Something fishy is going on with the apparently attractive combination of the words “prickly pears” and “pomegranates”.
While doing some background research about South African cuisine and cookbooks about food in South Africa for the CFL “South Africa on the menu” newsletter, I ran into to a promising book: “Prickly Pears & Pomegranates” – published in 2008 and described by the publisher as: “The Palmer family has lived on the farm Cranemere, in the middle of the isolated expanse of the Great Karoo, for over a century. On Cranemere, the need to cook in accordance with the seasons has shaped a culinary tradition in which the art of creative improvisation is paramount, and each generation of Palmer women has bought unique elements and influences to today’s Karoo flavours. [...]”
When I went to Amazon, to check if there was any additional information, I got confused. Did they made a mistake at Amazon, and turned the words in the title around? Well no, it appeared that there was a second book with a remarkable comparible title, published in 2005 and is described as on
Google books as: “
“Pomegranates & Prickly Pears” is a collection of flavorful entertainment-style recipes. These kitchen-tested delights are a true reflection of the Phoenix community. Whether you are hosting a backyard barbecue or preparing a candlelight dinner for two, you can choose from more than 250 recipes throughout the book to perfectly suit any occasion.“
What’s the relationship between Phoenix in the USA and the Great Karoo in South Africa, you wonder. I guess it must have something to do with climate and that it will not be long before we see a book with the title “a pomegranate and a prickly pear” about Meditarranean cuisine.
