Mcgee on food and cooking: an encyclopedia of kitchen science, history and culture Hodder & stoughton (Hodder & Stoughton)

A masterpiece of gastronomic writing - presenting the science, history and culture of food and cooking. It is the kanon reference among professional cooks, as it answers all those long-puzzled over questions such as why do onions make you cry and why does fish go off quicker than meat. When it was originally published in 1986 it won the Andre Simon Food Book of the Year.