Siren Feasts

Siren Feasts
Author: Andrew Dalby
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 338
Release: 2013-04-15
Genre: History
ISBN: 1134969856

Cheese, wine, honey and olive oil - four of Greece's best known contributions to culinary culture - were already well known four thousand years ago. Remains of honeycombs and of cheeses have been found under the volcanic ash of the Santorini eruption of 1627 BC. Over the millennia, Greek food diversified and absorbed neighbouring traditions, yet retained its own distinctive character. In Siren Feasts, Andrew Dalby provides the first serious social history of Greek food. He begins with the tunny fishers of the neolithic age, and traces the story through the repertoire of classical Greece, the reputations of Lydia for luxury and of Sicily and South Italy for sybaritism, to the Imperial synthesis of varying traditions, with a look forward to the Byzantine cuisine and the development of the modern Greek menu. The apples of the Hesperides turn out to be lemons, and great favour attaches to Byzantine biscuits. Fully documented and comprehensively illustrated, scholarly yet immensely readable, Siren Feasts demonstrates the social construction placed upon different types of food at different periods (was fish a luxury item in classical Athens, though disdained by Homeric heroes?). It places diet in an economic and agricultural context; and it provides a history of mentalities in relation to a subject which no human being can ignore.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses

A History of the World in 6 Glasses
Author: Tom Standage
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 322
Release: 2009-05-26
Genre: History
ISBN: 0802718590

New York Times Bestseller * Soon to be a TV series starring Dan Aykroyd “There aren't many books this entertaining that also provide a cogent crash course in ancient, classical and modern history.” -Los Angeles Times Beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and Coca-Cola: In Tom Standage's deft, innovative account of world history, these six beverages turn out to be much more than just ways to quench thirst. They also represent six eras that span the course of civilization-from the adoption of agriculture, to the birth of cities, to the advent of globalization. A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the twenty-first century through each epoch's signature refreshment. As Standage persuasively argues, each drink is in fact a kind of technology, advancing culture and catalyzing the intricate interplay of different societies. After reading this enlightening book, you may never look at your favorite drink in quite the same way again.

Festive Feasts Cookbook

Festive Feasts Cookbook
Author: Michelle Berriedale-Johnson
Publisher: Univ of Wisconsin Press
Total Pages: 140
Release: 2003
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 9780299195106

This fascinating cookbook offers the modern cook a tempting selection of ten historical feasts from around the world. Drawn from a vast range of sources, the recipes are compiled and described in their historical context by the author, an expert in recreating historical recipes. From the lavish dishes of the Mughal emperors to the exotic cuisine of the Aztecs, all fifty recipes have been thoroughly modernized and tested, and each menu comes complete with alternative ingredients and serving suggestions. A perfect gift for year-round entertaining, Festive Feasts Cookbook is beautifully designed and features sumptuous color pictures of food and feasting, including period paintings, illuminated manuscripts, decorative ceramics, prints, and etchings. With lively introductions that provide a cultural background for the recipes, this book has much to offer those interested in creative cooking within a historical context. Festive Feasts Cookbook includes: The Return of Odysseus: A Homeric Banquet The 1001 Arabian Nights: Feasting with the Caliph Dining at the Court of Lucrezia Borgia Hiawatha's Wedding Feast Banqueting with Mughal Emperors The Cuisine of the Aztecs Dinner with Queen Elizabeth I Jewish Passover Supper: Centuries of Tradition An Imperial Birthday Banquet in the Forbidden City Georgian Christmas with Parson Woodforde Co-published with The British Museum Press, U.K. The Wisconsin edition is for sale only in the U.S.A. and it's dependencies, Canada, and the Philippines.

Food

Food
Author: Jean-Louis Flandrin
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Total Pages: 642
Release: 2013-05-21
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 023111155X

When did we first serve meals at regular hours? Why did we begin using individual plates and utensils to eat? When did "cuisine" become a concept and how did we come to judge food by its method of preparation, manner of consumption, and gastronomic merit? Food: A Culinary History explores culinary evolution and eating habits from prehistoric times to the present, offering surprising insights into our social and agricultural practices, religious beliefs, and most unreflected habits. The volume dispels myths such as the tale that Marco Polo brought pasta to Europe from China, that the original recipe for chocolate contained chili instead of sugar, and more. As it builds its history, the text also reveals the dietary rules of the ancient Hebrews, the contributions of Arabic cookery to European cuisine, the table etiquette of the Middle Ages, and the evolution of beverage styles in early America. It concludes with a discussion on the McDonaldization of food and growing popularity of foreign foods today.

Feast, Fast or Famine

Feast, Fast or Famine
Author: Wendy Mayer
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 227
Release: 2005-01-01
Genre: History
ISBN: 9004344853

In recent decades there has been an increasing interest in the study of food and drink in the ancient, Mediaeval and Byzantine worlds and of their supply and consumption. This volume presents selected papers from the biennial conference of the Australian Association for Byzantine Studies, which was held at the University of Adelaide, 11-12 July 2003. The theme was food and drink in Byzantium. Published selectively in the present volume, the papers of the conference are augmented by contributions from international scholars. While some papers address the use of food directly (children’s diet, fasting) or tangentially (in love spells), or discuss philosophical approaches towards food (vegetarianism), other papers in this volume examine the topic from another perspective: the role and perception of food and drink – and their consumption – in society. Yet others examine issues of supply (military logistics) and the role it played in shaping Byzantium. This volume will appeal to readers interested in the history of food, in late antique and Byzantine society, in Byzantine rhetoric, in magic in late antiquity and in the Jews in early Byzantium.

Cuisine and Empire

Cuisine and Empire
Author: Rachel Laudan
Publisher: Univ of California Press
Total Pages: 488
Release: 2015-04-03
Genre: Cooking
ISBN: 0520286316

Rachel Laudan tells the remarkable story of the rise and fall of the world’s great cuisines—from the mastery of grain cooking some twenty thousand years ago, to the present—in this superbly researched book. Probing beneath the apparent confusion of dozens of cuisines to reveal the underlying simplicity of the culinary family tree, she shows how periodic seismic shifts in “culinary philosophy”—beliefs about health, the economy, politics, society and the gods—prompted the construction of new cuisines, a handful of which, chosen as the cuisines of empires, came to dominate the globe. Cuisine and Empire shows how merchants, missionaries, and the military took cuisines over mountains, oceans, deserts, and across political frontiers. Laudan’s innovative narrative treats cuisine, like language, clothing, or architecture, as something constructed by humans. By emphasizing how cooking turns farm products into food and by taking the globe rather than the nation as the stage, she challenges the agrarian, romantic, and nationalistic myths that underlie the contemporary food movement.

John Saturnall's Feast

John Saturnall's Feast
Author: Lawrence Norfolk
Publisher: A&C Black
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2013-01-01
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1408831163

In the remote village of Buckland, a mob chants of witchcraft. It is 1625, and John and his mother are running for their lives. Taking refuge among the trees of Buccla's Wood, John's mother opens her book and begins to tell her son of an ancient Feast kept in secret down the generations. Little does he know that one day, to keep hold of all that he holds most dear, he most realize his mother's vision - he must serve the Saturnall Feast.

The Oxford Companion to Food

The Oxford Companion to Food
Author: Alan Davidson
Publisher:
Total Pages: 953
Release: 2014
Genre: Business & Economics
ISBN: 0199677336

Twenty years in the making, the first edition of this bestselling reference work appeared in 1999 to worldwide acclaim. Combining serious and meticulously researched facts with entertaining and witty commentary, it has been deemed unique by chefs and reviewers around the globe. It contains both a comprehensive catalog of foodstuffs - crackers and cookies named for battles and divas; body parts from toe to cerebellum; breads from Asia to the Mediterranean - and a richly allusive account of the culture of food, whether expressed in literature and cook books, or as dishes special to a country or community. Retaining Alan Davidson's wisdom and wit, this new edition also covers the latest developments across the whole spectrum of this subject. Tom Jaine has taken the opportunity to update the text and alert readers to new perspectives in food studies. There is new coverage on attitudes towards food consumption, production and perception, such as food and genetics, food and sociology, and obesity. New entries include terms such as convenience foods, gastronomy, fusion food, leftovers, obesity, local food, and many more. There are also new entries on important personalities who are of special significance within the world of food, among them Clarence Birdseye, Henri Nestle, and Louis Pasteur. Now in its third edition the Companion maintains its place as the foremost food reference resource for study and home use.

A Companion to Food in the Ancient World

A Companion to Food in the Ancient World
Author: John Wilkins
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
Total Pages: 484
Release: 2015-06-29
Genre: Literary Criticism
ISBN: 1118878191

A Companion to Food in the Ancient World presents a comprehensive overview of the cultural aspects relating to the production, preparation, and consumption of food and drink in antiquity. • Provides an up-to-date overview of the study of food in the ancient world • Addresses all aspects of food production, distribution, preparation, and consumption during antiquity • Features original scholarship from some of the most influential North American and European specialists in Classical history, ancient history, and archaeology • Covers a wide geographical range from Britain to ancient Asia, including Egypt and Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, regions surrounding the Black Sea, and China • Considers the relationships of food in relation to ancient diet, nutrition, philosophy, gender, class, religion, and more

Food Culture in Italy

Food Culture in Italy
Author: Fabio Parasecoli
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
Total Pages: 256
Release: 2004-10-30
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 0313085749

There is keen interest in the exquisite yet simple Italian cuisine and Italian culture. This volume provides an intimate look at how Italians cook, eat, and think about food today. It describes the cornucopia of foodstuffs and classic ingredients. An overview of the typical daily routine of meals and snacks gives a good feel for the everyday life. The changing roles of women are explored with a discussion of the inroads that convenience foods are making. In addition, the current concerns about the food supply, the benefits of the Mediterranean diet, and the slow food movement are tied in to the debates on these issues in the United States. Food is one of the main reasons why many Americans travel to Italy. Yet, the fascination with Italian cuisine is not all about health or taste. There is much more to it. Italian food is perceived and portrayed in the media as representing a whole lifestyle: Italians live la dolce vita, leisurely eating and drinking with friends and families, families are still important, and communities are close knit. The reality of Italian society is more complex, and this volume offers a balanced view of Italian culture and identity through its foodways.