Dark Rye and Honey Cake: Festival baking from the heart of the Low Countries

In her book "Dark Rye and Honey Cake," Regula Ysewijn explores the baking traditions of Belgium, using history and art to guide the reader through a fascinating period. The book includes a collection of timeless recipes that reveal the origins of the country's ancient food culture and bring a little Belgian baking into every home.

Format: Hardback
Length: 272 pages
Publication date: 07 February 2023
Publisher: Murdoch Books

I have completely fallen head over heels in love with this stunning book. Nigella Lawson's writing is nothing short of astonishing. It is an engrossing, original, and beautiful work of literature. Diana Henry, a food writer and historian, has praised the book, stating that Belgium has long forged a distinctive culinary identity through its seasonal feasts and festivals. In this follow-up to her internationally acclaimed works, Pride and Pudding and Oats in the North, Wheat from the South, and Regula Ysewijn turns her attention to the baking traditions of this unique country, the place of her birth. Regula uses history and art to guide the reader through a fascinating period, and her stunning photography and recipes paint a vivid landscape of the region's rich baking culture.

Dark Rye and Honey Cake is a delightful exploration of a whole year of rustic bakes, unearthing long-forgotten recipes and reviving treasured favorites. From waffles and winter breads for the 12 days of Christmas to pancakes for Candlemas and Carnival, pretzels for Lent, vlaai and fried dough for Kermis, and all the special sweet treats that make up Saint Nicholas and Saint Martin, this book offers a treasure trove of timeless recipes. Regula not only reveals the origins of her country's ancient food culture but also brings a little Belgian baking into every home with this collection of recipes.

This is a gorgeous book; it is full of recipes that I want to cook, foods that I want to eat, and pictures that I want to lose myself in for hours on end. Dr Annie Gray, BBC's Food Editor, has praised the book, stating that it is a rare glimpse into the rich and fascinating food culture of one of our closest neighbors. Felicity Cloake, a food writer and author of One More Croissant for the Road and Red Sauce Brown Sauce, has also praised the book, describing it as an irresistibly tactile book and a work of art.

Weight: 1244g
Dimension: 256 x 200 x 29 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781922351814