1. Siren Feasts: A History of Food and Gastronomy in Greece by Andrew Dalby According to the publisher’s notes, this is “the first scholarly social history of food and gastronomy in Greece.” The philosopher Plato, Greek plays, and prehistoric vegetables rub shoulders together as Dalby produces a highly readable text, unusual for “scholarly social” histories. |
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2. Italian Cuisine: A Cultural History (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History) by Alberto Capatti & Massimo Montanari The first sentence in the Introduction says it all: “Italy, the country with a hundred cities and thousands of bell towers, is also the country with a hundred cuisines and thousands of recipes.” For lovers of everything Italian, this book connects the culinary past with the present, and includes a stunning chapter on cookbooks. |
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3. Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World: A Concise History with 174 Recipes by Lilia Zaouali A relatively short book, nonetheless Medieval Cuisine of the Islamic World manages to convey the essence of medieval Arabic cuisine. As scholar Charles Perry says in the Foreword, “Islam has the richest medieval food literature in the world,” and readers of Zaouli’s scholarship will find the Arab story behind many of today’s modern recipes a fascinating narrative indeed. |
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4. The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages by Terence Scully Terence Scully, one of the most respected authors on the subject of medieval European cookery, spellbinds readers with this detailed treatise on the food and cooking of the Middle Ages. Every topic–from theories about medieval cuisine to the role of the medieval cook–appears in this comprehensive book. |
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5. Six Thousand Years of Bread: Its Holy and Unholy History by H. E. JacobA classic printed by Lyons Press, Six Thousand Years of Bread covers the mysterious and ritualistic food that sustained–and still sustains–a multitude of people around the globe. From the discovery of bread making to the religious and modern meanings of this universal food, author H. E. Jacob never fails to entertain. |
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6. America’s First Cuisines by Sophie D. Coe Sophie D. Coe’s seminal work on food history covers the whole gauntlet of Pre-Columbian cuisine as practiced by the Inca, Aztec, and Mayan peoples of Central and South America. A mesmerizing treatment of the subject. |
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7. Food in History by Reay Tannahill The classic work that more or less started it all–that is, the study of culinary history as an academic discipline. A great introduction to the history of world cuisines. |
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8. Feast: A History of Grand Eating by Roy StrongIt’s all here, from the nude acrobats in ancient Greece who performed at dinner parties in ancient Greece to the cooking of French chef Georges Auguste Escoffier and the Gilded Age. |
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9. British Food: An Extraordinary Thousand Years of History by Colin Spencer Contrary to popular belief, British food tasted wonderful and looked stylish, until the nineteenth century and the rise of such luminaries as Mrs. Isabella Beeton, author of the perennial best-seller, The Book of Household Management. With spunk and dynamism, Spencer traces the vibrant history of British cuisine over a thousand-year period. |
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10. The Road to Vindaloo: Curry Cooks and Curry Books by David Burnett and Helen SaberiBurnett and Saberi delve into the history of curry as interpreted by the British raj and come up with a book analyzing the impact of Indian cookery on British taste and sensibilities. A number of antique cookbooks provide savory scaffolding for this intriguing account of British India. |
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I hope you like the results you get. I am still using it since this original post from a couple of months ago. I am quite pleased. I have tried & discarded enough cosmetics to stock a small store. LOL
I agree you shouldn't "keep reading" but I don't believe in moving on to the next chapter if I speed-read the last one without comprehending it. Then I agree, move on, the better for having analyzed. Sometimes we stick with the old chapters because t
Thanks so much for sharing this list. I want to rush out and read them all. Six Thousand Years of Bread interests me a lot and I’m going to start there. Or perhaps you have a suggestion of another place to start?
That’s a good place to start, because of the timeframe presented by the author. Enjoy!