Bitter

Jennifer McLagan is Canada’s most well-respected cookbook writer. Her three cookbooks, Bones, Fat, and Odd Bits have each been heralded as groundbreaking and exciting, and she has won multiple, prestigious James Beard and IACP awards. Her favourite theme is underappreciated food treasure, be it bone-in, skin-on meats in a boneless, skinless society, or the delights of fat in a fat-phobic world, or the misunderstood and badly treated offal. With Bitter, she’s at it again, this time exploring a flavour that has been virtually lost to us in our overly sweet and salty world.

With her previous books, Jennifer was at the front of a food movement; she’s done it again here, as the craze for bitter is just beginning. Bitters are again becoming important in cocktails, craft beers and bitter chocolate are gaining in popularity. Surely the kitchen is the next frontier for bitter, and this book will hail its arrival.

Great food and cooking is about balance, and bitter flavours add depth and resonance to dishes aiding in the dish’s overall harmony. Understanding how to use, subdue and enhance bitter will make us better cooks. That’s what Bitter is all about.