Charles Darwin: Food for thought

London, Dec. 22: A cookbook containing recipes created by Charles Darwin’s wife has been published, offering a fascinating insight into the food that fuelled the mind of the great naturalist.

The book, which contains guides to making such Victorian favourites as broiled mushrooms and Penally Pudding, is being marketed as the perfect resource for those planning a “credit crunch Christmas”.

Traditionally festive recipes include baked apple pudding, cranberry sauce and compote of apples and Italian cream. The book, which is based on Emma Darwin’s original notebook, also contains instructions for cooking rice written by Darwin himself.

Food authors Dusha Bateson and Weslie Janeway compiled the book, recreating and testing the 55 recipes after being given access to archives at Cambridge University, where Darwin studied between 1828 and 1831.

Lady Bateson said they wanted to ensure the contribution made by Emma Darwin to her husband’s career was fairly represented amid a large amount of material being released for the bicentenary of his birth in 2009.

She said: “Emma was a very underestimated lady. She was no Delia Smith, and didn’t even particularly like cooking, but had to feed Darwin, seven children and 12 servants. The book shows the methodical approach she had to collecting the recipes she used.” Delia Smith is UK’s favourite TV cook.

Lady Bateson said the collection stood in marked contrast to the more glamorous approach of some famous chefs today. “It’s good, family cooking designed to feed a large household. Darwin had a lot of illnesses, and I think there’s a lot of evidence that suggests he wouldn’t have survived without Emma being there to prop him up and keep him going,” she said.

“One of my own favourites among the recipes is her suggestion for using pickled walnut mashed up in a sauce for braised beef.”