"...Based on the sweep self-assurance and verve exhibited in this book, subtitled "A History of Food and People,: we will be reading more of and from her. "Ah," you say "a game of trivia." Not really, it's too satisfying." (Chicago Tribune)
From the Back Cover
Throughout history, food has played a critical and defining part in individual cultures and the overall development of civilization. Cuisine and Culture presents an engaging, informative, and amazing story of the interaction among history, culture, and food that draws connections between major historical events and how and why these events affected and defined the culinary traditions of different societies.
Covering prehistory and the earliest societies around the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers to todays celebrity chefs, Cuisine and Culture is a multicultural and multiethnic approach to food and history, providing enlightening answers to many such questions as:
- How did the French establish a notable reputation in world cuisine?
- Where does American cuisine have its roots?
- How has food been used to control populations and as a weapon during war?
- How did the Romans come to believe cinnamon grew in swamps guarded by giant killer bats?
- Why did some restaurants print their own money?
Complete with sample recipes and menus, as well as revealing photographs and illustrations, Cuisine and Culture is an important resource for people interested in food history.