Edible Books

McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc once said, ‘It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun’. The hamburger has been both a source of gluttonous joy and a recurrent obstacle to healthy eating. Now the full beauty of the burger in all its forms is explored in this book. Andrew F. Smith traces the global history of the hamburger from its humble beginnings as a nineteenth-century street food sold by American vendors. It soon spread to the menus of diners and restaurants, and it came into its own with the 1921 opening of the first US hamburger chain,White Castle. Subsequent successful food chains such as McDonald’s and Wendy’s ensured the burger’s success in the United States and around the world. The hamburger irrevocably changed Americans’ eating habits as it propelled the rise of fast food over home-cooked meals. At the same time, burgers were making inroads in culture, becoming a rich symbol in paintings, television and cinema. Smith also discusses the wider nutritional, economic and cultural conflicts raised by the hamburger, such as the ‘McDonaldization’ of international cultures. A juicy, meaty and richly illustrated read, Hamburger will stimulate the taste buds of hamburger aficionados the world over.

Thin crust, Chicago deep-dish or Sicilian; there are countless ways to create the dish called pizza, and the debate over the best way to cook it never ends. Carol Helstosky documents the fascinating history and cultural life of this chameleon-like food in Pizza.Originally a food for the poor in eighteenth-century Naples, pizza is a source of national and regional pride in Italy as well as of cultural identity. In the twentieth century, pizza followed Italian immigrants to America, where it became the nation’s most popular dish and fuelled the rise of successful fast-food corporations such as Pizza Hut and Domino’s. Pizza has been adapted to local cuisines and has become a metaphor for cultural exchanges. From the world’s largest pizza, which was 37.4 metres (122 ft 8 in) in diameter, to the most expensive – sprinkled with edible 24-carat gold shavings – pizza is one of the world’s best-loved and most adaptable dishes.Pizza also features several tasty recipes and a wealth of illustrations. Whether you love sausage and onions on your pizza or just unadorned cheese, Pizza will satisfy even the pickiest of readers.

Round, thin and made of starchy batter cooked on a flat surface, the pancake is a food that goes by many names: crêpes, flapjacks and okonomiyaki, to name just a few. This treat is a treasured food the world over, and now Ken Albala unearths the surprisingly rich history of pancakes and their sizzling goodness. Pancake traverses over centuries and civilizations to examine the culinary and cultural importance of pancakes in human history. From the Russian blini to the Ethiopian injera, Albala reveals how pancakes have been a perennial source of sustenance from the Greek and Roman eras to the Middle Ages through to the present day. He explores how the pancake has gained symbolic currency in diverse societies as a comfort food, a portable victual for travellers, a celebratory dish and a breakfast meal. This book also features a number of delicious historic and modern recipes – tracing the first official pancake recipe to a sixteenth-century book.

Redolent 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.

Whiskey: poets have celebrated it, preachers have condemned it, and blood has been shed over it. Governments, distillers and the public have fought over whiskey as it changed from a sometimes lethal, herb-infused concoction to a high-quality, meticulously crafted liquor. Kevin R. Kosar tells the story of whiskey, and its rise from obscure medieval origins to become the globally traded product that it is today. Focusing on Scotland, Ireland and the USA, Kosar charts how the technique of distillation moved from Ancient Egypt to the British Isles, and explains how, contrary to popular claims, there were no ‘good old days’ of whiskey. Before the twentieth century, consumers could never be sure just what was being poured in their cups – unscrupulous profiteers could distil anything into booze and pass it off as whiskey. Eventually, governments and industry established legal definitions of what whiskey is and how it could be made, and today’s distinctive styles of whiskey evolved. Whiskey: A Global History explains how the types of whiskey – bourbon, corn, rye, Irish and Scotch – differ. With a list of recommended whiskey brands and classic whiskey cocktail recipes for the thirsty reader, this book is aimed at drink and food enthusiasts and history lovers alike.

In Spices Fred Czarra explores a wide range of spice fact, fable and legend: from giant birds building cinnamon nests, to the trade routes of the ancient world, to the early modern encounters between the English, Portugese and Dutch that resulted in the first global war. In this history of spices he shows that the spice trade opened up the first era of globalization, where people and spices mixed in cross-cultural exchanges: and that this involved the enslavement of many to work on spice plantations, and even led to the first global war. Focusing on the five premier spices – black pepper, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and the chilli pepper – and including the stories of many others, Czarra’s entertaining account tracks spices’ influence as they travelled around the world. Chillies, for example, migrated west from the Americas with the aid of European sailors; spreading rapidly into the Philippines and thence to India, China, Korea and Japan, the new spice was incorporated quickly into local cuisines. From India, the chilli was taken through Central Asia and Turkey to Hungary, where it became the national spice in the form of paprika. Packed with colourful illustrations and incidents from history, Spices is a zesty, readable portrait of this essential aspect of culinary history.

'Curry' is one of the most widely used - and misused - terms in the culinary lexicon. Outside of India, the word 'curry' is often used as a catch-all to describe any Indian dish or Indian food in general, yet Indians rarely use it to describe their own cuisine. Curry answers the question 'What is curry?' by giving a lively historical and descriptive account of a dish that has had many incarnations.In this global history, food writer Colleen Taylor Sen describes in detail the Anglo-Indian origins of curry and how it has been adapted throughout the world. Exploring the curry universe beyond India and Great Britain, her chronicles include the elegant, complex curries of Thailand; the exuberant curries of the Caribbean; kari raisu, Japan’s favourite comfort food; Indonesian gulais and rendang; Malaysia’s delicious nonya cuisine; and exotic Western hybrids such as American curried chicken salad, German currywurst and Punjabi-Mexican-Hindu pizza. Along the way, Sen unravels common myths about curry and Indian food and illuminates the world of curry with excerpts from popular songs, literary works and historical and modern recipes.A vibrant, flavourful book about an increasingly popular food, Curry will find a wide audience of cooking enthusiasts and hungry fans of Indian food.

Cheese is one of the most ancient of civilized foods and one of the most nourishing. Despite its many uses and variations, there has never been a global history of cheese, but here at last is a succinct, authoritative account, revealing how cheese was invented and where, when and even why.In bite-sized chapters well-known food historian Andrew Dalby tells the true and savoury story of cheese, from its prehistoric invention to its modern rebirth. Here you will find the most ancient cheese appellations, the first written description of the cheese-making process, a list of the luxury cheeses of classical Rome, the medieval rule-of-thumb for identifying good cheese, and the story of how loyal cheese lover Samuel Pepys saved his parmesan from the Great Fire of London. Dalby reveals that cheese is one of the most ancient of civilized foods. He suggests that our passion for cheese may even lie behind the early establishment of global trade, and asks in conclusion whether real cheese can survive the current imperative to globalize, pasteurize and sterilize our food. .Packed with entertaining cheese facts, anecdotes and images, Cheese also features a selection of historic recipes. For those who crave a stinky Stilton, a creamy Brie or a salty pecorino, Cheese is the perfect snack.

The pie, to quote one Victorian writer, is ‘a great human discovery which has universal estimation among all civilized eaters’. Pie explores the development of this most esteemed article of food, from the ancient pie, its crust inedible and used for preserving the contents, to its elevation as the highest expression of culinary art. The pie symbolizes family, celebration and ritual, and appears in literature from Chaucer to Jane Austen and in art from Monet to Hogarth. It is the most adaptable of foods, portable, nutritious and tasty, and its contents vary throughout the world, from fish to meat, from sweet to savoury, to the mysterious and sinister ‘Old Maid’ or ‘Scrap’ pie. A pie can be ‘an economical investment for all miscellaneous savings’, as Dickens called it, or a momentous and expensive work of art; it can even contain nothing but live birds, frogs or dancing girls.A celebration of the pie as well as a hugely informative history, with a selection of recipes from throughout the life of the pie, Pie will satisfy the appetite of anyone interested in the history of food and cookery.

Served in a fresh soft bun, and adorned with your choice of mustard, ketchup, chilli, sauerkraut, coleslaw, pickles, relish, sliced tomatoes, hot peppers and fried or fresh onion, the hot dog must surely be one of the world’s favourite convenience foods. In Hot Dog well-known food historian Bruce Kraig recounts the history of this popular dish, from the origin of the sausage some 20,000 years ago, to the evolution of the modern form of the hot dog, and its central place in American culture today. Kraig examines the many types of hot dog sausage around the world, including the Italian bologna and German bockwurst. He also relates the myriad regional variations in the USA, from ‘kosher-style’ New York dogs loaded with mustard and sauerkraut to the famous New England Franks and Boston Baked Beans, to Southern corn dogs, Southwestern chilli dogs and the remarkable Chicago-style hot dog, which is topped with mustard, onion, sweet pickle relish, a dill pickle spear, tomato slices or wedges, sport peppers and a dash of celery salt– but never ketchup. Hot Dog also explores sometimes apocryphal tales of the hot dog in history: how the dish got its name, how it became associated with baseball games and leisure time, and how George VI was served hot dogs during his visit to the White House in 1939. Packed with tasty facts and piquant observations, many illustrations and a selection of recipes, this book shows how this seemingly simple food has a rich history, and is also fundamentally linked to American’s mythology of itself.

Let them eat cake! What birthday, wedding or children’s party would be complete without it? It is the ultimate food of celebration in many cultures throughout the world, but how did it come to be so? Cake: A Global History explores the origin of modern cake and its development from sweet bread to architectural flight of fancy, together with the meanings, legends and rituals attached to cake throughout the world. Nicola Humble reviews the many national differences in cake-making techniques and customs – the French, for example, have the gâteau Paris-Brest, named after the cycle race and designed to imitate the form of a bicycle wheel; in America there is New England’s Election Day cake or the Southern favourite, Lady Baltimore cake – and what they reveal about the nations that make them. From Proust’s madeleine to Miss Havisham’s decaying wedding cake, the symbol of her betrayal in Dickens’s Great Expectations, Humble also relates the food’s place in literature, art and film, and what it can symbolize: indulgence, gender, motherhood and guilt. With a large selection of mouthwatering images, Cake will appeal to the many readers with an interest in food history, social, cultural, literary and art history – or, indeed, just in cake.

Milk, poured over cereal in the morning and splashed in coffee, is part of daily life in the West. Though milk is the sustaining and essential food of all mammals, and worldwide demand for it is growing every year, the majority of the world’s population cannot digest raw cow’s milk. Of those that do drink milk regularly, most have never actually tasted raw milk; what is known as milk today is a heavily treated version far removed from its natural state. In Milk, Hannah Velten explores the myths and misconceptions surrounding the drink. Modern milk processing produces a safe, clean beverage that is far removed from ‘real’ milk straight from the cow, but advocates of raw milk long for the days before pasteurization, homogenization and standardization. Paradoxically, milk back then was likely to be even less natural than today: known as the ‘white poison’, and filled with additives to make it look like milk after extensive watering-down, it was bacteria-ridden and dangerous to the health of invalids and infants. Now that milk has cleaned up its act, it is considered a staple for a healthy and balanced diet. Velten investigates how and why conceptions of milk have shifted in the public consciousness, from the science of nutrition, to dairy industry advertising and government endorsements. Milk will surprise and inform in equal measure.

We may talk of grand feasts and fancy dinners, but most of the time, if we are honest, most of us are eating sandwiches. We snatch them at work and linger over them at picnics, buffets or tea parties. The sandwich is quick, simple and open to infinite variety and inventiveness. Though sandwiches are a near-universal food, their origin can be traced to a precise historical figure: John Montagu, the Fourth Earl of Sandwich, who, one night before 1762, was too busy to stop for dinner and asked for some cold beef to be brought to him between two slices of bread. Sandwich unravels the mystery of how the Earl could have ‘invented’ this most elementary and appealing way of eating. What were sandwiches like before the eighteenth-century ‘sandwich’ came into being? Why did the name stick? And how did the Earl’s invention take off so quickly around the globe? This book brings together a wealth of material to trace how the sandwich has evolved throughout time and around the world. From the decadent meatball hoagie to the dainty cucumber sandwich, and from the Argentinian choripán to the Vietnamese Bánh mì, the sandwich is loved the world over.

From oolong to sencha to chai, tea is one of the world’s most popular beverages. Perhaps that is because it is a uniquely adaptable drink, consumed in many different varieties and ways by cultures across the globe and in many different settings, from the intricate traditions of the Japanese tea ceremony to the elegant tea-rooms of Britain to iced tea drunk on the verandas of the American Deep South. In Tea food historian Helen Saberi explores this rich and fascinating history. Saberi looks at the economic and social uses of tea, such as its use as a currency during the Tang dynasty; its role in American independence at the Boston Tea Party; afternoon tea drunk by the British in India; and the 1913 creation of a tea dance or Thé Dansant that combined tea with tango. Saberi also explores where and how tea is grown around the world and how customs and traditions surrounding the beverage have evolved from its legendary origins to its present-day popularity. Featuring vivid images as well as recipes from around the world, Tea is a refreshing and stimulating treat.

From the restorative powers of chicken soup on a sick day to the warmth of a bowl of chowder on a wintry night, there is no food quite as comforting and emblematic of home as soup. Soup, as Janet Clarkson tells us, is the first true culinary creation of humanity, and it has made a long journey from the prehistoric cave to the kitchen table and the white linens of Michelin-starred restaurants. Tracing its myriad reinventions through history and across the globe, Clarkson argues in Soup that it is the only truly universal dish. Every culture in the world makes soup, and it is widely valued as a dish adaptable to any situation and available ingredients: from the swill of the workhouse to soldiers’ rations on the battlefield or the most delicately crafted consommé, and from meat and vegetables to vipers, blood or precious stones. Clarkson explores how soup got its name and describes the different roles of soup in Eastern and Western cuisine. Featuring the national soups of many countries and including an assortment of anecdotes and recipes taken from seven centuries of culinary history, Soup paints an absorbing picture of this most fundamental food.

From pauper’s food to cultural icon, this book tells the story of our relationship with the lobster, from coastal hunter-gatherers through the Industrial Revolution to modern times. As lobsters became a status symbol for the rich, they became the subjects of both artists and writers. The lobster has been depicted in Egyptian temples and Pompeiian feasts; Dutch still lifes and Japanese woodcuts; Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Salvador Dalí's Lobster Telephone. And the social history of its consumption takes us from the Stone Age, through the early European settlers in New England and Australia, to today’s Japanese live lobster sashimi.The lobster has been transformed from a peasant food into a luxurious delicacy that reflects our changing ideas about diet and human consumption. Today’s consumer is concerned about the ethics of eating lobster, and controversy rages about methods of killing them. Though scientists continue to debate whether lobsters can feel pain, concerns about cruelty have led to the invention of new machines that are intended to kill them humanely. There are also efforts to farm lobsters, to re-stock the seas with juveniles and to fish them sustainably.Lobster will appeal to anyone who loves this fascinating crustacean, or who has chased a lobster across a kitchen floor.

Ice Cream: A Global History takes the reader on a vibrant trip through ice cream history, stretching from ancient China to modern-day Tokyo. As befits a food so strongly identified with celebration, the story of ice cream is a lively one – food and travel journalist Laura B. Weiss examines how this delicious indulgence became a global sensation. Ice Cream tells of chimpanzees wooed with ice cream cones, humour-loving World War ii German diplomats, and sundaes with names such as 'Moonlight on the Ganges' and 'Sweetheart Lovey-Dovey Supreme'. The account is populated by Chinese emperors, English kings, former slaves, women inventors, shrewd entrepreneurs, Italian immigrant hokey-pokey ice cream vendors and gourmand American First Ladies. Today American brands dominate the world ice cream market, but vibrant ice cultures like Italy's continue to thrive, and new ones, like Japan's, flourish through unique homegrown twists to the beloved treat.

From its obscure pre-Columbian beginnings in South America to its global popularity today, the story of the potato is one of rags to riches. In Potato, esteemed culinary historian Andrew F. Smith reveals the captivating story of a once lowly vegetable that has changed – and continues to change – the world. First domesticated by prehistoric people in the Andes, the potato has since been adopted by cultures all over the globe. After its discovery by Europeans, governments and monarchs encouraged the people to farm it because it was so nutritious and easy to grow, but its new position as the staple of the poor meant mass starvation in nineteenth-century Ireland when potato blight wiped out the crops. The potato was also adopted by cooks in India and in China, which is now the world’s largest potato producer. Despite its popularity, in this era of both fast food and health consciousness, the potato is now suffering negative publicity for the very quality for which it was lauded by our forefathers: being a good source of carbohydrate. But is it fair to blame the humble spud for our habit of covering it with butter or sour cream or deep-frying it in oil? Potato is a captivating account of the history, economy, politics and gastronomy behind this beloved tuber. Like a well-dressed baked potato, this book will both comfort and satisfy the reader.

In Dates, Nawal Nasrallah draws on her experience of growing up in the lands of ancient Mesopotamia, where the date palm was first cultivated, to explore the history behind the fruit. Dates have an important role in their arid homeland of the Middle East, where they are a dietary staple, consumed fresh or dried, as a snack or a dessert. They are even thought to have aphrodisiac qualities. The ancients said that the date palm had 360 uses: its seeds can be burned for charcoal, its trunk used as an irrigation pipe in fields, its leaves are woven into baskets and its sap can be turned into wine. It is no wonder, then, that it has played such a central role in the economy – and the culture – of the Middle East. The date palm’s story follows its journey from its land of origin to the far-flung regions where it is cultivated today, such as Australia, California and Spain. Along the way, Nasrallah weaves many fascinating and humorous anecdotes that explore the etymology, history, culture, religion, myths and legends surrounding dates. She explains how the tree came to be a symbol of the Tree of Life; how it is associated with the fiery phoenix, the famous ancient goddess Ishtar and the moon; and lifts the veil on the curious sex life of the date palm. This delightful and unusual book gives a new perspective on the 'bread of the desert', the fruit from this most beautiful and useful of trees.

What food is more basic, more essential and more universal than bread? Common to the diets of both rich and poor, bread is one of our oldest foods. Loaves and rolls have been found in ancient Egyptian tombs, and excavated from ovens in Pompeii that were buried when Vesuvius erupted in AD 79. From the sixteenth-century English peasants’ bread made with pea flour and rye, to the grain-wasting, pure white bread of the French court, from the crusty sourdough loaf made by artisan bakers to the doughy ‘sliced white’ found in every supermarket, there is a bread for every time and place in history.William Rubel takes us on a journey to discover breads around the world, from Mexican pan dulce to French baguettes and German pumpernickel, and shows how the kind of bread you eat reveals who you are. He also describes the techniques of bread-making, from ancient recipes leavened with brewers’ yeast to the factory-made sandwich loaf. Containing a glossary of over one hundred different breads from around the world, Bread will be an inspiration for all bakers, as well as anyone who enjoys a simple slice.

Gravenstein, Coe’s Golden Drop, Cox’s Orange Pippin: the names sound like something from Tolkien or the ingredients of a magic potion. But as befits their magical appellations, apples have transfixed and beguiled humans for thousands of years. Erika Janik explores the importance of a fruit, born in the mountains of Kazakhstan, which has became a favourite almost everywhere. Apples have played their part in starting the Trojan War, the discovery of gravity and the settling of America, and you can even use them to predict the future. Apples also make for good drinking, and Janik relates the history of cider in Europe and America. From the Garden of Eden and the wicked queen’s apple in the story of Snow White to Johnny Appleseed and the Apple computer, apples have been a universal source of sustenance, health and legend from ancient times to the present. Food and history lovers will devour this surprising history of one of the world’s most loved and prolific fruits.

Olives are at once a mythical food – bringing to mind scenes from Ancient Rome and the Bible – and an everyday one, given the ubiquity of olive oil in contemporary diets. In this original, succinct and engaging history Fabrizia Lanza traces the olive’s roots from antiquity, when olive oil was exalted for ritual purposes and used to anoint kings and athletes; to the sixteenth century, when Europeans brought the olive to the New World; to the present day, when the fruit and its oil have successfully conquered our palates, in part thanks to waves of global immigration and the popularity of the healthy Mediterranean diet. Lanza describes the role that olive trees, olives and their oil have played in myths, legends and literature, as well as in the everyday lives of people throughout the Mediterranean. A global selection of recipes featuring olives and olive oil showcases the fruit’s culinary diversity. Featuring a wealth of historical detail, this book will be a popular addition to all food lovers’ bookshelves.

Champagne and sparkling wine have evolved from celebration-only drinks to everyday beverages in the twenty-first century. Sparkling wines are now made in every wine region of the world, becoming global favourites in bars, restaurants and even at home. In this book you will discover the history of the world’s great sparkling wines, from the original French champagne – which remains a symbol of luxury – to the evolution of the sparkling wines of other regions that are now so popular. Whether you prefer magnums of Cristal or the more affordable thrill of prosecco or crémant, Champagne is an invaluable complement to a glass of bubbly as well as an informative, elegant gift for all wine-lovers.

You can’t make pesto alla Genovese without basil or a Mojito without mint. You can use peppermint to settle an upset stomach, ease arthritis pain with stinging nettles, and heal burns and wounds with aloe vera. And then there is cannabis, perhaps the most notorious herb of all. Despite the fact that herbs are often little more than weeds, cultures around the globe have found hundreds of uses for them, employing them in everything from ancient medicines to savoury dishes. While much has been written on cooking and healing with herbs, little has been told about the history of the plants themselves and the incredible journeys they have made. These often overlooked plants have become a staple in our lives. Unlike spices that quickly traversed the globe through trade, herbs were often hoarded by their cultivators and were central to distinctive regional dishes. This book examines herbs in new ways, making it essential reading for any serious foodie. Filled with beautiful illustrations and delicious recipes, this book will complete the kitchen library.

Mother’s Milk or Blue Ruin, Dutch Courage or Cuckold’s Comfort – the fanciful nicknames that gin has acquired only hint at its colourful story. The story begins with the aromatic juniper berry originally used by the Dutch to flavour the whisky-like genever. The drink then made its way to Britain, where cheap imitations laced with turpentine and other caustic fillers made it the drink of choice for poor eighteenth-century Londoners. Eventually replaced by the sweetened Old Tom style and then by London Dry, gin was introduced to the wider world by means of the British Empire, and during the Jazz Age became a mainstay of a new drinking culture: the cocktail. Today classic cocktails like the Gimlet and the Negroni are embraced by drinkers who enjoy a new breed of modern gins, and gin has reclaimed pride of place in the world of mixology. Gin: A Global History will attract both cocktail aficionados and lovers of food history as it chronicles gin’s evolution from cheap liquor to modern alcoholic marvel.

Pork is the most widely eaten meat in the world. It formed the high point of Roman feasts and was the mainstay of the traditional working class diet in Europe and North America for centuries. It is the most versatile of meats – ranging from the rich, delicate succulence of a roast loin to the dry, salty assertiveness of ham and bacon. Almost every part of a pig is edible, including its blood (black puddings) and tail (flavouring for soups and stews). Traditionally pig fat or lard was the most common fat for frying and for shortening pastry in northern Europe and North America. Salting, drying, and smoking – essential for preserving meat in the days before refrigeration – actually improve pork.After Roman times, pork became unfashionable among the rich and was no longer featured at aristocratic banquets and in high-end cookbooks, probably because it was associated with the lower and middle classes. Every prosperous peasant family kept a pig, and bacon and lard added much-needed flavour to bland diets. European settlers brought pork to the Americas, and it soon became the most popular meat. Barrel pork, kept submerged in a barrel of brine, was an essential staple for working class people in the United States, comparable to bacon in Britain though evidently less palatable. Germany, Denmark, Poland and Austria consume the most pork per person per year of all countries. China would head the list if its income level were higher and for the Chinese ‘meat’ means pork unless otherwise specified. Families there who can afford it serve pork at nearly every meal, typically shredded and stir-fried with vegetables and sauce.Pork offers a wealth of fascinating facts from around the world, as well as numerous pork recipes.

‘Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum!’ A favourite of pirates, the molasses-coloured liquid brings to mind clear blue seas and weatherbeaten sailors. But enjoyment of rum spread far beyond the scallywags of the Caribbean – Charles Dickens savoured it in punch, George Washington served it at campaign rallies, Queen Victoria sipped it in the British Navy’s grog, and Kamehameha I of Hawaii drank it straight. In Rum Richard Foss tells the colourful, secret history of a spirit that not only helped spark the American Revolution but was even used as currency in Australia.This book chronicles the 500-year evolution of rum from a raw spirit concocted for slaves to a beverage savoured by connoisseurs. Rum has left its mark on religious rituals – it remains a sacramental offering among voodoo worshippers – and became part of popular songs and other cultural landmarks. Fast-paced and well written, Rum will delight any fan of Mojitos and Mai Tais.

Vodka is the most versatile of spirits. While people in Eastern Europe and the Baltic often drink it neat, swallowing it in one gulp, others use it in cocktails and mixed drinks—bloody marys, screwdrivers, white russians, and Jell-O shots—or mix it with tonic water or ginger beer to create a refreshing drink. Vodka manufacturers even infuse it with flavors ranging from lemon and strawberry to chocolate, bubble gum, and bacon. Created by distilling fermented grains, potatoes, beets, or other vegetables, this colorless, tasteless, and odorless liquor has been enjoyed by both the rich and the poor throughout its existence, but it has also endured many obstacles along its way to global popularity. In this book, Patricia Herlihy takes us for a ride through vodka’s history, from its mysterious origins in a Slavic country in the fourteenth century to its current transatlantic reign over Europe and North America. She reveals how it continued to flourish despite hurdles like American Prohibition and being banned in Russia on the eve of World War I. On its way to global domination, vodka became ingrained in Eastern European culture, especially in Russia, where standards in vodka production were first set. Illustrated with photographs, paintings, and graphic art, Vodka will catch the eye of any reader intrigued by how “potato juice” became an international industry.

Vital to food and drink, the always-refreshing lemon has a fascinating story to tell, a journey intertwining the East and the West, the Old World and the New. In this engaging and original volume, Toby Sonneman traces the remarkable adventures of an extraordinary fruit over the last millennium.The lemon was born in India, inheriting its fragrance from its mysterious ancestor, the citron, sacred to many of the world’s great religions. It travelled with Arabs along ancient trade routes, came of age in Sicily and Italy, and sailed to the New World with Columbus. In seventeenth-century Europe it was adored as an exotic luxury; at the end of the eighteenth-century it won recognition as a cure for scurvy, saving the lives of thousands of sailors in the British Royal Navy. The 1900s saw the lemon’s rise to commercial and culinary success in a Southern California citrus empire, and the discovery of the Meyer lemon in China by the eccentric plant explorer Frank Meyer.Toby Sonneman draws on her background as a fruit picker, writer and chef to examine how lemons are used in cooking, and remedying countless health and household maladies. She examines the language of lemons, from Persian to American slang, and takes the reader on a journey to lemon orchards in Sicily, the Amalfi Coast and Southern California.Richly illustrated, Lemon is supplemented with delicious recipes for sweet and savoury dishes and beverages. This lively, refreshing work will delight all readers who love food, history, travel or culture.

Like a rich plum pudding, Pudding: A Global History is bursting with choice morsels. From cookbooks and family recipes to novels, poems, songs and cartoons, it tells the story of puddings and how they developed from early savoury, sausage-like mixtures to today’s sweet and sticky confections. Tracing the development of a range of puddings and explaining how advances in kitchen equipment have changed them over time, award-winning author Jeri Quinzio describes the many ways cooks from around the world have made them, from black pudding to the festive Christmas pudding. Whether you make them or just indulge in them; whether your interest is history, culture or cooking; whether your favourite is Yorkshire pudding or rice pudding: if you love a good story and a good pudding, this book is for you.

Cocktails are the most American of alcoholic beverages, and at the same time the most international of drinks. Created in the United States around 1806, they quickly spilled over into all corners of the globe. The cocktail’s ancestor, punch, arrived from the British colonies and became a mainstay of taverns and entertaining at home in the eighteenth century. After ice began to be mechanically harvested and sold, and mixers such as soda water invented, the modern cocktail was born; and with it cocktail parties, cocktail dresses, cocktail hors d’oeuvres, cocktail napkins and the Molotov cocktail. From Singapore to New York, Rio to Bangkok, Joseph M. Carlin describes how cocktails have influenced society around the world, and explores the new breed of cocktails currently being fashioned by artisanal mixologists.Featuring many tempting recipes, Cocktails: A Global History will appeal to anyone who enjoys a cocktail or is interested in how some of our most popular drinks were invented and travelled around the globe.

Wine: A Global History traces the long history of the most wondrous, complex, mysterious and magical of the world’s beverages. The origins of wine go back to the origins of modern man, and the development and significance of this heady drink are intertwined with the roots of civilization itself. Today, the grape vine is cultivated all around the globe, and a profusion of wines are produced and widely available. This engaging book chronicles the domestication of the wild grape vine (Vitis vinifera sativa) and the systematic cultivation of its fruit, almost uniquely suited to being fermented into an alcoholic drink, which can be stored to mature and improve with age. From the Transcaucasus some 8,000 years ago; across the Mediterranean Sea and spreading throughout Europe with Classical Civilisation, to the New World with the Conquistadors, on to the distant lands of Australia and New Zealand and now to the burgeoning economies of India and China, Wine tells a rich story, the story of our species itself.

Beef is everywhere, throughout history and around the globe. Starting from the premise that beef farming, cooking and eating can be found in virtually all countries in the world, Beef explores the social, cultural and economic factors that shaped the production and consumption of beef throughout history. Describing how the ‘class status’ of beef has changed through time, Beef discusses how this meat has been revalued: once the main constituent of hearty, vernacular stews, beef is now showcased in the most elaborate dishes of Michelin-starred chefs today. The book also considers the place occupied by beef in art, literature and historical cookbooks, and – paying attention to ethical issues in the production of the meat – offers a consideration of the future of beef. Aimed at the general reader with an interest in history, food and culture, Beef also has much to say to scholars and students of food, and agrarian, history. Featuring many fine images of beef in nature, art and cuisine around the world, Beef will appeal as much to lovers of flame-grilled hamburgers as the molecular gastronomy of Heston Blumenthal.

Salmon is widely regarded as a delicious, healthy, versatile and affordable part of our diet. Formerly a rather expensive foodstuff it is now widely available, although controversy surrounds intensive salmon farming, where tests have shown that the nutritional values are greatly diminished as compared to the line-caught variety. Salmon takes readers on a culinary journey from the coast of Alaska to the rivers of Scotland, tracking the salmon’s history from earliest records to the present. The salmon courses through the world’s culinary history with the same power as do the globe’s rivers and streams. This book tells the story of how the salmon was transformed from an abundant food found seasonally along coastal regions, to food canned and transported the world over, to a highly-prized culinary delight served in many of Europe and Asia’s top restaurants. Salmon is the first book to prove beyond a doubt that it is not only one of the world’s greatest fish but also one of the world’s great foods.

Oranges traces our close historic relationship with the pre-eminent member of the citrus clan. Oranges are a fascinating fruit with a long and varied history, wide-ranging cultural resonance, large culinary presence, and a golden, glowing beauty. Once seen as a gift from the gods, oranges have been symbols of great wealth and status in art; the foundation of fortunes; an inspiration for poets and painters; and a source of natural health. This book examines the tantalizing origins of the fruit, and surveys the wide range of varieties that now comprise the orange family. Oranges charts the arrival of bitter and sweet oranges in the Mediterranean world, the impact of their cultivation on agriculture, garden design and architecture, and records the dramatic journey of the orange to the Americas. Oranges and cartons of orange juice are a sight we take for granted on supermarket shelves and the breakfast table, but the story of how they got there is little-known. Oranges deals with practical complexities of cultivation and production in a clear and engaging manner and details the problems and challenges facing modern producers and consumers of the orange throughout the world.

The mushroom, while thought of as pallid and low-born, has by contrast a rather colourful history, fraught with murder and accidental death, hunger and gluttony, sickness and health, religion and war. Mushroom: A Global History examines the complex role of mushrooms in human history and food culture, explaining why some peoples revere mushrooms and others shun them, as did Diderot, who wrote that: ‘. . . they are not really good but to be sent back to the dung heap where they are born’. The book shows how some cultures imbued mushrooms with life’s messiness and rottenness, whilst others recognized the delights of cooking and eating them. Still others linked ‘magic’ mushrooms with ancient religious beliefs. In the nineteenth century, after millennia being picked from the wild for use in everyday cooking and medicine, mushrooms entered the realm of haute cuisine. This new demand for mushrooms drove entrepreneurs and farmers to seek cultivation methods for mushrooms, and brought them into the world of industrial agriculture. Mushroom showcases many recipes both historic and contemporary, as well as presenting numerous images of mushrooms diminutive and enormous, nondescript and outlandish, from around the globe. Essential reading for those who already appreciate the dark, savoury delights of cooking and eating mushrooms, the book will also appeal to those who wish to know more about the history of this surprising, earthy fungus.

‘Mr Leopold Bloom ate with relish the inner organs of beasts and fowls. He liked thick giblet soup, nutty gizzards, a stuffed roast heart, liverslices fried with crustcrumbs, fried hencods’ roes. Most of all he liked grilled mutton kidneys which gave to his palate a fine tang of faintly scented urine.’ –_from Ulysses, by James Joyce Love it or hate it, offal excites extreme reactions in us all. Offal provides an intriguing history of the consumption of offal down the ages and across continents. Stuffed with recipes past and present, it examines our varied responses to the meatiest of meats. Offal is glands; essential organs; skin, muscle; guts; and everything unmentionable in-between. Some offal dishes are particular to regional cuisines and often associated with holidays, such as Scottish haggis, Jewish chopped liver, and us Southern states’ chitterlings. From tongue in Sichuan to gizzard stew on the streets of Rio de Janeiro, from Parisian bonnes bouches to spicy cartilage in Calcutta, nose-to-tail eating is global. The rich variety of terms that have evolved to denote all animal parts eaten often betray our need to hide or at least veil their origins. Offal can range from expensive haute cuisine delicacies such as fois gras and sweetbreads, to cheap alternatives testing the ingenuity of the poor. Offal is high in nutrients: kidney offers low-fat, low-calorie sources of protein; liver is packed with iron – yet true to the flip-flop nature of offal, it can be dangerously high in cholesterol. Can we enjoy a pig’s heart, a cow’s eyes or sheep’s brain when it reminds us so viscerally of our own flesh and blood? Our everyday metaphors for thought and feeling are bound up with innards. Offal is both a paean to this most earthy and primal of foodstuffs, and an attempt to understand our resistance to these foods.

The hunting and the consumption of game animals have been central to the development of humanity as a species, and a core part of almost all cultures, as well as the meat industry. Yet despite the fact that game is the only food that is consumed from the Amazons to the Arctic, it has never the subject of a culinary overview. In Game, Paula Young Lee illustrates the rise and fall of bear paws, lark pie, reindeer paté and other exotic dishes enjoyed and formerly enjoyed around the world. She describes how in the past animals such as quail, oryx and dormice were so avidly pursued that they were semi-domesticated in order to grace our dining tables. The book also provides insight into the laws, customs and difficulties of hunting game for food – venison for example, long a sign of status and wealth, was once so coveted that cookbooks gave instructions as to the best way to disguise beef as a counterfeit. Always politically charged, game today ranges from a luxury foodstuff to a staple of the abjectly poor. Wide-ranging, and featuring many recipes for unusual and little-eaten animals and cuts of meat, Game will appeal to all those interested in the history of food, or who wonders what the dodo might have tasted like.

‘Too ravishing for moral taste . . . like lovers’ kisses she bites – she is a pleasure bordering on pain, from the fierceness and insanity of her relish’ wrote the poet Charles Lamb about the pineapple, the fruit that seduced the world. From the moment Christopher Columbus discovered it on a Caribbean island on 4 November 1493, the pineapple became an object of passion and desire, in a culinary romance that anthropologist Kaori O’Connor follows across time and cultures. The first New World explorers called the pineapple the apple with which Eve must have tempted Adam. Transported to Europe where it could only be grown in hothouses at vast expense, the pineapple became an elite mania, the fruit of kings and aristocrats. Soon established as the ultimate status symbol, London society hostesses would rent a pineapple at great cost for a single evening to be the centrepiece of their parties, and pineapples were as popular in the new American republic, where they were a sign of hospitality and a favourite of George Washington. Celebrated in art and literature, pineapples remained a seasonal luxury for the rich until fast shipping and then refrigeration meant they could be brought to the major markets of Europe and America, but these imported fruit were never as luscious as those eaten fresh and ripe in the tropics. Then the pineapple found its ideal home in Hawaii, the invention of canning made perfect golden fruit available and affordable all year round and the Fruit of Kings became the Queen of Fruits for all. Pineapple is a culinary love story enriched with vivid illustrations and irresistible recipes from around the world for eating and drinking the pineapple.

Lusciously sweet and with a complex texture, figs are both a nutritious culinary delicacy and an important symbol in religion and culture. Associated with Christmas since the time of Charles Dickens―not to mention Dionysus or the Garden of Eden―the fig is steeped in history. In this account of the festive fruit, David C. Sutton places the fig in its historical context, examining its peculiar origins and the importance it has garnered in so many countries. Sutton begins by describing the fig’s strange biology―botanically, it is not a fruit, but rather a cluster of ingrowing flowers―then considers its Arabian origins, including the possibility that the earliest seeds were transported from Yemen to Mesopotamia in the dung of donkeys. Exploring the history of the fruit in fascinating detail, Sutton postulates that the “forbidden fruit” eaten by Adam and Eve was not an apple, but a fig; and he discusses the role figs played for the Crusaders and guides readers toward the wonderful fig festivals held today. Chock full of tasty recipes, intriguing facts, and bizarre stories, Figs is a toothsome book of delights.

From almonds and pecans to pistachios, cashews, and macadamias, nuts are as basic as food gets―just pop them out of the shell and into your mouth. The original health food, the vitamin-packed nut is now used industrially, in confectionary, and in all sorts of cooking. The first book to tell the full story of how nuts came to be in almost everything, Nuts takes readers on a gastronomic, botanical, and cultural tour of the world. Tracking these fruits and seeds through cultivation, harvesting, processing, and consumption―or non-consumption, in the case of those with nut allergies―award-winning food writer Ken Albala provides a fascinating account on how they have been cooked, prepared, and exploited. He reveals the social and cultural meaning of nuts during various periods in history, while also immersing us in their modern uses. Packing scrumptious recipes, surprising facts, and fascinating nuggets inside its hardcover shell, this entertaining and informative book will delight lovers of almonds, hazelnuts, chestnuts, and more.

Which came first, the chicken or the egg? In Hindu scripture, the world began as an egg. Laid by a swan floating on the waters of chaos, after a year the egg split into silver and gold halves, with the silver becoming the earth and the gold transforming into the sky. Throughout history, the egg has taken on numerous meanings outside of the famous philosophical dilemma: it was used for curing the evil eye by the Mayans, as protection against lightning in Greece, and to signify rebirth in the Christian tradition. In Eggs, Diane Toops offers a fascinating tour of egg history and lore, looking at how the egg’s significance has represented the preoccupations of the cultures that consume it. Many varieties of eggs, whether laid by chickens, geese, ducks, fish, ostriches or even alligators, have been eaten throughout history, and today hens’ eggs are an integral part of modern cuisine around the world. Eggs are now marketed as a health food, but there have been debates over their nutritional status. Filled with appetizing recipes and beguiling images, this book will enthral anyone with an interest in cuisine or cultural history.

Beer: it’s everywhere. In pubs, restaurants, bars, and homes around the world beer is a mainstay, almost universal in its reach. Beer: A Global History explores and celebrates the heritage of one of the world’s greatest and most diverse drinks, from its earliest origins to contemporary consumption. Both informative and highly entertaining, Beer explores a legion of brews from Mexico to Milwaukee, and from Beijing to Bruges. The book covers the evolution of beer brewing and the technology behind it, as well as the growth of beer-drinking culture and the matching of beer and food. A handy appendix provides information on beer-related museums, festivals, publications and websites. Around 55 illustrations illuminate and embellish the fascinating story of beer: those who have made it, those who have drunk it, and its notable place in modern global culture. Including a selection of recipes intended to be appreciated with the addition of a glass or two of the ‘amber nectar’, Beer will appeal to the connoisseur already familiar with this noble libation, as well as the casual fan who simply wants to know more about the fascinating history of this most popular of beverages.

An aromatic spirit made from distilled wine and produced around the globe, brandy is a spirit loved by many. Long associated with refined taste and sophisticated consumption, today it has taken on a new life in the world of mixology. Cognac – an illustrious and elegant amber brandy – is currently one of the most fashionable components of high-end mixed drinks, consumed in the world’s coolest bars. Many cultures have played a part in the history of the beverage, from the Dutch who made brandewijn or ‘burnt wine’ to the Spanish colonials in Peru and California who produced the first brandies in the New World. Brandy takes readers on a journey from the alchemists of the Middle Ages to present-day mixology hotspots, chronicling the history of the drink and the beautiful locations in which it is produced. For those inclined to imbibe, the book offers advice on buying, storing and serving brandy, and features classic and new cocktail recipes for both connoisseurs and first-time drinkers to enjoy.

A mainstay of the Travel Channel’s Man v. Food, barbecue is an American institution. It is compelling in that it is an ancient, very simple form of cookery and at the same time a high form of culture complete with juried competitions, and global variations include Mongolian lamb (khorkhog), Fijian pig, Chinese char siu, and us Pacific Northwest salmon. Barbecue: A Global History provides a concise yet comprehensive account of this quintessentially red-blooded pursuit, from the first barbecues of ancient Africa, to the origin of the word itself (the Arawak barbacao), to defining what it actually is (‘indirect smoke roasting’). Jonathan Deutsch and Megan J. Elias look at the varieties of barbecue around the world, from the New Zealand Maori’s hangi, to Hawaiian kalua pig, Mongolian boodog, Mexican barbacoa de cabeza, and Spanish bull roast, as well as discussing why barbecuing is seen as a manly activity, the evolution of cooking techniques, the technology of barbecuing equipment, and competitive barbecuing in the usa. The book also contains mouth-watering historical and modern recipes, from an 1877 Minneapolis recipe for a whole roast sheep, to a 1942 pork spare rib recipe from the Ozarks, to tandoori lamb chops, Peri Peri chicken and Chinese roast duck. A perfect gift for backyard griller and professional roaster alike, Barbecue is a celebration of all things primal, smoky, meaty, and delicious.

There are few places on earth besides Mexico that have the climate to grow the agave plant – necessary for producing tequila – and even fewer that have the patience to wait the 10 years required before the plant becomes usable. Just like the grapes used to produce champagne must be grown in the Champagne region of France, tequila can only be made from the Blue Agave found in the state of Jalisco, and certain regions in the states of Nayarit, Guanajuato, Michoacan and Tamaulipas. Since its beginnings as pulque, a drink created by the Mayans, Olmecs, and Aztecs from the fermented sap of the agave plant, tequila has grown in popularity, and is now consumed in bars and homes worldwide. In Tequila Ian Williams presents a lively history of this unusual liquor. With quotes from tequila makers, drinkers and growers, as well as illustrations from farms and stills across Mexico, Williams relates the beginnings of tequila and how it was introduced into the global market, tracking its evolution from a cheap spirit associated with binge drinking, to a complex drink savoured by connoisseurs today. Containing recipes for tequila-based cocktails, as well as advice on buying, storing, tasting and serving tequila, Tequila: A Global History is the perfect companion for any aficionado of alcohol, as well as anyone wanting to know more about the history of a unique beverage.

From sushi to risotto and from rice pudding to pilau, few foods are as ubiquitous as rice. A dietary staple and indispensable agricultural product from Asia to the Americas, rice can be found in Michelin-starred restaurants and family kitchens alike. Rice has played a significant role in society and the food economy as it journeyed from Asia and West Africa to global prominence. Trade in rice was powered both by profits from high-status export rice and by the use of lower-quality rice in feeding countless labourers. It came to be used in kitchens around the world because the culinary traditions of slaves and indentured labourers were taken up by the cuisines of their host countries. The rise of rice continues today as newer immigrant communities arrive. The pressures of urbanization, and increases in marketing and advertising, have also contributed to the rise of a processed rice industry that is continuing to expand. The result is that the kind of rice one eats is a clue to the cultural and ethnic groups one belongs to, and rice in its many forms has been celebrated in cultural rituals, literature, music, painting and poetry. Chock full of delicious recipes from across the globe, Rice is a fascinating look at how this culinary staple has defined us.

Sauces have the ability to transform any food from dull to delectable; they are food enhancers that define national cuisines. They can be savoury or sweet, simple or complex, served as a side dish or presented as the main event. Sauces: A Global History takes readers on a journey from fermented sauces in fifth-century China to present-day cuisine, where sauces that are barely recognizable as such – foams, ices, smokes – are found in the increasingly popular world of molecular gastronomy. This book examines sauce as a globe-crossing phenomenon, a culinary concept that followed trade routes from East to West and helped seafaring explorers add flavour to their monotonous rations. Tracing the evolution of food technology through the centuries, Sauces explores the development of this gastronomic art, from the use of simple bread thickeners to the smooth sauces we know today. It examines the controversies that sauces have created over the years, including debates about salsa overtaking ketchup in popularity and disputes over the Indian roots of British ‘Worcestershire’ sauce. It also relates the history of American ketchup and Tabasco sauce, which remain globally popular today. For sauce experts and novices alike, this book will encourage readers to take part in the debate over the definition of sauce, and to give sauce its due as an essential part of our eating habits.

What is a truffle? Some see it as the apotheosis of the mushroom; some cultures believe that thunderclaps produce the esteemed, delectable fungus. Having a rather uninviting appearance, it is probably most famous as a prized, luxurious ingredient in the kitchen. Scientists, despite having succeeded in sequencing the truffle’s genome, are still determining many aspects of its existence. The truffle has a powerful hold over us, is renowned for many features beyond taste and is often used in perfume. But few know the history and origins of this coveted plant. Zachary Nowak delves into the history and fame of the truffle in Truffle: A Global History, relating its journey from the Far East to European and American kitchens. His account includes cultural, historical and scientific perspectives, offering a thorough and complete portrait of this many-sided mushroom. He compares the truffle’s origins and history in the Old World to its growing prominence in the New World, along the way showing the growth and dynamism of modern Western cuisine and food cultures. Featuring many instructive and surprising illustrations, and numerous historical and contemporary recipes, this unique and fascinating book is a must-read for chefs and food historians, and anyone who loves the mysterious, rich, savoury taste of the truffle.

It’s no surprise that humankind’s love affair with sugar stretches back over millennia. The addictive sweetener originated in New Guinea around 8,000 bc and quickly spread throughout India, the Middle East, and the Mediterranean. By the tenth century it had become the European obsession and soon afterwards a major export of American colonies. Today sugar is grown around the world and is a main component of sweets, cakes, and soft drinks, as well as of pasta sauce and peanut butter – despite their savoury nature. Sugarcane and sugar beets are two of the most important global commodities, but they are also controversial for their high doses of carbohydrates and lack of nutritional quality. Over-consumption of sugar is associated with many chronic diseases and is a major cause of obesity. Sugar: A Global History explores sugar’s reputation as one of the most beloved yet most reviled substances that humans consume. Andrew F. Smith’s compelling history of the infamous ingredient is peopled with determined adventurers, relentless sugar barons and greedy plantation owners, alongside plant breeders, food processors and politicians. Smith combines historical context with the gripping stories of those who have benefited and suffered because of sugar, and he analyzes mankind’s convoluted love-hate relationship with the sweetener that has such a powerful hold over us. This delightful and surprisingly action-packed book offers a layered and definitive tale of sugar, and is perfect for culinary students, food critics, chefs, or anyone who loves to bake and eat sweet treats.