THE TRUTH ABOUT BAKED BEANS An Edible History of New England

Caroline Hewitt narrates this audiobook with a dramatic focus on the text. She may mispronounce a word here or there, but she reads at a good pace with keen timing as she captures the author's gleeful evisceration of myths and misunderstandings relating to New England cuisine. Author Muckenhoupt takes to task almost every New England food possible: baked beans (today overly sugared) did not come down from local tribes; the great fish runs of yore have been either dammed or overheated by global warming; bitter cranberries should have stayed in the bogs as Ocean Spray is almost a cartel; Vermont artisanal cheese is being made by interlopers. The listener who yearns for a celebration of New England food might want to skip this audiobook. A.D.M. © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2020]