Few things are more exciting than getting the latest copy of Gastronomica in the post. For the uninitiated, Gastronomica is a journal of food and culture, and always has fabulous articles written by academics, food journalists, and writers from across many genres and disciplines. The photographs are stunning, too- in the Summer 2009 issue check out the photo essay by Pinar Yolaçan- a series of portraits of women embellished with what Americans call "variety meats". I got hooked on Gastronomica when I read an article about where Fluff comes from- yes, that gooey, nutritionally vacant marshmallow goo commonly eaten with peanut butterin the classic "Fluffernutter Sandwich". Who thought an academic approach to Fluff was possible?!
In the latest issue you can read about Eating with Your Hands, How The Carrot Got Into Cheese, and A Lamentation for Shrimp Paste. In the words of Gertrude Stein, "Nothing is more interesting than that something that you eat."