Rowan Jacobsen

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More About

• Rowan Jacobsen
• Sharon Campbell
• Jon Rowley
• Jabba the Hutt
• Greg Atkinson

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Acclaimed food writer Rowan Jacobsen has previously penned books about honeybees and oysters. In his latest work, he looks at the unique culinary ecosystems that produce them—and fill our plates. His fascinating American Terroir: Savoring the Flavors of Our Woods, Waters and Fields (Bloomsbury, $25) examines the French concept of terroir—loosely translated as “the taste of place.” Jacobsen posits that “certain areas consistently produce better-quality food than others.” He scopes out delicacies like Panamanian coffee beans ($130 a pound!) and the perfect plate of moules-frites on Prince Edward Island, enhancing it all with an impressive amount of biological and cultural knowledge. (Avocado comes from the Aztec word for testicle!) Here in the Northwest, the Vermont writer describes our geoduck as “something that might owe a lot of money to Jabba the Hutt.” He’ll be joined tonight in a conversation about terroir with local chef/author Greg Atkinson, Northwest seafood icon Jon Rowley, and cider connoisseur Sharon Campbell (of Tieton Cider Works). An oyster and cider tasting will follow the talk. ERIN K. THOMPSON
Tue., Sept. 21, 7-9 p.m.; Thu., Sept. 23, 7 p.m., 2010