Can you tell a little more about your work?

I’m a Collection Specialist for the Library’s collection development team. Our job is to make sure that researchers and students have access to high-quality and up-to-date information resources. So, based on their information needs, we acquire books and licences for online journals and databases. Students and researchers also frequently recommend books to us, and we purchase them as well.

You've chosen an appetizing niche in the library’s collection. How would you describe the cookbooks collection?

Our collection contains mainly printed cookery books and other works on ingredients, nutrition, and recipes. It covers diverse culinary traditions, contemporary trends, such as sustainable and healthy cooking, and innovative cooking techniques. While some books are useful for the food industry and nutrition experts, most of them are for domestic use.

What are the Library's most noteworthy cookbooks?

I have a soft spot for the domestic cookery books. It’s so much fun reading them. The list below is just a small selection of everything the library holds. I’ve listed some old Dutch traditional recipe books, books on cooking insects and recipes for outer space. Our collection even includes a guide on creating your own meat in a laboratory-like setting, but at home.

• Het kweekvlees kookboek
• Oud-Hollands kookboek
• Inmaken en bewaren : van groente en fruit
• Handbook of molecular gastronomy (eBook)
• The insect cookbook: food for a sustainable planet
• No opportunity wasted: the cook book (eBook)
• The astronaut's cookbook: tales, recipes, and more (eBook)

We also have several interesting books on the history and science of cooking:

• Cuisine and empire: cooking in world history

• The science of cooking: understanding the biology and chemistry behind food and cooking (eBook)

• On food and cooking: the science and lore of the kitchen cooking

• The kitchen as laboratory: reflections on the science of food and cooking (eBook)

• The science of cooking

• Gastronomy and food science (eBook)

You can borrow the print books in the Forum Library. Make sure to log in so you can access the eBooks.

Do you have a personal favourite?

My personal favourite is The kitchen as laboratory. It’s about the history of cooking, culinary traditions, and modern technology as well as out-of-the-box recipes for various foods. It explains the chemical makeup of certain foods and flavours, such as bitterness. The book also includes fun recipes, such as coffee-based ice cream.

Which cookbooks have influenced your personal cooking?

I’m the happy owner of my mother's Margriet Kookboek. This a classic and famous Dutch cookbook. It describes many cooking techniques and includes over 1000 recipes from Dutch, French, Italian and Asian cuisine. I often consult it. Sadly, this book is not part of our collection.

What makes this collection a valuable addition to the library's collection?

I like the fact that cookbooks can enhance one's cultural awareness. Cookbooks can also support research on food and nutrition. For instance, if you're studying Food and Health, cookbooks can offer insights into shifting portion sizes and eating behaviour, into the introduction of news foods, and changing ideas on ideal and healthy menus.