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Food in History

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Author: Reay Tannahill
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$16.95~~
Buy New: $9.95
You Save: $7.00 (41%)

New (32) Used (16) Collectible (1) from $6.74

Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

19 reviews
Sales Rank: 20733

Media: Paperback
Edition: Revised
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.1
Dimensions (in): 8.9 x 6.4 x 1.3

ISBN: 0517884046
Dewey Decimal Number: 641.3009
EAN: 9780517884041
ASIN: 0517884046

Publication Date: May 10, 1995
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days

Also Available In:

•	Paperback - Food in History
•	Paperback - Food in History (Penguin Cookery Library)
•	Hardcover - Food in History
•	Hardcover - Food in History
•	Library Binding - Food in History
•	Paperback - Food in History
•	Paperback - Food in History
•	Hardcover - Food in history

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Editorial Reviews:

Product 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.

Customer Reviews: Read 14 more reviews...

2 out of 5 stars

Put me to sleep November 13, 2008
This book had me bored from the first sentence. I guess it just wasn't what I was looking for in a book about food..I wanted something a bit more exciting, because frankly food gets me excited! I think I will stick to Anthony Bourdain's books from now on.

5 out of 5 stars

8 stars out of 5 May 8, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

Tannahill takes us on an enthralling journey across history, from prehistoric times to the Industrial revolution, from the perspective of food, cuisine, food production and agriculture. It is an unfortunate sign of the times that history has almost been disassociated with food - probably because in the West food has stopped being a worry for many decades (yes, only decades!), something that will cause us many a problem in the future. This book takes us through the detailed history of almost every major crop, vegetable, beverage, foodstuff and spice, detailing the cuisines of Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia, India, China, the Americas, Africa etc etc. Most studies of the type "X in history" I find too Eurocentric to be considered truly useful and broad-reaching. This one isn't, it truly covers the world.

She tells of how things came about in a very lively, warm and witty manner. The book will teach you lots of interesting pieces of trivia, but it is NOT a trivia book. It manages to concisely, intelligently yet freshly cover over 100,000 years of food history, no small achievement!

Definitely recommended to all who eat, because the political, historical, economic and cultural implications of what's on our plate are things of no small importance.

5 out of 5 stars

My favorit book of all times February 18, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful

Food in History is one of Tannahill's best works. I've had this book for over 5 years now, and I still can't part with it. Food is an essential part of history. He elaborates beautifully on every food item, yes, every food item. Food, alcohol, vodka, spice, Canning, cassava, so on and so on.

You are guaranteed to know where every food comes from, where it has traveled to, what each food has meant to different societies, and how it has changed lives. In the last half of the book, he provides copies of the many recipes for the royal French parties of the last few centuries. The surprising, and some what interesting content of these delightful meals will surely be captivating. In all, a fabulous book....

5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful, enlighten read, with one caveat. May 11, 2006
10 out of 10 found this review helpful

I deeply enjoyed this engrossing read. Tannahill has done a superb job mixing history, culture, and the culinary arts. As a student of culture and a lover of food I was drawn in by Tannahill's attention to detail, while at the same time writing an informative work that was easy to read and hard to put down. My one and only criticism lies in her choices for footnotes. I was puzzled by her choice to footnote the definition for porter (it's possible that porter was a unique drink in 1977 when the book was first written), while on numerous occasions not footnoting the references to regional foods, ingredients, and preparations. I soon found that referring to my copies of the Food Lover's Companion (Herbst, 1995) and the American Heritage Dictionary (2001) made for a much fuller reading experience. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a love of food and culture, Tannahill will not disappoint.

5 out of 5 stars

Very Interesting!! February 24, 2006
7 out of 8 found this review helpful

My class and I found this book very interesting. High school kids don't usually want to be read to, but they continually requested that I read to them once I started this book. So many weird and wonderful facts about foods we eat everyday are presented. It lead to a great deal of discussion!

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