Many food writers are great aphorists, able to summarise their work into unforgettable nuggets. Think of Wendell Berry – “Eating is an agricultural act”. Think of Brillat-Savarin – “Tell me what you eat and I shall tell you what you are”. Think of Michael Pollan – “Eat food. Not too much. Mainly plants”.
And, now, think of this: “In this little house we laugh, we work, and we learn”.
It could only be Galway’s Ard Bia, couldn’t it? Laughing, working, learning. And the quote is indeed from Aoibheann McNamara and Aoife Carrigy’s “Ard Bia Cookbook”. The book is splendidly aphoristic, as one would expect of such a sharp, smart team. But the fascinating thing about ABC is that it is not only about a restaurant in Galway city and what they do there. It is also a book about a city – the city of Galway – and the way in which that city has made Arb Bia and, thereby, made this book. It’s a cartographic cookbook, and it is splendidly unique.
Ard Bia Cookbook by Aoibheann McNamara and Aoife Carrigy (Atrium)
