The Icelandic Canadian - 01.09.2003, Page 39

Vol. 58 #1
THE ICELANDIC CANADIAN
37
Book Reviews
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The Culinary Saga
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of New Iceland
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Culinary Saga of New Iceland
By Kristin Olafson-Jenkyns
Coastline Publishing, 2001
235 pp., $32.95 CDN
Reviewed by Betty Jane Wylie
You might question the use of the
word saga in connection with a cookbook,
but it’s actually pretty accurate. A saga, to
remind you (quoting from the Encarta
Dictionary), is a prose narrative dealing
with the details of time and place (12th &
13th centuries; Iceland) and subject: the
families that first settled Iceland and their
descendants, with the myths and legends,
or, a modern prose narrative that resembles
a saga. So this modern prose collection of
recipes is indeed a kind of saga, coming as
it does from the people who settled New
Iceland
Kristin Olafson-Jenkyns, the compiler,
editor and artist who put it all together, has
included some of the myths and legends of
this transplanted world, as well as the inno-
vations inspired by altered circumstances
and different food.
It has been very much a family effort,
Kristin tells me, and a labour of love. Her
son Mac worked with her to produce it in a
self-publishing effort that has led to other
projects and full-time employment.
They’re working now on a new undertak-
ing that’s bound to sell well: The Ultimate
Icelandic North American Directory. They
probably wish they had it right now, to sell
the cookbook. As it is, they’re finding a
welcome market within the Western
Icelandic communities in North America
as well as among broader audiences, people
who love good food and good cookbooks.
As a writer of three cookbooks myself,
I can tell you that there are several hazards
involved in the creation of such a food
guide. One is the recipe-testing. It’s not
only time-consuming, it’s expensive, and it
must be done carefully and accurately. Not
being a professional cook with an industri-