IS IT the taste of chargrilled meat, the chirrup of cicadas muffled by the sizzle of coals, or an evolutionary need to gather around fire?
Either way the barbecue is the backbone of summer cooking.
- Barbecue, by Chris Schlesinger and John Willoughby. Penguin, rrp $29.95
If you think you know all there is to know about barbecuing, this book will make you reconsider.
This is no throw-a-slab-of-steak-on-the-grill book - although there is plenty of that.
Here, you'll learn about grilling, smoke-roasting, ash-roasting and the best grills and fuels (briquette or charcoal) for your needs. There's even a section on how to build the fire, then start it and manage it.
But, of course, there is food aplenty.
The authors explain how to know when food is cooked and how to enhance flavours and then launch into eight chapters - accompanied by great photography - of recipes.
From Memphis ribs to Latin pork chops with peach-chilli salsa, this book is a tour de force of barbecuing around the globe, complete with pages dedicated to various country's barbecuing history and recipes.
The authors tell of their Argentinian barbecuing experiences where they were served a smorgasbord of charcoal carcasses, from chewy intestines to thick blood sausages.
There are delicate chicken and fish offerings, such as the quail with chilli-peanut sauce, as well as kebabs and salads.
The final chapter offers desserts - grilled banana upside down cake and ash-roasted pears.
