Food in History: Amazon.ca: Reay Tannahill: Books

Product Description

Book Description

An enthralling world history of food from prehistoric times to the present. A favorite of gastronomes and history buffs alike, Food in History is packed with intriguing information, lore, and startling insights--like what cinnamon had to do with the discovery of America, and how food has influenced population growth and urban expansion.

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From how pepper contributed to the fall of the Roman Empire to how the turkey got its name to what cinnamon had to do with the discovery of America, this enthralling history of foods is packed with intriguing information, lore, and startling insights about how food has influenced world events. Illustrations.

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Customer Reviews

12 Reviews

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4 star:		(8)
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Average Customer Review

4.3 out of 5 stars (12 customer reviews)

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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Synopsis of Food, and also World History, Dec 13 2001

By

J. Collins (Las Vegas, NV USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Food in History (Paperback)

Food in History is an excellent introduction to a piece of human history that is probably so obviously important it's not widely researched: the crucial part that food played and plays in human society. Sure, everyone learns about how the spice trade was a leading factor in the Age of Exploration, and the discovery of crop rotation in the early Middle Ages, which "killed more than one child's interest in history" as the author rightly points out. This book goes much farther than that, showing the development of eating habits from neolithic man up to the early/mid 20th Century. Along the way, the author points out some truths that will be unpleasant to the food faddists of the early 21st Century: Humans ARE omnivores by evolution, and salt is also an evolution-induced craving, are just two of the basic points in the story of humans and food. (Speaking of food fads, these aren't limited to our Century and the US, fruit was considered dangerous by more than one culture and for reasons that sound depressingly familiar concerning dietary recommendations today...)
In a survey like this one, it can't do justice to EVERY culture's cuisine, but it does come close. Roman, Arab, Indian, Asian, and the influence of the Americas on European foods are well covered. The prose is lively, much wittier than I thought it would be given the subject, but also scholastic.
Is this a "popular" history? Yeah, I would say so, but there is also great material in here for the student and historian. So much so, that Food in History would make a great supplemental book for a World History course. Highly recommended.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Why the Religious Minded Won't like this Book., Mar 26 2002

By

K. Patton "K. Patton" (Houston, Texas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: Food in History (Paperback)

The book is a facinating look, much like the author's previous work "Sex in History", at what makes man so entertaining.

The religious reader will not like the book as it points out how many religious laws and prohibitions are based on cultural mores derived from common sense, not edicts from God. The Hindu belief in the Sacredness of Cows, the Jewish Kosher laws, Islam's ban on pork, all have their foundation in perfectly reasonable prohibitions for those cultures at a given time in history. The fact they became religious laws illustrates that religion was a convenient way to enforce societal rules in absence of a strong central authority. They served the same purpose as the fabled Ten Commandments of the nomadic tribal Jews. The threat of eternal damnation has always been and still is a persuasive deterrent to those with primitive, superstitious and unsophisticated minds.

India was conquered by a nomadic culture who imposed the common sense belief that a live milk producing cow could feed more people for a longer period than one that was butchered and eaten.
Pretty much common sense.

Like her previous work "Sex in History" the author is insightful and amusing in her presentation of facts too many people would
like to ignore, that illustrate the all too shaky and fragile basis for so many of our cherished beliefs.

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A fun AND informative book!, April 5 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Food in History (Paperback)

A professor of nutrition (my dad) recommended this book to me and it is really good! I enjoyed seeing new connections between various aspects of society and food that I'd never considered before. This isn't too dry, but it has lots of information.

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Most recent customer reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars eye opener
well,i believe that the author has done good research and has given a breath of life to a subject that most wouldn't even stop to give a second thought about.. Read more

Published on Jun 18 2004 by El Zahrul

4.0 out of 5 stars a resource
This is a reader-friendly resource. It give s a general overview of the history of food. .... and a good starting point for a pursuit of more information.

Published on May 17 2004 by snowblaze