Food: The History of Taste (Volume 21) (California Studies in Food and Culture)

This richly illustrated book is the first to apply the discoveries of the new generation of food historians to the pleasures of dining and the culinary accomplishments of diverse civilizations, past and present. Editor Paul Freedman has gathered essays by French, German, Belgian, American, and British historians to present a comprehensive, chronological history of taste from prehistory to the present day. The authors explore the early repertoire of sweet tastes; the distinctive contributions made by classical antiquity and China; the subtle, sophisticated, and varied group of food customs created by the Islamic civilizations of Iberia, the Arabian desert, Persia, and Byzantium; the magnificent cuisine of the Middle Ages, influenced by Rome and adapted from Islamic Spain, Africa, and the Middle East; the decisive break with highly spiced food traditions after the Renaissance and the new focus on primary ingredients and products from the New World; French cuisine's rise to dominance in Europe and America; the evolution of modern restaurant dining, modern agriculture, and technological developments; and today's tastes, which employ few rules and exhibit a glorious eclecticism. The result is the enthralling story not only of what sustains us but also of what makes us feel alive. Copub: Thames & Hudson Surveys the history of changing tastes in food and fine dining - what was available for people to eat, and how it was prepared and served - from prehistory to the present day0Since earliest times food has encompassed so much more than just what we eat - whole societies can be revealed and analysed by their cusines. In this wide-ranging book, leading historians from Europe and America piece together from a myriad sources the culinary accomplishments of diverse civilizations, past and present, and the pleasures of dining. 0 Ten chapters cover the food and taste of the hunter-gatherers and first farmers of Prehistory; the rich Mediterranean cultures of Ancient Greece and Rome; the development of gastronomy in Imperial China; Medieval Islamic cuisine; European food in the Middle Ages; the decisive changes in food fashions after the Renaissance; the effect of the Industrial Revolution on what people ate; the rise to dominance of French cuisine in the 19th and 20th centuries; the evolution of the restaurant; the contemporary situation where everything from slow to fast food vies for our attention. Throughout, the entertaining story of worldwide food traditions provides the ideal backdrop to today's roaming the globe for great gastronomic experiences Surveys The History Of Changing Tastes In Food And Fine Dining What Was Available For People To Eat, And How It Was Prepared And Served From Prehistory To The Present Day Since Earliest Times Food Has Encompassed So Much More Than Just What We Eat Whole Societies Can Be Revealed And Analysed By Their Cusines. In This Wide-ranging Book, Leading Historians From Europe And America Piece Together From A Myriad Sources The Culinary Accomplishments Of Diverse Civilizations, Past And Present, And The Pleasures Of Dining. Ten Chapters Cover The Food And Taste Of The Hunter-gatherers And First Farmers Of Prehistory; The Rich Mediterranean Cultures Of Ancient Greece And Rome; The Development Of Gastronomy In Imperial China; Medieval Islamic Cuisine; European Food In The Middle Ages; The Decisive Changes In Food Fashions After The Renaissance; The Effect Of The Industrial Revolution On What People Ate; The Rise To Dominance Of French Cuisine In The 19th And 20th Centuries; The Evolution Of The Restaurant; The Contemporary Situation Where Everything From Slow To Fast Food Vies For Our Attention. Throughout, The Entertaining Story Of Worldwide Food Traditions Provides The Ideal Backdrop To Todays Roaming The Globe For Great Gastronomic Experiences. This illustrated book applies the discoveries of the new generation of food historians to the pleasures of dining and the culinary accomplishments of diverse civilizations, past and present. Freedman gathers essays by French, German, Belgian, American, and British historians to present a comprehensive, chronological history of taste from prehistory to the present day. The authors explore such topics as the early repertoire of sweet tastes and the way people learned to discriminate between different fats; the distinctive culinary contributions made by classical antiquity and China; the varied food customs created by the Islamic civilizations of Iberia, the Arabian desert, Persia, and the culinary capital of medieval Islam, Baghdad; the cuisine of the Middle Ages, influenced by Rome and adapted from Islamic Spain, Africa, and the Middle East; the decisive break with highly spiced food traditions after the Renaissance and the subsequent focus on primary ingredients and products from the New World; French cuisine's rise to dominance in Europe and America; the evolution of modern restaurant dining, modern agriculture, and modern kitchen technology; and today's tastes, which employ few rules and exhibit a glorious eclecticism This richly illustrated book applies the discoveries of the new generation of food historians to the pleasures of dining and the culinary accomplishments of diverse civilizations, past and present. Freedman gathers essays by French, German, Belgian, American, and British historians to present a comprehensive, chronological history of taste.