Food, James Bond’s food

The Food Programme

BBC

Arts, Food

4.4 • 943 Ratings

🗓️ 28 March 2021

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

We don’t often see James Bond eating in the films, but in the novel food is almost as important as espionage, cocktails, sex, villains and travel. As many await the release of the new Bond film, we want to take your taste buds on a journey, to the flavours that were so unimaginably exotic when these books were written in the 1950s and 60s. Tom Jaine, former restaurateur and editor of The Good Food Guide, came of age when the Bond books were written. He remembers sneaking a copy of Casino Royale from his parents’ book group and being transported by it’s exoticism. The food was completely beyond the imagination for a post-war generation who were newly out of rationing. We meet Edward Biddulph, archaeologist by day, Bond enthusiast by night who has written Licence to Cook, in which he recreates the meals in the Bond books. Edward teaches Sheila how to make Bond’s most iconic dish - scrambled eggs. Biographer Andrew Lycett explains how the appetites of Ian Fleming made it into James Bond’s own tastes. And food journalist Clare Finney connect with the desire to be transported on a culinary adventure when the world around you is rather drab. Presenter: Sheila Dillon Producer: Emma Weatherill

Transcript

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0:50.0	With ceremony, a white silver dish of crabs, big ones, their shells and claws broken, was placed in the middle of the table.
0:59.0	The tankards of champagne froth pink. Bond proceeded to eat, or rather devour the most delicious
1:07.2	meal he had had in his life. The meat of the stone crabs was the tenderest sweetest shellfish he had ever tasted.
1:15.6	It was perfectly set off by the dry toast and slightly burned taste of the melted butter.
1:22.0	The champagne seemed to have the faintest scent of straw. the exhaustion.
1:33.0	We don't often see James Bond eating in the films, but in the novels, well, foods almost as important as espionage.
1:40.0	Cocktails, sex, villains, and travel.
1:44.0	Ian Fleming said he wanted to stimulate his readers right down to their taste buds.
1:50.0	So as we await the release of the new Bond film, we thought we'd get ahead in the Bond game.
	...

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