so much more than just a cookbook. History reverberates around its pages, enhanced by the visual attachments. Political statements as to our current need for guarding our environment are sufficient to spark our thinking processes without “beating the drum” too wildly. But mostly, the stories of the homes and work of men and women in (mostly) rural Ireland, remind us of the tenacity of the Irish nature and of the truth that Ireland can still produce the best --- not only in its farming and food production, but more importantly in its people.
(Dianne Curtin’s book is published by Cork University Press, ISBN # -13-978-0-9552261-0-6, www.corkuniversitypress.com)