Cultural studies: food and society Books

Book SynopsisVegan or carnivore? Vegetarian or gluten-free? Keto or Mediterranean? Fasting or Paleo? Our relationship to food is filled with confusion and insecurity. Every day we hear about a new ingredient that is good or bad, a new diet that promises everything. But the truth is that none of those labels matter. The secret to becoming healthier, losing weight, living a pain-free and energetic life and healing the planet has nothing to do with counting calories, reducing portion sizes or feeling deprived - the key is re-learning how to eat like a human.This means finding food that is as nutrient-dense as possible, and preparing that food using methods that release those nutrients and make them safe and bioavailable to our bodies, which is exactly what allowed our ancestors, millions of years ago, to not only live but thrive. Archaeologist and primitive technologist Dr Bill Schindler draws on cutting-edge science and a lifetime of research to show readers how to live like modern 'hunter-gatherers' by using the same strategies our ancestors used - as well as techniques still practiced by many cultures around the world - to make food as safe, nutritious, bioavailable and delicious as possible.With each chapter dedicated to a specific food group, in-depth explanations of different foods and cooking techniques and concrete takeaways, as well as 75+ recipes, Eat Like a Human will permanently change the way you think about food, and help you live a happier, healthier, and more connected life.Trade ReviewIf you are confused about what to eat, tossed about in the storm of conflicting dietary advice, Eat Like a Human provides a refreshing, unique perspective on the origins of the human diet, and how to design and prepare a varied inclusive diet of nutrient dense foods, often wild and weird, that extracts the most nutritional benefit through ancient cooking methods (and often ancient foods ignored today - insects anyone?). If you want to learn to be in right relationship to your body, nature and food, read this book!Dr Bill Schindler is at the forefront of a small handful of intrepid researchers who have taken the deep insights of evolutionary science and wedded them to the practical (and critical) process of feeding ourselves, our families, and communities. Eat Like a Human is not "cave man reenactment" - it is a science-based approach to truly nourishing the human body, mind, and spirit.From Samburu warriors in Africa drinking blood milkshakes, to highlanders in Peru dipping potatoes in a sauce made of clay, Eat Like a Human takes you on a fascinating journey of culinary traditions around the world. Dr Schindler explains why food preparation techniques are critical for obtaining the best possible nourishment for our food while providing delicious recipes acceptable to western palates. Eat Like a Human is a delightful read that serves as a practical road map to healthy eating.Eat Like a Human will awake your latent hunter-gatherer. Dr Schindler shares his intriguing journey from 'hard core obsessive' to the realization that food is more than nutrition - it's also a cultural experience that is invaluable to our health and happiness. A lifetime of discovery and invaluable forgotten skills between two covers.Dr Bill Schindler dives into ancestral foodways, into the archeology of food, in order to draw a better future for our health as well as the health of our planet. He doesn't just preach the change in our eating behaviour, he uses the world's simplest argument - eat like a human - to understand our DNA, our metabolic functions, and the evolution of our species in order to design a better, tastier, healthier and more egalitarian future.Archaeology too often fails to explore what our ancestors ate, overlooking the most fundamental part of the story of human evolution. This adventure-rich masterpiece explores living guardians of ancient culinary wisdom, filling a much needed void that prods at the status quo of nutrition in a quietly powerful way.Anthropologist Dr Bill Schindler offers sage eating advice and recipes from our ancestors. He encourages us to consider the cultural context of our consumption from surprising perspectives, with stories from his extensive travels to learn from indigenous peoples and their traditional diets. Bill invites us to eat dirt, not our greens; to reconsider nutrient-dense offal; and not to drink the USDA-recommended three glasses of milk a day, but to turn them into cheese instead!Eat Like a Human had me on the edge of my seat from the first paragraph till the very end. In a world of processed food, deceptive marketing, and fad diets, this book is a true guide for living and eating! A powerful read and a wealth of invaluable knowledge from Dr Bill Schindler.Since being in the food industry for more than forty years and owning a culinary school for twenty-five, few people have made such an impact on my philosophy of eating as Dr Bill Schindler. With his vast knowledge, he describes our nutritive past as humans. Through his huge charisma, he tells us what paths we can follow for the future, leaving the choice to us. * John Nocita, president, Italian Culinary Institute *

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Book SynopsisTOP TEN SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER Think about that first tickle of hunger in your stomach. A moment ago, you could have been thinking about anything, but now it's thickly buttered marmite toast, a frosty scoop of ice cream straight from the tub, some creamy, cheesy scrambled eggs or a fuzzy, perfectly-ripe peach. Eating is one of life's greatest pleasures. Food nourishes our bodies, helps us celebrate our successes (from a wedding cake to a post-night out kebab), cheers us up when we're down, introduces us to new cultures and - when we cook and eat together - connects us with the people we love. In Eat Up, Ruby Tandoh celebrates the fun and pleasure of food, taking a look at everything from gluttons and gourmets in the movies, to the symbolism of food and sex. She will arm you against the fad diets, food crazes and bad science that can make eating guilt-laden and expensive, drawing eating inspiration from influences as diverse as Moonlight, Rihanna and Gemma from TOWIE. Filled with straight-talking, sympathetic advice on everything from mental health to recipe ideas and shopping tips, this is a book that clears away the fog, to help you fall back in love with food.Trade ReviewI read it greedily. Thank you. -- Nigella LawsonEat Up! is brilliant. Thought-provoking, hunger-stoking and so very well written. Buy it. You won't regret it. -- Meera SodhaA wonderful read, whatever you eat. Loved this book for helping me rediscover joy in food when 'new year, new me' diet rhetoric was getting unbearable. -- Reni Eddo-LodgeIf you love food, complications and all, then Ruby's incisive manifesto - to enjoy food for what it is - is for you. * Thomasina Miers *Eat Up! is a joyous manifesto for flavour and sanity. It will give you more nourishment and wellness - not to mention waffles! - than any number of clean eating books. Tandoh takes in everything from Nepalese chicken dumplings to the science of taste; from blackberrying to the films of Alfred Hitchcock. Ruby Tandoh has written a genre-busting antidote to food-anxiety. You come away from it feeling braver and determined to eat with more freedom and gusto. I loved it. * Bee Wilson *I not only ate it up, I devoured it! A salutary reminder that food is about nourishment in all its senses - thank you Ruby for putting the pleasure back into eating. -- Helen Goh, co-author of Sweet (with Yotam Ottolenghi)Ruby Tandoh has written a hand grenade of a book. What I love most about Eat Up is all of the books that it isn't. It isn't a recipe collection full of soft-focus food pornography, the author lifting something glistening to her perfect lips, alone in an immaculate kitchen. It isn't a manual for how to save your soul by way of micronutrient-inflected mortification of the flesh. It is not a memoir of one young woman's emotional journey, served rare with a side of gawking and a comforting, sweet finish. Like Tandoh, it refuses to be anything but what it is: a strange, special, occasionally repetitive book that is somehow so much more than it was meant to be ... she takes graceful aim at the cult of wellness, front-loads the economics of food poverty and provides a recipe for a can of fizzy pop, cold from the fridge ... Eat Up is part-Delia Smith, part-Irvine Welsh. -- Laurie Penny * New Statesman *Ruby's writing in Eat Up! is moreish. Her third book is witty, thoughtful, epigrammatic, sometimes scholarly and always passionate ... Eat Up!'s mission is to replace our collective nervousness about food with guilt-free appreciation -- Andrew Billen * Times *Eat Up is really, really, really good -- Dolly Alderton * The High Low Podcast *Tandoh takes the reader on an optimistic, witty, inclusive ride through our relationship with food ... she is at her best when she is giddy with the joy of cooking ... a warm, reassuring book [and] a defiantly upbeat read -- Lisa Markwell * The i Paper *Tandoh has built up a body of food writing that is as incisive about the relationship between eating disorders and health culture as it is on the undervalued appeal of food memoirs -- Charlie Hiller * Food and Wine *A passionate, common-sense manifesto that celebrates food in all its guises, and debunks damaging ideas * Olive Magazine *Tandoh examines knotty issues with both gravity and humour, her enthusiasm for the pleasure of eating - sun-warmed Essex blackberries or a perfectly composed Burger King - running through each chapter like the lettering on a stick of seaside rock. Eat Up is a timely reminder that food is something to savour. * Observer *Ruby Tandoh's manifesto for ditching the guilt and putting the pleasure back into eating * Glamour *

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Book SynopsisWhether grainy or smooth, spicy or sweet, Dijon, American or English, mustard accompanies our food and flavours our life around the globe. It has been a source of pleasure, health and myth from ancient times to the present day, its tiny seed a symbol of faith and its pungent flavour a testimony to refined taste. In this delightful global history, Demet Güzey takes readers on a tour of the ubiquitous mustard, exploring its origins, its use in medicine and in the kitchen, its place in literature, language and religion, and its strong symbolism of sharpness, perseverance and strength. There are stories of mustard plasters used to treat melancholy, runners eating mustard to prevent cramps, and Christians spreading mustard seeds along pilgrimage trails. Packed with entertaining mustard facts, anecdotes and images, as well as a selection of historic and modern recipes, this surprising history of one of the world’s most loved condiments will appeal to food history aficionados.

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Book SynopsisThe avocado is the iconic food of the twenty-first century. It has gone from a little-known regional food to a social media darling in less than a hundred years. This is an astounding trajectory for a fruit that isn’t sweet, becomes bitter when it is cooked and has perhaps the oddest texture of any fruit or vegetable. But the idea that this rich and delicious fruit is also healthy despite being fatty and energy-dense gives it unicorn status among modern eaters, especially millennials. Through lively anecdotes, colourful pictures and delicious recipes, Jeff Miller explores the meteoric rise of the avocado, from its co-evolution with the megaherbivores of the Pleistocene to its acceptance by the Spanish conquistadores in Mexico and its current dominance of food consumers’ imagination.Trade Review"A welcome addition to the Reaktion food series. . . . Filled with splendid facts, figures, and illustrations. . . . This is a fascinating story, beautifully told." -- Marion Nestle, professor emerita of nutrition, food studies, and public health, New York University, author of "Unsavory Truth: How Food Companies Skew the Science of What We Eat"Table of Contents1 The History of the Avocado2 Growing Avocados 3 Selling an Odd, but Nutritious, Fruit4 Eating Avocados and Other UsesAppendix: Types of AvocadoRecipesReferencesFurther ReadingWebsites and AssociationsAcknowledgementsPhoto AcknowledgementsIndex

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Book SynopsisFood does much more than fuel our bodies. Food helps us express care, create culture, and connect. But while food today might feed some of us, the growing, producing, packaging, and distributing is also killing us. Trying to ‘feed the world’ is accelerating the collapse of environmental, economic, and social structures. The current “solutions” aren’t working. By blending research, insights from diverse thinkers, and lived experience, food systems educator Nicole Civita and story justice activist Michelle Auerbach make sense of sustenance. They demonstrate that our lives depend on the relationships we make with and through food, and make the case for a much-needed cultural shift in the way we approach food.

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Book Synopsis‘A tale of kings and conquests and high-sea adventures … A must-read for those interested in the history of spices.’ – Shrabani Basu, author of Victoria and Abdul and Curry: The Biography of the Nation’s Favourite DishHumans have crossed the oceans and traversed the unknown in search of spice and flavour for thousands of years. Mustard has been found at Neolithic sites in Iran, Germany and Denmark; the Romans’ love affair with black pepper was insatiable; pepper, saffron, cinnamon, ginger, galangal and grains of paradise were ordered in large quantities for Richard III’s coronation feast; and vanilla was credited as helping 342 eighteenth-century men become ‘astonishing lovers’.Although the Romans had imported black pepper, and Eastern spices had trickled through to the West for centuries, it was only after Vasco da Gama rounded the Cape that huge quantities of spices were brought back from India and the Far East, starting vicious trade wars between the Portuguese, Dutch and English as they established their colonial empires. Spices came from the West too: when Columbus reached the Americas in the fifteenth century, he brought back chilies to Europe, and from there they spread rapidly across the globe.The History and Natural History of Spices looks at spices from both a botanical and historical perspective, from their uses and classification to their influence on trade, war and global events. Both comprehensive and entertaining, it is the story of how our passion for spices helped to change the world.Trade Review‘A tale of kings and conquests and high-sea adventures … A must-read for those interested in the history of spices.’ SHRABANI BASU, author of Victoria and Abdul and Curry: The Biography of the Nation's Favourite Dish

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Book Synopsis'To eat at Slippurinn is blissful. To have Matt’s recipes is a gift.’ – Diana Henry The debut from rising star chef Gísli Matt of Slippurinn, the international culinary-destination restaurant in Iceland’s Westman IslandsChef Gísli Matt built Slippurinn with his family in a historic shipyard building of a small town whose landscape was changed forever by the lava flow from a 1973 erupted volcano. In this most incredible environment, where plants grow on mountains created out of lava, Gísli created a menu that both respects the local and traditional and pushes boundaries of contemporary cuisine. Gísli is forging his own way in gastronomy today. He has captured the attention of the world’s culinary cognoscenti, including Ruth Reichl and Diana Henry among others, and this, Gísli’s first book, reflects his extensive research into traditional Icelandic dishes to preserve local culinary knowledge while applying a modern approach for a cuisine to be enjoyed by locals and international foodies. It takes the reader right to the heart of his fascinating culinary world and island life. A book for lovers of all things Nordic and for food lovers the world over.Trade Review"[Gísli Matt] has garnered international attention for his modern, inventive cuisine, which respects the local volcanic terroir. The book takes the reader into rising star Matt's cuisine and shares the realities of island life." – Fine Dining Lovers"Expect involved recipes ... that might just lure you to Iceland." – Time Out“A celebration of traditional Icelandic cuisine and culture.” – Daily Beast

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Book SynopsisChina is a big country and its cookery is one of the world’s greatest. In the last century all nations everywhere have been introduced to its tastes, flavours and cooking methods. But an understanding of Chinese food history is hard to come by: the country is large and the history is long. Hsiang Ju Lin has interrogated the written record, some of it dating back to the 5th century BC, and most recently from books current in the People’s Republic today; she has translated it and set it into culinary context and thereby allows the modern reader to enter into some of the breadth and depth of literature available.In a sequence of chronological chapters Hsiang Ju Lin plunges into specific topics as diverse as the influence of the Silk Road, the administration of the Imperial palace, the role of tea and sugar, many of the grand banquets of which we have record, the differences witnessed in the southern provinces, vegetarianism, bean curd and soy sauce, birds’ eggs and birds’ nests, the role of salt, the impact of the Western missions, noodles, and the relationship of food and medicine.The reader is able to taste the richness of the heritage, to read for him or herself the words as diverse as the Essential Skills for Common Folk by Jia Sixie (6th cent. AD), Food and Drink by Shen Zinan (7th cent. ), Tao Gu; Zhu Yizun, and Yuan Mei (17th and 18th), the diary of a salt merchant on the east coast and Madame Wu’s Home Cooking from the late Song dynasty.

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Book SynopsisSejal Sukhadwala probes the complex intersection of tradition and colonialism through the fascinating history of curry, from its association with Ayurveda - one of the world's oldest holistic healing systems to its enduring popularity in contemporary British culture.

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Book SynopsisAn award-winning pastry chef’s foolproof recipes and fresh take on the history of American desserts, from chocolate chip cookies to toaster pastries.Trade Review"This is not everyday baking – nor does it celebrate an everyday occasion – but the whisking of egg whites to make the marshmallow icing (inspiration for which I thank the ever-illuminating, ever-inspiring American baker-sleuth Stella Parks, author of the compendious BraveTart)..." -- Nigella Lawson - Observer Food Monthly"Fans of American desserts need look no further than this book." -- Choice

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Book SynopsisBill Buford has been a writer and editor for the New Yorker since 1995. Before that he was the editor of Granta magazine for sixteen years and, in 1989, became the publisher of Granta Books. He is also the author of Heat and Among the Thugs. He was born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, grew up in California, and was educated at UC Berkeley and Kings College, Cambridge, where he was awarded a Marshall Scholarship for his work on Shakespeare's plays and sonnets. He lives in New York City with his wife, Jessica Green, and their two sons.Trade ReviewFor a rip-roaring account of French food culture and the dos and don'ts of working in a kitchen, look no further. -- Olivia Marks * Vogue *The Best Food Writing For Autumn 2020* *Hugely enjoyable... Buford's patience and composure are remarkable, his reportage illuminating. -- Roger Lewis * The Times *This book may well be an even greater pleasure than its predecessor... Delightful, highly idiosyncratic. -- Lisa Abend * New York Times Book Review *Buford is excellent company - candid, self-deprecating and insatiably, omnivorously interested... [I] wolfed it down. -- Orlando Bird * Telegraph *I adore Buford's enthusiasm, which is unstinting, endlessly curious and absolutist in the best sense. -- Rachel Cooke * Observer *

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Book SynopsisTo some it''s antisocial anathema, to others it is a harmless way to relax, or provides relief from crippling pain. Some fear it is a dangerous drug that leads to ''reefer madness'' and addiction; to others still it is a legal anomaly and should be decriminalized. Whatever the viewpoint, and by whatever name it is known, cannabis - or marijuana, hashish, pot, dope, kif, weed, dagga, grass, ganja - incites debate at every level. In this definitive study, Martin Booth - author of the acclaimed OPIUM: A HISTORY - charts the history of cannabis from the Neolithic period to the present day. It is a fascinating, colourful tale of medical advance, religious enlightenment, political subterfuge and human rights; of law enforcement and customs officers, smugglers, street pushers, gang warfare, writers, artists, musicians, hippies and pot-heads.Booth chronicles the remarkable and often mystifying process through which cannabis, a relatively harmless substance, became outlawed tTrade ReviewEnlightening...a very engaging history. * Daily Telegraph *Booth tells this story with admirable restraint...this book should be on the shelf of anyone interested in human freedoms and bad laws. * Independent *So good no one will need to do another for at least fifty years...mesmerizing detail, fantastical digressions, lots of jokes and wry asides. -- James Delingpole * Literary Review *A testament to the late Booth that he could make such a boring subject so interesting. * Sunday Times *A colourful tale ... Chronicles the remarkable and often mystifying process through which cannabis became outlawed throughout the Western world, and the devastating effect such legislation has had on the global economy. * Sunday Telegraph *Table of ContentsTo some it's anathema, to others it provides relief from crippling pain: to others still, it is a legal anomaly and should be decriminalized. Whatever the viewpoint, and by whatever name it is known, cannabis - or marijuana, hashish, dope, kif, weed, dagga, grass, ganga - incites debate at every level and its impact on the world's cultures and economies is undeniable. Dating back to the Neolithic period, the history of cannabis is a tale of medical advance, religious enlightenment, political subterfuge and human rights; of law enforcement and customs officers, cunning smugglers, street pushers, gang warfare, writers, artists, musicians and happy-go-lucky hipples and pot-heads.

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Book Synopsis'The late Jim Harrison was one of the true greats when it came to writing about food. He combined an attention to detail with a glorious prose style and a massive appetite... A must read.' - ObserverNew York Times bestselling author Jim Harrison was one of America's most beloved writers, a muscular, brilliantly economic stylist with a salty wisdom. He also wrote some of the best essays on food around, earning praise as 'the poet laureate of appetite' (Dallas Morning News). A Really Big Lunch collects many of his food pieces for the first time - and taps into his larger-than-life appetite with wit and verve. Jim Harrison's legendary gourmandise is on full display in A Really Big Lunch. From the titular New Yorker piece about a French lunch that went to thirty-seven courses, to pieces from Brick, Playboy, the Kermit Lynch Newsletter and more on the relationship between hunter and prey, or the obscure language of wine reviews, A Really Big Lunch is shot through with Harrison's pointed aperçus and keen delight in the pleasures of the senses. And between the lines the pieces give glimpses of Harrison's life over the last fifteen years. A Really Big Lunch is a literary delight that will satisfy every appetite.Trade ReviewThe late Jim Harrison was one of the true greats when it came to writing about food. He combined an attention to detail with a glorious prose style and a massive appetite... A must read. * Observer *A celebration of eating well and drinking even better as a recipe for the good life... If this is the last we get from Harrison, it serves as a fitting memorial. * Kirkus *[His] gusto sparkles throughout this collection of magazine essays on food... the result is a tasty nosh for foodies with a literary bent. * Publishers Weekly *A Really Big Lunch showcases Harrison's enthusiastic, funny, and uncompromising views on how to eat, drink, and live well. His tone is conversational, generous, the sort of person with whom you'd want to share a 37-course lunch that lasts 11 hours . . . His writing is bodily, bawdy, sharp. The more we have of his voice, the better. * Boston Globe *The intimacy and enthusiasm of Harrison's food correspondent style makes reading A Really Big Lunch feel like sitting at a table during a really big lunch with the best, and smartest, and most entertaining of friends. * Salon *With an introduction from Harrison's longtime friend Mario Batali, this is for Harrison fans as well as a great addition to popular food and wine collections. * Booklist *Harrison writes with enough force to make your knees buckle and with infectious zeal that makes you turn the pages hungry for more . . . Jim Harrison has staked out a distinctive place in the world of food writing. -- Jane and Michael Stern * New York Times Book Review on THE RAW AND THE COOKED *Harrison is the American Rabelais, and he is at his irreverent and excessive best in this collection. -- John Skowles * San Diego Union-Tribune on THE RAW AND THE COOKED *Jim Harrison is the Henry Miller of food writing. His passion is infectious. . . By virtue of talent, Mr. Harrison would sit at the same table as A.J. Liebling and M.F.K. Fisher. -- Jeffrey Trachtenberg * Wall Street Journal on THE RAW AND THE COOKED *Jim Harrison is the Homer, the Michelangelo, the Lamborghini, the Willie Mays, the Secretariat of words, the peak of perfection in all writing, but achieves Jimi Hendrix solo perfection when he waxes the gristle about our most primordial need and luxury. -- Mario Batali * on THE RAW AND THE COOKED *A rumination on the unholy trinity of sex, death and food, this long-awaited collection of gastronomic essays reads like the love child of M.F.K. Fisher and James Thorne - on acid. Harrison . . . writes with a passion for language equal to his passion for good food. * Publishers Weekly on THE RAW AND THE COOKED *

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Book SynopsisIn 1939, Britain was preparing for war. As well as building aeroplanes and digging Anderson shelters, this meant managing food supplies for the home front.The Ministry of Food rose to the challenge, introducing rationing, encouraging the nation to dig for victory, and issuing cookbooks and health advice.Drawing inspiration from Britain’s ‘finest hour’, when the thrifty British housewife had to grow her own veg, stretch the butter ration and still keep her family fighting fit, this is both a social history of wartime dining and a collection of over sixty delicious and healthy seasonal recipes with a vintage twist.

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Book SynopsisThe best writer on Italian food in the UK and perhaps the world, Anna Del Conte has written 12 books including the acclaimed Portrait of Pasta, Gastronomy of Italy and Amaretto, Apple Cake and Artichokes. She won the Duchessa Maria Luigia di Parma award for Gastronomy of Italy, and was shortlisted for the Andre Simon award with Entertaining All'Italiana. The Classic Food of Northern Italy won awards from the Guild of Food Writers and the Accademia Italiana della Cucina. She has contributed to Sainsbury's magazine and received the Glenfiddich award for her journalism. Her memoir, Risotto with Nettles, was published by Chatto in 2009. This year Anna was awarded thehonour of Ufficiale dell'Ordine al Merito della Repubblicao Italiana in recognition of the work she does for Italy and Italian food in this country. She lives in Dorset.Trade ReviewThe delightfulness of this book rests in the fact that the chapters centre on ingredients rather than regions, allowing for a wonderful spread of recipes and information that captures the flavour of the Italian kitchen * Guardian *This is a traditional nurturing home-style Italian cooking, ranging from the simplicity of 'la cucina povera' to the more elaborate cuisine of the old nobility, from rough rustic dishes like bread soup, to festive presentations like lamb with garlic and juniper berries with a dazzling sauce of vinegar, sugar and milk * New York Times *An excellent cook and a natural hostess, Del Conte has the gift for passing on knowledge and for organising. She is the best writer on Italian food in Britain * Financial Times *Those who think of Italian cooking as only tomato sauce and pasta will be surprised by the range of dishes presented here. Del Conte, the author of five other cookbooks, knows her culinary terrain intimately. This is the food of her childhood and Del Conte is as likely to invoke her father's notion of a proper soup as she is to discuss the 17th century chef Bartolomeo Stefani * Cookbook Review *The recipes are clear enough for rookie cooks to follow and they make sense in terms of the kinds of food many people want to eat today- fresh, flavourful, simple prepared, with less emphasis on meat and more on vegetables * New York Times *

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Book Synopsis''Funny, informative, a love poem to all that''s great in British cooking ... from the humble cheese sandwich, through fish and chips and curry, to the ubiquitous Sunday roast ... Part Nigel Slater, part Bill Bryson, and wholly delicious'' Michael Simkins, Mail on SundayA journey through British food, from the acclaimed author of The Apple OrchardIn Britain, we have always had an awkward relationship with food. We''ve been told for so long that we are terrible cooks and yet when someone with a clipboard asks us what the best things are about being British, our traditional food and drink are more important than the monarchy and at least as significant as our landscape and national monuments in defining a collective notion of who we are. Taking nine archetypically British dishes - Pie and Peas, A Cheese Sandwich, Fish and Chips, Spag Bol, Devonshire Cream Tea, Curry, The Full English, The Sunday Roast and a Crumble with CuTrade ReviewThe book examines a series of traditional British meals with Hornby's geeky obsessiveness and Orwell's incisive class observation ... His prose is engaging, his storytelling effortless ... Brown writes beautifully and fondly of every dish in a way that will have you desperate to taste it again at the end of each chapter. This historical information he weaves around the food is plentiful, accurate and worn lightly, and his observations are fresh and provocative. * Financial Times *Part Nigel Slater, part Bill Bryson, and wholly delicious...Funny, informative and written with passion, Pie Fidelity is a love poem to all that's great in British cooking. * Mail on Sunday *A heart-felt book that makes an important point without false pride or sentimentality. When it comes to food, we're better than we think. * The Times *Genuinely revealing...Brown evokes the emotionalism of eating * Guardian *As much as his book is a reflection of his experiences, reading it inevitably leads the reader to examine their own past, and how food defines who we are, or used to be * Waitrose Weekend Magazine *Brown is a natural raconteur... this memoir mixed with a "defence of British food" sees him at his funniest and most insightful. Highly recommended * Sunday Times, Food Book of the Month *Brilliant, funny... loving every page -- Dave Myers, The Hairy Bikers[Praise for The Apple Orchard] An absorbing love letter to the English apple tree...lyrical and joyful * TLS *[Praise for The Apple Orchard] Wonderful, revelatory ... very moving -- Sheila Dillon * BBC Radio 4 *[Praise for The Apple Orchard] Delightful... impassioned, patriotic, richly informed * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisDavid and Stephen Flynn, a.k.a the Happy Pear twins, are back with their simplest cookbook yet!The perfect collection for vegans, vegetarians, or anyone looking to eat more plant-based recipes - ''This book is awesome'' Chris EvansAUBERGINE - BEETROOT - BROCCOLI - CABBAGE - CARROT - CAULIFLOWER - COURGETTE - LEEK - MUSHROOMS - POTATOESTen vegetables, ten ways, The Veg Box makes cooking veg easier and tastier than ever before! This vibrant book is packed with over 100 new recipes that use just ten ingredients or less and showcase the delicious and diverse ways you can enjoy each vegetable.Take carrots for example. Learn how to transform this simple produce into:Carrot and Sesame BurgersRoasted Carrot TagineChewy Flapjacks with Carrot and PistachioOr how about courgettes? Watch them become:Easy One-Pan Courgette PizzaCourgette Crepes with Spinach and RicottaCourgette and Lemon Loaf Cake with a Lemon Curd Building tips on eating more sustainably into family-friendly meals, quick weeknight dinners and sweet treats, this is healthy eating for our planet, our bodies and our tastebuds.''Proper good food, less waste and very simple, delicious plant-based recipes'' Joe Wicks''Super practical and full of great recipes for eating more plants and reducing food waste'' Fearne Cotton ''The lads have done it again! A great concept and a beautiful book to help us all cook more delicious veg'' BOSH!''A delicious celebration of plants and all that they have to offer'' Megan Rossi ''Their recipes are fantastic and you will love this book'' Dr Rupy Aujla ''Delicious, sustainable meals everyone will enjoy'' Dr Gemma NewmanTrade ReviewProper good food, less waste and very simple, delicious plant-based recipes * Joe Wicks *Super practical and full of great recipes for eating more plants and reducing food waste * Fearne Cotton *Their recipes are fantastic and you will love this book * Dr Rupy Aujla *The lads have done it again! A great concept and a beautiful book to help us all cook more delicious veg * BOSH! *Delicious, sustainable meals everyone will enjoy * Dr Gemma Newman *This book is awesome! * Chris Evans *

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Book Synopsis''Read this book. Saving Planet Earth starts right here, right now'' Stella McCartneyFrom the bestselling author of Eating Animals, a brilliantly fresh and accessible take on climate change - and what we can do about it''Climate change is the greatest crisis humankind has ever faced.It is that straightforward, that fraught.Where were you when you made your decision?''It is all too easy to feel paralysed and hopeless in the face of climate crisis, but the truth is that every one of us has the power to change history''s course. We have done it before: making collective sacrifices to protect our freedoms, our families, our way of life. And we can do it again.In this extraordinarily powerful and deeply personal book, Jonathan Safran Foer lays bare the battle to save the planet. Calling each one of us to action, he answers the most urgent question of all: what will it take for things to change? It all starts with what wTrade ReviewRead this book. Saving Planet Earth starts right here, right now * Stella McCartney *We Are The Weather: Saving The Planet Begins At Breakfast is optimistic not because Foer minimises the crisis, but because of his claim that ordinary people have a chance of ameliorating it . . . I have not had meat at lunch since I read the book, and that makes me feel even better than having solar panels. * The Times *A warning: this is a life-changing book and will alter your relationship to food forever * Observer *Since I finished the book I have been following his advice. I hope others will too. The future of the planet is in our hands - or rather, it's on our plates * The Times *Jonathan Safran Foer has laid down an urgent challenge with this book. Thought-provoking, humane and incisive, We Are the Weather confronts our personal entanglement in the climate crisis through the food on our plates. A necessary book about the way we eat and the enormous difference our daily choices can make. -- Julian HoffmanSafran Foer's new approach, measured and moderate, gives me hope * Observer *In a style rarely found in books about global catastrophe, [Foer] interweaves personal stories, bulleted factoids and a delicious serving of metaphor. The effect is dazzling. * The Washington Post *Eye-opening . . . In this follow-up to his influential Eating Animals, [Foer] brings both personality and passion to an issue that no one has figured out how to address in a way that inspires an adequate response. * The New York Times Book Review *Beautiful, powerful writing that's made me rethink the way I eat. -- Samin Nosrat, author of Salt, Fat, Acid HeatFoer's message is both moving and painful, depressing and optimistic * Publisher's Weekly *Foer's new book urges the reader gently towards incremental adjustments - the idea being that if enough of us observe them, difference can be made * Monocle *

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Book SynopsisUnlike other barnyard animals, which pull plows, give eggs or milk, or grow wool, a pig produces only one thing: meat. Incredibly efficient at converting almost any organic matter into nourishing, delectable protein, swine are nothing short of a gastronomic godsend,yet their flesh is banned in many cultures, and the animals themselves are maligned as filthy, lazy brutes.As historian Mark Essig reveals in Lesser Beasts , swine have such a bad reputation for precisely the same reasons they are so valuable as a source of food: they are intelligent, self-sufficient, and omnivorous. What''s more, he argues, we ignore our historic partnership with these astonishing animals at our peril. Tracing the interplay of pig biology and human culture from Neolithic villages 10,000 years ago to modern industrial farms, Essig blends culinary and natural history to demonstrate the vast importance of the pig and the tragedy of its modern treatment at the hands of humans. Pork, Essig explains, has long beTrade ReviewPraise for Lesser Beasts: "Broad, well-researched... [An] entertaining study." --Economist "Although history sprawls across countless topics, Essig zeroes in on a long-neglected niche -- the pig. In sprightly prose, he tells why the intelligent animal has filled so many plates for so long in so many parts of the world; like good bacon, his book sizzles." --St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Best Books of 2015 "A witty history of civilization told through our four-legged pork producer." --The Guardian (UK) "Essig's account is fascinating, full of erudition and nuance. He traces societal changes from the pharaohs to Walmart, using the pig. Equally, he uses history to enlarge our understanding of the domestic pig." --New Scientist (UK) "Essig presents the pig in a rich cultural context, weaving natural and social history into an engaging narrative about the lowly beast that has loomed ever so large in our collective experience." --Asheville Citizen-Times "Lesser Beasts offers readers entertainment as well as information ... [some] pages sizzle like bacon, and it's tough to set aside a book about an animal that's so close to people, in locale and in physiology." --St. Louis Post-Dispatch Garden and Gun "Mark Essig's savory history will provide you with hundreds of facts and anecdotes about the remarkable pig, so you'll impress your friends and relatives around the fire pit. Essig--who lives in Asheville--loves his pigs; he just loves them a little bit more with a nice vinegar." PopMatters "Essig offers a compelling look at one of history's most divisive animals... informative, suprising." "[A] solid introduction to swine culture... Highly recommended. All readers." --CHOICE "Essig examines the longstanding yet often overlooked connections between man and swine... You'll finish this read with a new appreciation for the phrase 'bringing home the bacon.'" --The Local Palate Portland Book Review "[Essig's] writing skill is excellent... a good read." "An enlightening culinary history... A lively, informative farm-to-table feast." --Kirkus Reviews "What Mark Kurlansky did for Cod, Essig might just do for swine." --Shelf Awareness "Essig presents an entertaining perspective on pigs, especially as they relate to humans. After you read this book, pigs will never seem quite the same." --Library Journal "A thoughtful book about the fascinating relationship between pigs and people, from Leviticus to Charlotte's Web. I learned something new on every page: Essig has a knack for delivering reams of information with lightness and wit, even as he makes an eloquent plea for a reformed pork industry, one where the bacon we eat comes from 'a pig that lived like a pig.' Whether you eat pork or not, Lesser Beasts is a gripping meditation on the plight of pigs." --Bee Wilson, author of Consider the Fork "Forget the egg. It's the pig that's incredible and edible. And Mark Essig tells the remarkable animal's checkered history with a style and verve that's as irresistible as bacon itself." --John Donohue, editor of Man with a Pan: Culinary Adventures of Fathers who Cook for their Families "Mark Essig tells a fine tale of the unsung exploits of the lowly pig, from the age of the pyramids and the wars of the conquistadors to the awful abattoirs and trendy restaurants of today. With clear prose and careful research, he redeems an animal that has played a seminal role in human history while enduring near universal disdain. This fascinating book provides a marvelous antidote to our unexamined views on the pig." --Andrew Lawler, author of Why Did the Chicken Cross the World? The Epic Saga of the Bird that Powers Civilization "Lesser Beasts is a delightful romp through porcine history from the Neolithic era to the present. Mark Essig offers surprising answers to the question of why humans have had such a love-hate affair with the humble pig, and unveils many other unexpected insights. Well written and well researched, Lesser Beasts is a must for historians, pork lovers, and anyone who just loves a good read." --Andrew F. Smith, editor-in-chief, The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America "Pigs are omnivorous. And so is Mark Essig. From a Roman recipe for salt curing and cold smoking hams that Cato favored, to the ignoble efforts of American industrial farmers who have shown neither their pigs nor their customers respect, he has sifted the archival record to write a smart and thoroughly engaging social history of the curious entwinings of pig and man." --John T. Edge, series editor, Southern Foodways Alliance Studies in Culture, People, and PlaceTable of ContentsPrologue. The Magical Animal One. Keep it Simple Two. Out of the Wild Three. "The Pig is Impure" Four. "Of Their Flesh Shall Ye Not Eat" Five. "Monstrosities of Luxury" Six. The Forest Pig Seven. "Swine Eat Things Clean and Unclean" Eight. "The Husbandman's Best Scavenger" Nine. "All the Mountains Swarmed with Them" Ten. "A Great Unkindness for our Swine" Eleven. "The Benevolent Tyranny of the Pig" Twelve. "Twenty Bushels of Corn on Four Legs" Thirteen. "The Republic of Porkdom" Fourteen. "A Swinish Multitude" Fifteen. "A Growing Prejudice Against Pork" Sixteen. "The Other White Meat" Seventeen. Vices Eighteen. "Back to the Start" Epilogue. Virtuous Carnivores

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Book SynopsisDescriptions of food in Roman Britain are usually based on the cookery book of Apicius, as if the whole island dined on gourmet food. In contrast Joan Alcock draws on the archaeological evidence, as well as on Classical and Celtic literature, to discover the full range of native and imported foods needed for a growing urban populations as well as a large resident army. In addition to looking at the very varied food and drink available - from meat, fish and dairy products to vegetables, nuts and herbs - Dr Alcock examines the eating, cooking and dining habits of people who inhabited the province. Comparison is made with other parts of the Roman Empire and, where relevant, to modern food practices. Both civilian and military diets are discussed and the nutritional benefits (or otherwise) of these diets are assessed. Complete with almost 130 illustrations (many in full colour) this is a book which will be a revelation to anyone with an interest in Roman Britain - or, indeed, in the his

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Book SynopsisThe author, responsible for marketing of the Famous Grouse for fifteen years, has been in a unique position to record the decline of the malt distillery and also to look at the remaining distilleries and explain why they survive today. The story is one of politics, taxation, social history, location, supply and demand and sheer perseverance on the part of some. Illustrated with around 175 colour illustrations of distilleries old and new, and of the processes involved in the manufacture of Scotland''s biggest single export.

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Book SynopsisThis thought-provoking, accessible book critically examines the dominant food regime on its own terms, by seriously asking whether we can afford cheap food and by exploring what exactly cheap food affords us.The author shows why today''s global food system produces just the opposite of what it promises. The food produced under this regime is in fact exceedingly expensive. Many of these costs will be paid for in other ways or by future generations and cheap food today may mean expensive food tomorrow. By systematically assessing these costs the book delves into issues related, but not limited to, the food system, the environment, sustainable development, health, and social justice. In this new edition the author brings all data and citations fully up to date. Increased coverage is given to many topics including climate change, vertical agriculture, global pandemics, geopolitical instability, agriculture 4.0, alternative proteins, and food justice. Detailing the numerous ways t

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Book SynopsisAlmost no one knew what a potato was in 1500. Today everyone eats them. This book traces the global journey of this popular foodstuff from the Andes to everywhere. En route it helps explain why we feel so ambivalent about governmental dietary guidelines and celebrates the contributions of ordinary people to shaping how we eat.Trade Review'In following the global travels of the peripatetic potato, Earle brilliantly illuminates both the origins of dietary advice that promised the key to happiness and the everyday ingenuity of farmers and cooks who really do feed the people.' Jeffrey M. Pilcher, author of Planet Taco: A Global History of Mexican Food'If they're delicious when you choose to eat them, but penitentially bland when you're told you have to, you may be eating potatoes, which, as Rebecca Earle argues in her brilliant study of the shape-shifting tubers, provided the first taste of the tension between personal freedom and public well-being within the modern state.' Joyce E. Chaplin, author of The First Scientific American: Benjamin Franklin and the Pursuit of Genius'Potatoes have inspired great books and great recipes. Rebecca Earle describes some unalluring dishes, but her history - cultural, culinary, social, political, and environmental - is the cream of the crop: for coverage, scholarship, breadth and depth of erudition, vividness in exemplification, and fluency in writing no previous work can touch it.' Felipe Fernandez-Armesto, author of Out of Our Minds: What We Think and How We Came to Think It'Feeding the People should be on the menu for anyone interested in the story behind their food.' Orlando Bird, Daily Telegraph'A fascinating book … (Earle) writes with clarity and grace.' Gerard DeGroot, The Times'Earle's surprisingly rich history of the potato is about a carbohydrate whose spread around the world didn't just power the people, but was the source of considerable people power.' Oliver Wiseman, The Critic'This passionately written book … is a rich, creative, and brilliant analysis of an absolutely not-banal foodstuff, proving once more the relevance of food for l'histoire totale.' Peter Scholliers, Agricultural History'… excellent … the book is engaging and well organized … an excellent addition to any food related history text.' Mike Timonin, Global Maritime History'This is a rich, creative, and brilliant analysis of an absolutely not-banal foodstuff, proving once more the relevance of food for l'histoire totale.' Peter Scholliers, Agricultural History'Feeding the People is a joy to read. It is clearly written in engaging prose, but more importantly, it significantly challenges long-held historiographies about the potato in European history. … I recommend this book for a variety of audiences, both scholarly and general. For casual readers, Earle provides a short and interesting history of the potato's romp through the modern world. Scholars will be intrigued by her upending of established theories about potatoes and her focus on bottom-up social history as well as high-level philosophical and political debates. It is impossible for any reader to come away from the book without having gained a new appreciation of how the lowly potato transformed the world.' Tammy M. Proctor, Food & HistoryTable of ContentsList of figures; List of recipes; List of abbreviations; Introduction. Pouring ourselves a large gin; 1. Immigrant potatoes; 2. Enlightened potatoes; 3. Free-market potatoes; 4. Global potatoes; 5. Capitalist potatoes; 6. Security potatoes; Conclusions. Parmentier, peasants and personal responsibility; Acknowledgements; Notes; Bibliography; Index.

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Book SynopsisMeat eating is often a contentious subject, whether considering the technical, ethical, environmental, political, or health-related aspects of production and consumption. This book is a wide-ranging and interdisciplinary examination and critique of meat consumption by humans, throughout their evolution and around the world. Setting the scene with a chapter on meat's role in human evolution and its growing influence during the development of agricultural practices, the book goes on to examine modern production systems, their efficiencies, outputs, and impacts. The major global trends of meat consumption are described in order to find out what part its consumption plays in changing modern diets in countries around the world. The heart of the book addresses the consequences of the massive carnivory of western diets, looking at the inefficiencies of production and at the huge impacts on land, water, and the atmosphere. Health impacts are also covered, both positive and negTrade ReviewVaclav Smil receives 2015 OPEC Award for Research "Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates and above." (Choice, 1 January 2014)Table of ContentsPreface ix 1 Meat in Nutrition 3 Meat Eating and Health: Benefits and Concerns 4 Meat and its nutrients 6 Meat as a source of food energy 11 High-quality protein and human growth 17 Carnivory and civilizational diseases 20 Diseased meat 24 2 Meat in Human Evolution 31 Hunting Wild Animals: Meat in Human Evolution 33 Primates and hominins 35 Meat consumption during the Paleolithic period 39 Extinction of the late Pleistocene megafauna 42 Hunting in different ecosystems 45 Wild meat in sedentary societies 49 Traditional Societies: Animals, Diets and Limits 51 Domestication of animals 53 Population densities and environmental imperatives 56 Long stagnation of typical meat intakes 59 Avoidances, taboos and proscriptions 63 Meat as a prestige food 66 3 Meat in Modern Societies 71 Dietary Transitions: Modernization of Tastes 72 Urbanization and industrialization 74 Long-distance meat trade 77 Meat in the Western dietary transition 81 Transitions in modernizing economies 84 Globalization of tastes 86 Output and Consumption: Modern Meat Chain 89 Changing life cycles 91 Slaughtering of animals 94 Processing meat 98 Consuming and wasting meat 102 Making sense of meat statistics 107 4 What It Takes to Produce Meat 113 Modern Meat Production: Practices and Trends 117 Meat from pastures and mixed farming 118 Confined animal feeding 122 Animal feedstuffs 127 Productivity efficiencies and changes 135 Treatment of animals 141 Meat: An Environmentally Expensive Food 145 Animal densities and aggregate zoomass 147 Changing animal landscapes 150 Intensive production of feedstuffs 155 Water use and water pollution 160 Meat and the atmosphere 168 5 Possible Futures 177 Toward Rational Meat Eating: Alternatives and Adjustments 181 Meatless diets 183 Meat substitutes and cultured meat 188 Protein from other animal foodstuffs 192 Less meaty diets 200 A large potential for rational meat production 203 Prospects for Change 210 References 217 Index 251

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Book SynopsisRe-examining health, healthcare and societal health using the latest data and research, this book addresses definitions of health, changes in health over time and the contribution of healthcare. It also suggests ways of effectively tackling obstacles to improving health and healthcare in 21st century Britain.

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Book Synopsis?Not to be missed.?-Michael Pollan, via XAn enlightening and delicious look at how vegans ? and their critics ? are redefining the way the world eats in the twenty-first century.For years, there has been no doubt that widespread consumption of meat is both environmentally destructive and morally dubious. A growing chorus of scientists, health experts, and activists champion the benefits of a plant-based diet. Nevertheless, change has been slow to arrive, and the chasm between our appetites and our collective well-being seems impossibly vast. We know we must transition to a more plant-based world. But what would such a world look like, and how do we realistically get there?One group of people has been grappling with this question for decades: vegans. Once mocked for its hempy puritanism, the vegan movement has grown from a fringe identity into a veritable cultural juggernaut. Yet visions of what our food system should look like continue to conflict. Is the healthful vegan lifestyle appealing-or alienating? Are high-tech meat alternatives merely a repeat performance of harmful fast-food values? Is modern veganism itself misguided-a wrong answer to the right questions?In The Good Eater, Harvard-trained sociologist (and vegan) Nina Guilbeault, PhD vividly explores the movement''s history and its present-day tensions by grappling with the most fundamental question of all: Is there a truly ethical way to eat? What emerges is a fascinating portrait of how social change happens, with profound implications for our plates-and our planet.

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Book Synopsis"The best wine book I read this year was not about wine. It was about cider"--Eric Asimov, New York Times, on Uncultivated Today, food is being reconsidered. It’s a front-and-center topic in everything from politics to art, from science to economics. We know now that leaving food to government and industry specialists was one of the twentieth century’s greatest mistakes. The question is where do we go from here. Author Andy Brennan describes uncultivation as a process: It involves exploring the wild; recognizing that much of nature is omitted from our conventional ways of seeing and doing things (our cultivations); and realizing the advantages to embracing what we’ve somehow forgotten or ignored. For most of us this process can be difficult, like swimming against the strong current of our modern culture. The hero of this book is the wild apple. Uncultivated follows Brennan’s twenty-four-year history with naturalized trees and shows how they have guided him toward successes in agriculture, in the art of cider making, and in creating a small-farm business. The book contains useful information relevant to those particular fields, but is designed to connect the wild to a far greater audience, skillfully blending cultural criticism with a food activist’s agenda. Apples rank among the most manipulated crops in the world, because not only do farmers want perfect fruit, they also assume the health of the tree depends on human intervention. Yet wild trees live all around us, and left to their own devices, they achieve different forms of success that modernity fails to apprehend. Andy Brennan learned of the health and taste advantages of such trees, and by emulating nature in his orchard (and in his cider) he has also enjoyed environmental and financial benefits. None of this would be possible by following today’s prevailing winds of apple cultivation. In all fields, our cultural perspective is limited by a parallel proclivity. It’s not just agriculture: we all must fight tendencies toward specialization, efficiency, linear thought, and predetermined growth. We have cultivated those tendencies at the exclusion of nature’s full range. If Uncultivated is about faith in nature, and the power it has to deliver us from our own mistakes, then wild apple trees have already shown us the way. Trade Review“The best wine book I read this year was not about wine. It was about cider, though not entirely. It was really about trees and places, agriculture and culture, and the tension between nature and industry . . . Uncultivated is thoughtful, pessimistic and hopeful at the same time. Anybody who loves food, loves wine and ponders where they come from should read this book."—Eric Asimov, New York Times“The Book for Cider Lovers”—New York Times Booklist— "Brennan is deeply anti-capitalist and endeavors to work with the land and the trees in a way that is respectful and sustainable, actively rejecting the conventional wisdom of entrepreneurship focused on continual growth. The book is written in a conversational style and readers will get to know the author’s personality easily." “Andy Brennan is a stubborn, thoughtful original, and his apple memoir is powered by inspiring verve and irreverence. Loving apples or cider is not a prerequisite for loving this book. All that is needed is the willingness to follow a vibrant narrative voice driven by the pursuit of dreams.”—Alice Feiring, author of Naked Wine and For the Love of Wine“Andy Brennan’s new book Uncultivated is smart, wise, raw, generous, unapologetic, and poetic. As delicious to drink in and as profound as the unique and artful ciders he makes.”—Deirdre Heekin, vintner, La Garagista Winery; author of An Unlikely Vineyard“Andy Brennan’s Uncultivated could become the twenty-first century’s One Straw Revolution. Forty years ago, Masanobu Fukuoka’s 1970s classic helped define the thinking of thousands of us searching for a new way to look at farming and the world. Every cider maker in America will want to read Uncultivated, and everyone else should, too. Not only does Brennan explore the questions facing those of us who love to grow and squeeze apples, he also digs deeply into language, art, economics, and life itself. Uncultivated is provocative and fun. Whether you’re a cider maker or not, read this book. It’s a One Apple Tree Revolution.”—John Bunker, apple historian; author of Not Far from the Tree“Part autobiography and part ecological meditation, Uncultivated presents the case for the rewilding of our agricultural imagination. Andy Brennan reflects on the relationship between authenticity, location, and commerce and finds his deepest truths in the dry farm cider of America’s Northeast. Above all, this is a celebration of the power of the wild apple tree to express a sense of place; as it acclimatizes and adapts, so it tells us the story of the land.”—Francis Percival, coauthor of Reinventing the Wheel“This book captivated me—it’s wry and artful, informative and soulful. In Uncultivated Andy Brennan throws down the gauntlet (or rather gathering tarp) for cider made from foraged wild apples, continuing hill town traditions of spirit and survival. He offers readers a new/old (revolutionary/conservative) way to think about community, business, and the living world. The book is bright with art, spirit, and daring.”—Judith Maloney, cofounder, West County Cider“Andy Brennan’s journey with the fruit of our desire is wildly inclined in ways that are going to surprise and delight. Dare I describe my cider-making friend as raucous? That this word-loving hooligan is the one orchardist among us who presumes to ungrow the apple? Open a bottle of your finest, and make a date with Uncultivated this very evening. The time has come to ponder the dignity of the apple tree.”—Michael Phillips, author of The Apple Grower and The Holistic Orchard“Every community has its visionaries. At times, they inspire and enlighten. At others, they vex and confound. But they always push you to think more deeply, reevaluate your judgments, and become more intentional, while making you feel a little uncomfortable in the process. I believe Andy Brennan is a key visionary for contemporary American cider. In Uncultivated you learn that while Andy was helping to shape and elevate the national conversation about cider and apples, he was also evolving in profound and personal ways. Idealistic and provocative, rebellious and vulnerable, Andy is both cider’s conscience and a thorn in its side, and we are the better for his work.”—Ellen Cavalli, editor and publisher, Malus“With regards to growing apples and making cider, uncultivation is a concept that excites me, particularly coming from an American author. Andy Brennan’s Uncultivated argues a case for ‘natural cider’, and his approach to it is something I hope to see grow as craft cidermakers aim to express individual quality and identity. Philosophical, haughty, and enjoyable, Andy’s approach embraces what American cidermakers strive to understand: American terroir.”—Bill Bradshaw, coauthor of World’s Best Cider“American cider has traditionally been deeply regional, dependent on ungrafted seedling trees like those lining the rocky farm fields and sandstone ridges of the Hudson Valley in New York. Andy Brennan and Polly Giragosian name their “locational” ciders after some of these foraging sites: Neversink Highlands, Shawangunk Ridge, Mamakating Hollow. Theirs are tannic, rich, full-bodied, complex drinks. As Brennan writes, ‘Cider making is a responsibility’—to the trees, the land, good food, and the community. Uncultivated is a wonderful, timely reminder of all that this drink can be at its best.”—David Buchanan, owner, Portersfield Cider; author of Taste, Memory

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Book SynopsisPilsners, blonde ales, India pale ales, lagers, porters, stouts: the varieties and styles of beer are endless. But as diverse as the drink is, its appeal is universal - beer is the most-consumed alcoholic beverage in the world. From pubs and inns to restaurants, bars and microbreweries, beer has made itself a staple drink around the globe. Celebrating the heritage of the world's favourite tipple, Gavin D. Smith traces beer from its earliest days to its contemporary consumption. After exploring the evolution of brewing technology, the book travels from Mexico to Milwaukee, Beijing, Bruges and beyond, demonstrating the dazzling variety of beer styles and brewing processes to be found around the world. Once brewed in monasteries to be consumed as 'liquid bread' on fast days, beer is now the drink of choice at festivals and celebrations worldwide. Containing a wealth of detail in its concise, wonderfully illustrated pages, Beer will appeal to connoisseurs and casual fans alike.Trade Review'Embellished with clever illustrations and a nice selection of historical and contemporary recipes ... [an] outstanding series of food volumes.' - Wall Street Journal 'The Edible Series contains some of the most delicious nuggets of food and drink history ever. Every volume is such a fascinating and succinct read that I had to devour each in just a single sitting ... food writing at its best!' - Ken Hom, chef and author

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Book SynopsisFor years we've been told that traditional foods are unhealthy because of their saturated fat content. In place of grass-fed meat, grass-fed dairy products, and eggs from hens running on pasture, we now mostly eat grain-fed meat and processed factory foods - and we've witnessed an epidemic of disease, from type-2 diabetes to heart disease and cancer.Modern agriculture has locked us into an unhealthy, vicious circle, with degraded foods pouring from an overstretched, impoverished landscape.There's a simple remedy: the grass-fed movement. We can make sure that the meat, dairy foods and eggs we buy come from animals grazing on or running in pasture, as they always used to. This will also put life back into our soils and wildlife back onto our farmland.Graham Harvey, agricultural advisor to BBC Radio 4's The Archers, lays out all the arguments for grass-fed food - why it's good for us, and why it's good for the planet.

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Book SynopsisTake your taste buds on an appetizing adventure with this mouth-watering collection of the best and most-authentic street food dishes. Long gone are the days of having to visit top-notch restaurants in order to try the excellent cuisine a country has to offer. With the soaring popularity of street food – ready-to-eat and portable, finger-licking dishes – you can stroll through bustling market stalls anywhere in the world and choose amazing dishes from foodie vendors that tempt you with their wonderful aromas and first-rate flavours. Head to the streets of Mexico for a buttery corn-on-the-cob or a tasty taco, to China for some sticky pork bao buns or walk the alleyways of Italy for arancini bites or a cooling scoop of gelato. When you’re looking to find a country’s most-loved foods, the options are varied, vibrant and inviting for everyone. As you delve into the recipes in this book, you and your kitchen will be transported to taste deliciously different street food and, with each chapter – from An Asian Adventure to Experience India, European Cuisine to Tastes of the Americas – you’ll discover how to create the exquisite yet everyday dishes that each culture does best.

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Whether they make it themselves or just enjoy it with breakfast, people can be passionate about their favourite jam, jelly or marmalade. Award-winning jam-maker Sarah B. Hood looks at the history of these sweet treats from simple fruit preserves to staple commodities, gifts for royalty, global brands, wartime comforts and valued delicacies. She traces connections between sweet preserves and the Temperance movement, the Crusades, the prevention of scurvy, medieval banquets, Georgian dinner parties, Scottish breakfasts, Joan of Arc and the adoption of tea-drinking in Europe. She explores the birth of unique local specialties and treasured regional customs, the rise and fall of international marmalade mavens, the mobilisation of volunteer preserve-makers on a grand scale and a jam-factory revolution.

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Book SynopsisAn estimated two billion people worldwide regularly consume insects, yet bugs are rarely eaten in the West. Why are some disgusted at the thought of eating insects while others find them delicious? Edible Insects: A Global History provides a broad introduction to the role of insects as human food, from our prehistoric past to current food trends. On the menu are beetles, butterflies, grasshoppers and grubs of many kinds, with stories that highlight traditional methods of insect collection, preparation, consumption and preservation. We encounter in this book the culinary uses of creepy-crawlies across many cultures, and also learn of the potential of insects to alleviate global food shortage and natural resource overexploitation, as well as the role of world-class chefs in making insects palatable to consumers in the West.

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Complete with recipes, a mouthwatering look at the complicated origins and rise of the world’s favorite garbanzo bean spread and dip. This is a global history of hummus bi-tahina, the delicious combination of chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and garlic that we know and love as hummus. The story begins in the medieval kitchens of the Near and Middle East and culminates with hummus’s rise in popularity in the Western world at the end of the twentieth century. This book also addresses the international controversy over ownership of the dish and illustrates the extent to which hummus has been embraced by Western food culture today. Though other Mediterranean dishes have become popular in the West, none can be compared to hummus, which can be found in any supermarket and in vast numbers of eating establishments. Hummus has become a global phenomenon and our very favorite dip.

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Book Synopsis What defines cooking as cooking, and why does cooking matter to the understanding of society, cultural change and everyday life? This book explores these questions by proposing a new theory of the meaning of cooking as a willingness to put oneself and one’s meals at risk on a daily basis. Richly illustrated with examples from the author’s anthropology fieldwork in Greece, Bigger Fish to Fry proposes a new approach to the meaning of cooking and how the study of cooking can reshape our understanding of social processes more generally.Trade Review “With writing that is highly readable, clear, and well-paced, this book will appeal to students and scholars alike, especially those studying food and cooking, Greece, and risk, and is an exceptional example of studying food practices for their theoretical bounty.” • Food, Culture & Society “It is a highly readable and conceptually rich book drawing on material from ethnographic work in Kalymnos, Greece, and popular culture in the USA. It beautifully wedges current discussions about cooking into the stream of scholarly discussion in Cultural Anthropology and Cultural Sociology.” • Krishnendu Ray, New York University “This book constitutes a moment in which the systematic and long-standing knowledge of [the author's] field, and the very rewarding trajectory of fieldwork over the years, has now reached a point when they can produce anthropological knowledge of another level.” • Vassiliki Yiakoumaki, University of Thessaly, GreeceTable of Contents List of Figures Preface Acknowledgements Introduction: In the Dangerous Kitchen Chapter 1. How People Cook, While Thinking, for Example Chapter 2. “That’s Not Cooking!” Human Creativity or Mechanical Reproduction? Chapter 3. “To Steal a Bad Hour from Death.” Subjective Risk and Contingent Temporalities in the Greek Kitchen Conclusion: Take the Risk References Index

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Book SynopsisRedolent of everything sensual and hedonistic, chocolate is synonymous with our idea of indulgence. It is adored around the world and has been since the Spanish first encountered cocoa beans in South America in the sixteenth century. It is seen as magical, exotic, addictive and powerful beyond anything that can be explained by its ingredients, and in "Chocolate" Sarah Moss and Alexander Badenoch explore the origins and growth of this almost universal obsession. Moss and Badenoch recount the history of chocolate, which from ancient times has been associated with sexuality, sin, blood and sacrifice. The first Spanish accounts claim that the Aztecs and Mayans used chocolate as a substitute for blood in sacrificial rituals and as a currency to replace gold. In 1753, Linnaeus gave the cocoa tree the official classification Theobroma cacao, or the food of the gods. In the eighteenth century, chocolate became regarded as an aphrodisiac the first step on the road to today's boxes of Valentine delights. "Chocolate" also looks at the production of chocolate, from artisanal chocolatiers to the brands such as Hershey's, Lindt and Cadbury that dominate our supermarket shelves, and explores its associations with slavery and globalization. Packed with tempting images and decadent descriptions of chocolate throughout the ages, "Chocolate" will be as irresistible as the tasty treats it describes.Trade ReviewThe politics of cocoa - chocolate's key ingredient - are fascinating. For centuries African and Central American farmers made it for the paler races to devour. And how did Westerners thank them? With some of the most eye-bogglingly racist advertising in history. Hopefully, paying the current farmers Fair Trade prices will make amends. Diplomat magazine The Edible series contains some of the most delicious nuggets of food and drink history ever. Every volume is such a fascinating and succinct read that I had to devour each in just a single sitting ... food writing at its best! -- Ken Hom, chef and author

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Book Synopsis This book takes a look at food riots in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and food related social conflict, from the Newlyn fish riots to the Cod Wars. Using words and verse from contemporary broadside ballads and folk song, Josh Sutton looks closely at the evolution of the modern food system. He suggests that the spirit of the food riot is still very much alive today, and is apparent in the practice of those engaged in providing food charity in modern Britain and in the United States, where food banks and recycling of supermarket waste are now common and vital.

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Book SynopsisRadio 4's The Food Programme Book of the Year, chosen by Dan Saladino An Irish Times Best Gardening Book 2023 Shortlisted for the Garden Media Guild’s Garden Book of the Year Award 2023 Longlisted for The Art of Eating Prize 2023 ‘If you’re a vegetable growing addict or just curious about their origins, there’s something for everyone in Adam’s new book.’ Rob Smith, TV presenter '[This book] is a clarion call to think about our food in new ways and carefully consider where it comes from.' New Scientist Meet the Indiana Jones of vegetables on his quest to save our heritage produce. Have you ever wondered how everyday staples such as peas, kale, asparagus, beans, squash and sweetcorn ended up on our plates? Well, so did Adam Alexander. Adam’s passion for heritage vegetables was ignited when he tasted an unusual, sweet and fiery pepper while on a filmmaking project in Ukraine. Smitten by its flavour, he began to seek out local growers of old and near-forgotten varieties in a mission to bring home seeds to grow and share – saving them from being lost forever. In The Seed Detective, Adam tells of his far flung (and closer to home) seed-hunting adventures and reveals the stories behind many of our everyday vegetable heroes. How the common garden pea was domesticated from three wild species over 8,500 years ago, that the first carrots originated in Afghanistan (and were actually purple or red in colour), how Egyptian priests considered it a crime to look at a fava bean and that the Romans were fanatical about asparagus. Join The Seed Detective as he takes us on a journey that began when we left the life of hunter-gatherers to become farmers. Sharing storiesof globalisation, political intrigue, colonisation and serendipity, Adam shows us the vital part vegetables have played in our food story – and how they are the key to our future. ‘Informative, enlightening and entertaining but also important.’ Mark Diacono ‘One of the most inspirational books I have encountered.’ Darina AllenTrade Review‘A fascinating and original exploration of the horticultural heritage at our fingertips, and an inspiration to follow in at least some of Adam’s footsteps. Informative, enlightening and entertaining but also important, The Seed Detective is an invitation to be inquisitive, to experiment, and to make our contribution to the plot-to-plate food movement we need to rejuvenate our relationship with food and the soil.’ Mark Diacono, author of Spice/a cook’s companion‘At a time in history when we have become dangerously disconnected from how our food is produced and when self-inflicted, diet-related diseases are the primary cause of premature death, this book could not be more timely. Catastrophic loss of biodiversity and climate change add to the perfect storm. ‘Adam’s initial curiosity has taken him all over the world, collecting precious, often endangered vegetable seeds to grow and share with others. ‘His passion encourages us to seek out nutritious, flavourful, local varieties instead of the lacklustre, mass-produced vegetables that have contributed to the loss of interest in this vital and delicious food source. ‘One of the most inspirational books I have encountered in a long time.’ Darina Allen, founder, Ballymaloe Cookery School‘If you’re a vegetable growing addict or just curious about their origins, there’s something for everyone in Adam’s new book. Follow the Seed Detective as he searches for beans through Burmese markets, learn when a courgette is actually a marrow, and be regaled with stories about how homegrown red brussels sprouts helped decide his future. The perfect book for anyone who grows from seed!’ Rob Smith, winner, BBC’s The Big Allotment Challenge; garden columnist; TV presenter; seed guardian‘Reading this book feels like I am having a cup of tea with Adam in his polytunnel while he tells me fascinating stories of the plants around us. From why garlic was fed daily to the builders of the pyramids to the earliest chillies found in a Mexican cave in 6000 bce, Adam entertains as he educates. I have a new-found respect for the humble vegetable.’ Katie Caldesi, co-owner, Caldesi restaurants and cookery schools; best-selling author'Whether you know your vegetables by eating them, cooking them or growing them, Adam Alexander’s book will enhance those experiences with his tales. Knowing their histories, and the impact they have had on the world, gives them such a special savour that you will never think of them as mere “groceries” again.' Barbara Damrosch, author of The Garden Primer and The Four Season Farm Gardener’s Cookbook‘True seeds always have stories, and stories are what make Alexander’s book so enjoyable. Stories about grannies who bring their treasured family heirlooms to souks and seed shops all over the world; but also about con artists who improve varieties minimally or not at all, then change the names to invent novelty; and about modern plant breeders bringing a renewed appreciation for flavour into their work. At once explorer, treasure hunter, researcher and sleuth, Alexander brings a joy to his lifetime quest that is contagious.’ CR Lawn, founder, Fedco Seeds ‘In our everyday lives, vegetables are often presented to us with limited choice and boring uniformity, so we take their availability for granted, without much thought. Written from the viewpoint of the humble seed, Alexander takes us on a journey that opens the true origin of the vegetables we put on our plates, not just addressing their heritage but also their fundamental role in the cultures of the world. They are the centrepieces of our lives. This book, narrated with personal experience combined with a deep passion, will make you think about the humble veg we consume in a completely different light and my advice to you is to open it up and jump in.’ C.M. Collins, head of horticulture, Garden Organic‘When you read the fascinating stories behind the origin of seeds in The Seed Detective, it’s easy to be enthralled by the agricultural history growing in our gardens. This book takes the reader on a journey to distant lands with a passionate gardener, seed conserver and historian to learn how early cultures survived through seed growing, saving and sharing. It’s an important and rare book that will appeal to anyone who grows a food garden or loves food history.’ Ellen Ecker Ogden, author of The New Heirloom Garden‘While this book targets a British audience, it is highly relevant to us all. Drawing heavily on his own explorations in distant lands, Adam Alexander recounts endless stories of the origins of most of our important food crops. He is not the first to do this, yet his detailed, insightful and entertaining accounts are truly superb. ‘Beginning his odyssey in a dilapidated Soviet-era Ukrainian kitchen, he documents so many sad cases of lost diversity, sounding a shrill alarm for the loss of “culture” in agriculture, yet offering inspiration and encouragement to those of us struggling to recover, preserve and share our endangered crop plant heritage.’ Will Bonsall, author of Will Bonsall’s Essential Guide to Radical, Self-Reliant Gardening‘The writing is rich, demonstrating [Alexander’s] deep integration into the world of seed seekers…It is a clarion call to think about our food in new ways and to carefully consider where it comes from.’ New Scientist

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Book SynopsisWhether smashed on toast or hailed as a superfood, the avocado has taken the world by storm, but what are the environmental and social impacts of this trendy fruit?This book does not seek to demonise the avocado and its many enthusiasts. Instead, it will illuminate consumers on the often unseen impacts of foods. A staple of cafes, restaurants, homes, and social media channels, demand for the avocado has grown exponentially over the past thirty years. From an everyday crop in South and Central America to a global phenomenon, this drastic change in demand has many consequences for people and the planet. As demand grows, so does the need for more land, with land clearances threatening habitats and biodiversity. As production grows, so does global distribution and the impacts that air and sea travel have on the environment. The shift from a local to a global product disturbs the local food system, raising serious questions around food sovereignty and food justice and the importanTrade Review"This book is a desperately needed examination into the extensive impact that our food system has on our planet."Randy Hayes, Founder of Rainforest Action Network"Every food that we eat has an impact on our planet and our society. The Avocado Debate is a timely consideration of the journey of one fruit."Vicki Hird, author of Rebugging the Planet"The Avocado Debate is a much-needed examination of the far-ranging impact that one food can have on our society and our planet."Rob Percival, author of The Meat Paradox"Honor Eldridge’s exploration of questions around global food trade and sustainability is both needed and timely." Patrick Holden, Founder of the Sustainable Food Trust"The Avocado Debate highlights the complexity of the fruit’s production and the environmental and social impact that they have on our planet"Professor Ruben Sommaruga, Professor of Ecology at the University of InnsbruckTable of Contents1. The American Pear: The History of the Avocado 2. Commercially Viable: The Creation of the Hass Avocado3. Superfood: The Nutritional Value of Avocados4. Avocado Toast: Social Media, Marketing, and Influence5. Green Gold: The Creation of NAFTA and the Resistance of US Producers6. Holy Guacamole: Impact of NAFTA on Mexican Food Systems7. New Markets: Regional Challenges to Mexico’s Avocado Monopoly 8. The High Seas: The Global Avocado Trade and Shipping9. Growing Orchards: Land-use Change and Biodiversity Loss from Avocado Cultivation 10. Embedded Water: How Avocados Impact Water and the Potential Policy Solutions11. Vida Campesina: Mexican Agroecology and Food Sovereignty 12. Cartel Control: Narcotics, Criminality, and Avocados13. Alternative Guacamole: Shifting Consumption Patterns14. Assurance: Certifying Avocados and the Role of Technology15. A New Generation: Genetics and Novel Breeding of Avocados

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Book SynopsisFabio Parasecoli identifies and defines the phenomenon of “gastronativism,” the ideological use of food to advance ideas about who belongs to a community and who does not. Featuring a wide array of examples from all over the world, this book is a timely, incisive, and lively analysis of how and why food has become a powerful political tool.Trade ReviewFabio Parasecoli draws on his deep international experience in this thoughtful analysis of how food gets ensnared in political ideology to separate “us” from “them.” Gastronativism argues convincingly that food systems are indeed global, and the sooner we get those systems to bring people together, the better. -- Marion Nestle, author of Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and HealthThis timely book clearly shows how foods have become tangible tools for people’s frustrations with global social change. Parasecoli unpacks the ‘gastronativist’ demands and actions of people and communities who use food to score political points, stoke vicious resentment, and resist globalization. His engaging and readable prose helps us understand the bitterness that can season contemporary food politics. -- Michaela DeSoucey, author of Contested Tastes: Foie Gras and the Politics of FoodThis book coins and explains the concept of gastronativism to help us understand how and why food has transformed into a powerful ideological tool. Using a wide array of timely examples from all over the world, Parasecoli shows how food is increasingly invoked in efforts to construct ideas of an ‘Us’ and a ‘Them,’ offering an important framework for understanding the ways food and identity-making intersect in our globalized world. -- Emma McDonell, coauthor of Critical Approaches to Superfoods[The author] makes the case in this book for why food is so useful as a political too. * Parliament *One of the strengths of Parasecoli’s far-ranging book is its ability to tie together seemingly disparate food-related phenomena into a coherent pattern through a wealth of examples. * Food Anthropology *This volume provides great resources, both through its content and its rich bibliography encompassing trade, food studies, political journalism, and heritage studies, and will provide an enlightening read for food studies students, scholars, and even those “cosmopolitan gastronomes” (p.87) among whom many of us likely figure. * Anthropology of Food *Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: Enter GastronativismPart I: Gastronativism1. Defending Privilege: Exclusionary Gastronativism2. Toward a Better Future: Non-Exclusionary GastronativismPart II: The Power of Food3. Food and Identity4. Food and PowerPart III: Borders and Flows5. Food, Nations, and Nationalism6. Food and Diplomacy7. National Products in the Global MarketPart IV: Between Here and There8. Migrant Food9. ContagionsConclusion: What Future?NotesIndex

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"One of New Scientist's best science books to read in 2021""A New Scientist Book of the Year""A Choice Outstanding Academic Title of the Year""Engrossing and novel. . . . [A] fascinating and fact-filled book."---Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today"An eye-opening and mouth-watering new book."---Bill Thompson, Post and Courier"An engaging trip through time, science, and food."---Amy Halloran, Times Union"Dunn and Sanchez are indeed the perfect hosts, guiding readers, with humor and expertise, through a feast of entertaining anecdotes in fields such as ecology, agriculture, psychology, art and chemistry."---Grace Rajendran, Shelf Awareness"Our hosts at this empirical dinner party envision a new future for the study of flavor, with seats for the curious of every stripe. . . . A persuasive, entertaining argument about how our avid pursuit of deliciousness helped shape our evolutionary path." * Kirkus Reviews *"Fascinating, unusual and truly ‘delicious’ (in more than one sense)"---Vitali Vitaliev, Engineering and Technology"Dunn and Sanchez are scrupulous in the way they present their evidence and arguments. . . . a charming book."---Simon Ings, New Scientist"[Dunn and Sanchez] draw from anthropology, ecology, food science, chemistry, biology, and other fields to create a compelling perspective on how flavor has driven diets and food choices in the past and continues to do so now. . . . An insightful narrative spiced with witty asides and relatable notes."---M. H. Albro, Choice"Written with an entertaining mix of anecdotes from the authors’ culinary travels as well as findings from the latest research, Dunn and Sanchez stir together a rich variety of ingredients to create a highly satisfying and indeed flavoursome narrative."---P.D. Smith, The Guardian

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Book SynopsisBehind every traditional type of cheese there is a fascinating story. By examining the role of the cheesemaker throughout world history and by understanding a few basic principles of cheese science and technology, we can see how different cheeses have been shaped by and tailored to their surrounding environment, as well as defined by their social and cultural context. Cheese and Culture endeavors to advance our appreciation of cheese origins by viewing human history through the eyes of a cheese scientist. There is also a larger story to be told, a grand narrative that binds all cheeses together into a single history that started with the discovery of cheese making and that is still unfolding to this day. This book reconstructs that 9000-year story based on the often fragmentary information that we have available. Cheese and Culture embarks on a journey that begins in the Neolithic Age and winds its way through the ensuing centuries to the present. This tour through cheese history intersects with some of the pivotal periods in human prehistory and ancient, classical, medieval, renaissance, and modern history that have shaped western civilization, for these periods also shaped the lives of cheesemakers and the diverse cheeses that they developed. The book offers a useful lens through which to view our twenty-first century attitudes toward cheese that we have inherited from our past, and our attitudes about the food system more broadly. This refreshingly original book will appeal to anyone who loves history, food, and especially good cheese.Trade ReviewForeWord Reviews- Cheese, glorious cheese. Who knew the 9,000 years of innovation, lore, history, and romance in your story? Who knew skim milk cheeses initially flourished not for diet reasons, but because they were cheaper for London’s working-classes? That higher-temperature cooking techniques contributed to the development of dry and aged cheeses? Or that economics, religion, social mores, climate, and—well, nearly anything—has influenced the evolution of cheese in all its forms, styles, tastes, shapes, and uses? Paul S. Kindstedt knows, and now, through his impeccably researched, and carefully assembled book, any cheese lover can know, too. Kindstedt’s is a book written with scholarly rigor; yet, that detail-laden precision also makes it palatable for foodies curious about how and why food choices, production, and tastes have emerged over centuries—the person jazzed to learn, for example, that ‘Grated cheese seems to have occupied a special place in Greek culture’ indicated by a wounded soldier being served ‘an elixir consisting of Pramnian wine on which (his slave) sprinkles goat’s-milk cheese, grated with a bronze grater,’ or that the seasonal movement of cows across south-central France inspired techniques for producing longer-lasting mountain cheeses. Like the range of cheeses available today, at times Cheese and Culture can be overwhelming, and the chapter on regulation reads like an alphabet soup of agency abbreviations and acronyms. But, like the veined or sharply flavored offerings on a cheese plate, one could choose to skip it and still be satiated.Library Journal- Kindstedt (food science, Univ. of Vermont) delivers an extensively researched and comprehensive history of cheese and its place in the development of Western civilization. Beginning with the ancient origins of cheese making and moving through the classical, medieval, and Renaissance periods to the modern era, the author examines the traditional cheeses that came about during each period and how they were tailored to the environment and culture of the time. Finally, he explores the friction that has developed between the United States and the European Union over issues surrounding cheese making and trade, such as protecting traditional product names, food safety regulation, and the use of new agricultural technologies such as genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and hormones. VERDICT: Incorporating archaeology, religion, and literature, this detailed, accessible history will appeal to readers who enjoy food histories.Choice- Cheese scientist Kindstedt (Univ. of Vermont) has written a lively history of cheese through an examination of the cultural environments from which specific types of cheese-making traditions were born and, in some cases, have continued to the present. Kindstedt begins as early as possible with archaeological evidence of early fresh cheese making in the Fertile Crescent and its role in pre-Christian religious ritual. He quickly moves on to the introduction of rennet in cheese making and cheese in Greek and Roman civilizations and incorporation into daily life, both mundane and sacred. The last half of the book concentrates on the European cheese-making tradition and the role of monasteries in the development of aged cheeses. Surprisingly, Kindstedt does not spend too much time discussing factory-made cheese and the move away from traditional cheese making. But he does end with a timely discussion on raw milk safety and multinational trade laws that impact traditional cheeses, as well as a brief discussion on the artisanal cheese movement. Cheese and Culture is a well-researched, concise, and valuable addition to any food history collection. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through graduate students; general readers."All honor and respect to Aristaious -- the Greek god who taught us to make cheese -- and to Paul Kindstedt, who in Cheese and Culture teaches us its glorious history ever since."--Rob Kaufelt, proprietor, Murray's Cheese NYC"From the Garden of Eden to the dairy industries of today, Paul S. Kindstedt unfolds the monumental story of cheese. Vast in scope, rich in detail, Cheese and Culture is a casein-inspired epic."--Eric LeMay, author of Immortal Milk"Cheese and Culture is the book both cheese professionals and cheese geeks have been waiting for. Professor Kindstedt gives us the mostly untold history of cheese and its societal import from 6500 BC to the present, answering all my cheese questions -- even the ones I didn't know I had. Cheese and Culture is the most comprehensive cheese book ever written by an American, a great addition to our collective cheese library."--Gordon Edgar, cheese buyer, Rainbow Grocery Cooperative, San Francisco, and author of Cheesemonger: A Life on the Wedge"In this painstakingly researched yet passion-laced book, Paul Kindstedt shows us how cheese, from its rudimentary beginnings to today's manufacturing, is inextricably linked to culture and, no less, to our future. Cheese and Culture is essential reading for anyone who loves cheese and, equally, cares about the future of food itself."--Laura Werlin, author, Laura Werlin's Cheese Essentials"I love this book - accessible in its prose and style with the breadth and depth of an academic work. All those interested in the role that cheesemaking has played in the development of the world we live in will come away after reading this book with context and understanding, and an intellectual appreciation of why cheese appeals to so many people at an emotional level. Paul Kindstedt has produced a seminal work in Cheese and Culture."--Mateo Kehler, cheesemaker, Jasper Hill Farm"Paul Kindstedt has fashioned a remarkable book about one of humankind's most distinctive foods. Drawing upon comprehensive evidence from archaeology to contemporary artisan cheese making, Dr. Kindstedt shapes the complex story of cheese. He examines the impact of geography and climate, religion, social status and wealth, transportation and commerce... to describe and explain the 8,500-year evolution of cheese from Neolithic humans to present-day America. From archaeologists and anthropologists and historians to cheesemakers and consumers who want to deepen their understanding and appreciation of cheese, Dr. Kindstedt's book will enlighten, entertain, and reveal the fascinating history and culture of cheese. Bravissimi e complimenti!"--Jeffrey Roberts, New England Culinary Institute, and author of The Atlas of American Artisan Cheese"Only a true scholar could weave together the complexity of history, anthropology, language, geography, religion and science to inform and enlighten our understanding of the evolution of cheese making throughout the millennia. Kindstedt, first and foremost with his discerning scientific mind, helps historians inform the heretofore mysteries in the cheese making continuum."--Catherine Donnelly, PhD, co-director, Vermont Institute for Artisan Cheese"Dr. Kindstedt's love and passion for the artisan cheese movement is inspiring. In his latest book, he has presented a beautiful and historically rich mosaic of the history of cheese on our little green planet. With reference to the past, and detailed attention paid to the present, as well as extrospection for the future, Dr. Kindstedt has created an amalgamation of artisan cheese reference, the like of which has not been attempted before."--Matt Jennings, co-owner/executive chef, Farmstead/La Laiterie, Providence, RI"This book will fascinate anyone who loves cheese. With a sweeping perspective, from the earliest prehistoric domestication of goats and sheep to the present, it chronicles how social, technological, and political developments gave rise to the vast array of cheeses we know and love."--Sandor Ellix Katz, author of The Art of Fermentation, The Revolution Will Not Be Microwaved, and Wild Fermentation"No cheese lover or cheesemaker's education will be complete without reading of the epic journey of cheese as it influences and is influenced by human civilization. Paul Kindstedt steers the reader through a vast sea of history with the steady, inspired hand and confidence of a seasoned captain of his subject. What a gift to the world of cheese!"--Gianaclis Caldwell, cheesemaker, Pholia Farm, and author of The Farmstead Creamery Advisor "Given the vast amount that's been written about cheese down the centuries, the surprising absence of a scholarly work on the history of cheese is all the more remarkable. With Cheese and Culture, noted dairy scientist and author Paul Kindstedt has admirably filled this gap to an extent that should satisfy even the most avid cheese geek."--Kate Arding, co-founder, Culture magazineTable of Contents1. Southwest Asia and the ancient origins of cheese 2. Cheese, religion, and the cradle of civilization 3. Bronze, rennet, and the ascendancy of trade 4. Greece, cheese, and the Mediterranean miracle 5. Caesar, Christ, and systematic cheese making 6. The manor, the monastery, and the age of cheese diversification 7. England, Holland, and the rise of market-driven cheese making 8. The Puritans, the factory, and the demise of traditional cheese making 9. The cultural legacy of cheese making in the Old and New Worlds

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Book SynopsisDavid J. Mabberley is a botanist and writer. He is director emeritus, Botanic Gardens of Sydney; an emeritus fellow at Wadham College, University of Oxford; adjunct professor at Macquarie University, Sydney; and professor emeritus at the University of Leiden. He is the author of Mabberley's Plant-book, now in its fourth edition, and co-author of Joseph Banks' Florilegium.

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Book Synopsis‘There is more history in a bowl of pasta than in the Colosseum,’ writes Andreas Viestad in Dinner in Rome. From the table of a classic Roman restaurant, Viestad takes us on a fascinating culinary exploration of the Eternal City, and global civilization. Food, he argues, is history’s secret driving force. From the starter of bread, Viestad traces the origins of wheat and its role in Rome’s rise and downfall; from his sorbet dessert he recounts how the hunger for sugar fuelled the slave trade. Viestad’s dinner may be local, but his story is universal. His ‘culinary archaeology’ is an entertaining, flavourful journey across the dinner table and time. You’ll never look at spaghetti carbonara the same way again.Trade Review'As enchanting as it is fascinating: Andreas Viestad has a calm gift for evocative scene-setting, story-telling and, crucially, for making and exploring connections that bring everything illuminatingly to life.' – Nigella Lawson; 'A fascinating look at food and its history through the prism of one classic restaurant in Rome. Andreas Viestad has created a “culinary archaeology” that’s as erudite as it is gripping. He’s as comfortable with amusing asides and anecdotes as he is with the deepest digs. His writing leaves you entranced, hugely enlightened – and hungry.' – Marina O’Loughlin, Restaurant Critic for The Sunday Times; 'Andreas Viestad has written a fascinating, thought-provoking and funny book about the importance of food in history. He zips seamlessly between the smells and flavors of a meal in a restaurant in Rome and the long lines of history.' – Alice Waters; 'Viestad comes across as a genial companion, both confident and unassuming . . . Dinner in Rome avoids the florid excesses of much food writing and offers instead the simpler pleasures of a well-crafted book with satisfying body and depth.' – Financial Times; 'Approaching the history of Rome – and civilisation more widely – through a single meal enjoyed at an Italian restaurant is an ambitious premise, but it's one the makes for rewarding reading . . . This accessible account is a perfect pairing of food and history.' – BBC History magazine; 'Viestad . . . has had the strikingly good idea of writing a foodie history of the world by examining a single meal eaten there . . . [a] riveting volume.' – Paul Levy, The Spectator; 'Food serves as a gateway into the rich history of Rome. Viestad works as a culinary archaeologist using food to unearth the historic narratives of the Eternal City from the rise and fall of ancient Rome built from the loaves of bread to how lemons influenced the nineteenth-century mafia. Dinner In Rome is perfect for the history buff more interested in a good story than cooking their own dinner.' – America Domani; 'Perfect for an armchair traveler or as a bit of homework before your own Roman adventures, Dinner in Rome provides plenty of history alongside some contemporary dining suggestions.' – Ivory Owl Reviews; '10 mejores libros para devorar de 2022.' – Tapas Magazine, Spain; 'It’s fun! You learn a lot reading this book. And you get hungry, too. Take up the opportunity to read this creative and interesting book. Dinner in Rome by Andreas Viestad is highly recommended. A fine addition to your food and wine bookshelf.' – Mike Veseth, The Wine Economist; 'History and food memories are everlasting. They bring an eternal pleasure of time and place throughout the decades and centuries. This book reminds us of how deeply rooted food is in our travels, stories and traditions.' – Daniel Boulud; 'A uniquely beautiful, historical account of Andreas’ two-hour meal at a well-known trattoria in the Campo dei Fiori area of Rome. For me, Rome is the eternal city and one that I love for its history, art, architecture, and food. Andreas has brought the history of the world to life through a meal at a Roman table. He writes an entertaining and beautifully written account of how food shapes not only who we are but where we were and where we go as humans. This is a wonderful addition to my collection of cookbooks and culinary memoirs and travel books. It is a book that tells the history of the world according to the food that is eaten on a leisurely afternoon in one of the world’s most beautiful and historical cities. A must-read.' – Lidia Bastianich, author, chef and host of PBS’s Lidia’s Kitchen; 'If 'Culinary Archaeology' had been a course major back when I was in college, I just might have graduated with honors. Andreas Viestad takes us on an evocative journey through time, effortlessly weaving past and present, and transforming one classic Roman meal into an appetite-inducing learning experience. This is the best possible insalata mista: with equal parts cookbook, history lesson, travelogue, and fantasy. It’s right up there with sitting in the Campo dei Fiori on a gorgeous spring day, devouring a hillock of crispy carciofi alla guidea.' – Danny Meyer, restaurateur, author of Setting the Table: The Transforming Power of Hospitality in Business; 'Insightful and enchanting. Viestad reminds us of the power of food and how it has greatly impacted the formation of world history.' – Eric Ripert, chef; 'Everyone’s dream is to visit Rome, to sit down at a restaurant and enjoy one Italian meal that makes you experience flavor, tradition, and passion all at the same time. Andreas Viestad’s must-read Dinner in Rome takes things a step further, inviting you to travel with your mind and your palate. His two-hour dinner is a journey to last a lifetime.' – Cristina Bowerman, chef patron, Glass Hostaria, Rome; 'Fantastic book! Essential reading for anyone who loves Italian food and wants to immerse themselves in the incredible food culture of Italy.' – Giorgio Locatelli, chef; 'Dinner in Rome is, like a good carbonara, an effortless combination of ingredients that come together to make the perfect dish . . . filled with humour, as well as a deep appreciation of the subject . . . the book lives up to expectations: every section is as tasty as promised, every chapter a joyful mouthful of information, bursting in surprising and juicy ways . . . utterly scrumptious.' – GetHistory.co.uk; 'Combining history, gastronomic know-how, and 50,000-plus restaurant meals, Norwegian food writer Viestad begins this armchair-traveling foodie history with a June dinner at his favorite Roman restaurant, La Carbonara in Campo de Fiori, going on to dissect elements of his meal in food-titled chapters . . . Dinner in Rome is a must-read, even for those not so fascinated by the foodie-verse.' – Booklist starred reviewTable of ContentsThe Center of the Universe Bread Antipasto Oil Salt Pasta Pepper Wine Meat Fire Lemon Sources Acknowledgments

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