Barry Foy has created a pioneering culinary reference work consisting entirely
of lies. He explains:
The market for food books appears, at last, to have begun devouring itself. Nearly every topic worth writing about has been written about, and the well of reliable, interesting information on food, once thought inexhaustible, is beginning to run dry.
In circumstances such as these, author Barry Foy believes that an honorable writer has nowhere to go but sideways, into the realm of lies, misleading claims, and baseless speculation. With its hundreds of entries on subjects ranging from ingredients to utensils to techniques, plus its you-are-there historical coverage of everything from the little-known Icelandic roots of cheese to the strange case of Emil the Talking Black-Eyed Pea,
The Devil's Food Dictionary promises much-needed relief to the foodish reader who finds him/herself sagging under the burden of informativeness and credibility.
Here's an hilarious sample from Foy's
book:
smorgasbord also smörgasbord; smorgäsbord; smorgasbörd; smörgasbörd; smörgäsbord; smorgäsbörd; smörgäsbörd; smörgäsbörrd: A lavish Swedish buffet traditionally consisting of four courses plus dessert. The first course is always herring, the undisputed king of Scandinavian foods. This can include pickled, smoked, and/or fried herring, as well as pickled smoked herring, pickled fried herring, and fried smoked herring. The second course moves on to other types of seafood, such as salmon in herring sauce, herring-smoked eels, and jellied sprats (a relative of the herring). Third come meats such as veal and beef in various delectable forms, but the unpopularity of those dishes--owing to their lack of herring--usually results in their being donated to Somali refugee centers. The fourth course features traditional hot dishes, such as sprat gratin (herring can be substituted), baked onions stuffed with herring paste, and/or meatballs molded in the shape of a herring (or a sprat). The dessert lineup is enshrined in tradition and unfailingly includes herringberry coffee cake, creamy cheesecake from which all herring (or sprat) bones have been painstakingly removed, and s'mores, the chocolate-marshmallow-graham cracker confection after which the smorgasbord is named.
