The Cambridge World History of Food (2-Volume Boxed Set)

This is a tremendously expensive reference that one should expect to be trustworthy. But it isn't. Nor is it as definitive as should be expected, though it does have some fascinating entries, such as the role of dogs in the history of food. For the price, there should be line drawings for some of the more unusual fruits and veg, because as it is, the verbal descriptions would lead a reader to think that something looked quite different than it does. So I use these two volumes with caution, referencing further anything said here before I take it as a given. Although some other reviewers here have criticized the dryness of style, that is what I want in this sort of thing, so I have no complaints there. Of far more importance is the slant that many of the articles have, which clearly have a political agenda that the information is wrapped around. So, while the bibliographies for same are useful, they also are selectively chosen. Given the guides to food now, and the many histories, I would think that a few books judiciously chosen are better value than this one reference, though if you are monied, this is an interesting addition to your library, to be read with a grain of salt in every 'Oh, my! I didn't know that.' Determining what our ancestors ate. Dietary reconstruction and nutritional assessment of past peoples : the bioanthropological record -- Paleopathological evidence of malnutrition -- Dietary reconstruction as seen in coprolites -- Animals used for food in the past : as seen by their remains excavated from archaeological sites -- Chemical approaches to dietary representation -- History, diet, and hunter-gatherers -- Staple foods : domesticated plants and animals. Grains. Amaranth -- Barley -- Buckwheat -- Maize -- Millets -- Oat -- Rice -- Rye -- Sorghum -- Wheat -- Roots, tubers, and other starchy staples. Bananas and plantains -- Manioc -- Potatoes (white) -- Sago -- Sweet potatoes and yams -- Taro -- Important vegetable supplements. Algae -- The Allium species (onions, garlic, leeks, chives, and shallots) -- Beans, peas, and lentils -- Chili peppers -- Cruciferous and green leafy vegetables -- Cucumbers, melons, and watermelons -- Fungi -- Squash -- Tomatoes -- Staple nuts. Chestnuts -- Peanuts -- Animal, marine, and vegetable oils. An overview of oils and fats, with a special emphasis on olive oil -- Coconut -- Palm oil -- Sesame -- Soybean -- Sunflower -- Trading in tastes. Spices and flavorings -- Sugar -- Important foods from animal sources. American bison -- Aquatic animals -- Camels -- Caribou and reindeer -- Cattle -- Chickens -- Chicken eggs -- Dogs -- Ducks -- Game -- Geese -- Goats -- Hogs (pigs) -- Horses -- Insects -- Llamas and alpacas -- Muscovy ducks -- Pigeons -- Rabbits -- Sea turtles and their eggs -- Sheep -- Turkeys -- Water buffalo -- Yak -- Dietary liquids. Beer and ale -- Breast milk and artificial infant feeding -- Cacao -- Coffee -- Distilled beverages -- Kava -- Khat -- Kola nut -- Milk and dairy products -- Soft drinks -- Tea -- Water -- Wine -- The nutrients : deficiencies, surfeits, and food-related disorders. Vitamins. Vitamin A -- Vitamin B complex : thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, pantothenic acid, pyridoxine, cobalamin, folic acid -- Vitamin C -- Vitamin D -- Vitamin E -- Vitamin K and Vitamin K-dependent proteins -- Minerals. Calcium -- Iodine and iodine-deficiency disorders -- Iron -- Magnesium -- Phosphorus -- Potassium -- Sodium and hypertension -- Other trace elements -- Zinc -- Proteins, fats, and essential fatty acids. Essential fatty acids -- Proteins -- Energy and protein metabolism -- Deficiency diseases. Beriberi -- Iron deficiency and anemia of chronic disease -- Keshan Disease -- Osteoporosis -- Pellagra -- Pica -- Protein-energy malnutrition -- Scurvy -- Food-related disorders. Anorexia Nervosa -- Celiac Disease -- Food allergies -- Food-borne infection -- Food sensitivities : allergies and intolerances -- Lactose intolerance -- Obesity -- Diet and chronic disease. Diabetes -- Nutrition and cancer -- Nutrition and heart-related diseases -- The cardiovascular system, coronary artery disease, and calcium : a hypothesis -- Food and drink around the world. The beginnings of agriculture : the Ancient Near East and North Africa -- The history and culture of food and drink in Asia. The Middle East and South Asia -- Southeast Asia -- China -- Japan -- Korea -- The history and culture of food and drink in Europe. The Mediterranean (diets and disease prevention) -- Southern Europe -- France -- The British Isles -- Northern Europe : Germany and surrounding regions -- The Low Countries -- Russia -- The History and Culture of Food and Drink in the Americas. Mexico and highland Central America -- South America -- The Caribbean, Including Northern South America and lowland Central America : early History -- The Caribbean from 1492 to the present -- Temperate and arctic North America to 1492 -- North America from 1492 to the present -- The Arctic and subarctic regions -- The history and culture of food and drink in Sub-Saharan Africa and Oceania. Africa south from the Sahara -- Australia and New Zealand -- The Pacific Islands -- Culinary History -- History, nutrition, and health. Nutrition and the decline of mortality -- Nutrition and mortality decline : another view -- Infection and nutrition : synergistic interactions -- Famine -- Height and nutrition -- The nutrition of women in the developing world -- Infant and child nutrition -- Adolescent nutrition and fertility -- Nutrition and mental development -- Human nutritional adaptation : biological and cultural aspects -- The psychology of food and food choice -- Food fads -- Food prejudices and taboos -- The social and cultural uses of food -- Food as aphrodisiacs and anaphrodisiacs? -- Food as medicine -- Vegetarianism -- Vegetarianism : another view --Contemporary food-related policy issues. The state, health, and nutrition -- Food entitlements -- Food subsidies and interventions for infant and child nutrition -- Recommended dietary allowances and dietary guidance -- Food labeling -- Food lobbies and U.S. dietary guidance policy -- Food Biotechnology : politics and policy implications -- Food safety and biotechnology -- Food additives -- Substitute foods and ingredients -- Nonfoods as dietary supplements -- Food toxins and poisons from microorganisms -- The question of paleolithic nutrition and modern health: from the end to the beginning -- Dictionary of the world’s plant foods. An undertaking without parallel or precedent, this monumental two-volume work encapsulates much of what is known of the history of food and nutrition throughout the span of human life on earth. It constitutes a vast and essential chapter in the history of human health and culture. Ranging from the eating habits of our prehistoric ancestors to food-related policy issues we face today, this work covers the full spectrum of foods that have been hunted, gathered, cultivated, and domesticated; their nutritional makeup and uses; and their impact on cultures and demography. It offers a geographical perspective on the history and culture of food and drink and takes up subjects from food fads, prejudices, and taboos to questions of food toxins, additives, labeling, and entitlements. It culminates in a dictionary that identifies and sketches out brief histories of plant foods mentioned in the text--over 1,000 in all--and additionally supplies thousands of common names and synonyms for those foods. The essays in this volume are the work of 220 experts in fifteen countries, in fields from agronomy to zoology. Every chapter is accompanied by bibliographical references. The volumes are organized in the following sections: 1. A determination of what our Paleolithic ancestors ate during their stay on the planet (over 99 percent of the time humankind has lived on earth). 6 chapters 2. An extensive treatment of the domestication and development of each of humankind's staple foods. 60 chapters 3. The history of our dietary liquids from beer through soft drinks to water. 13 chapters 4. Studies on the discovery of vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and the essential fatty acids along with a look at what they do for us. 37 chapters 5. A history of food and drink for all of the countries in the world. In addition there is a chapter on culinary history. 23 chapters 6. Historical issues involving human health, such as nutrition and mortality decline, height and nutrition, infection and nutrition. 18 chapters 7. Contemporary food-related policy issues are treated in this penultimate section of the work. Examples include chapters on food labeling, food biotechnology and the RDAs. 13 chapters 8. The last section of the work is a food-plant dictionary with over 1,000 entries that emphasize history and usage. The dictionary also includes over 4,000 synonyms for the names of plant food. Here readers well-informed about potatoes or asparagus can learn about lesser-known or strictly regional foods such as ackee or zamia and--among the thousands of synonyms provided--can discover that an aubergine is an eggplant, that "swedes" are rutabagas, and that "bulgar" comes from bulghur, which means "bruised grain."

"This outstanding work of scholarship explains what we eat and why we eat it. The multidisciplinary articles discuss both individual foods and topcs such as food fads, famine, and eating disorders."--"Outstanding Reference Sources," American Libraries, May 2001.

Have the French always enjoyed their renowned cuisine? When did Russians begin to eat pirogi? What was the first Indonesian spice to be cultivated elsewhere in the world? Questions such as these make for good Jeopardy material, but they're far from trivial--just ask anyone with a passion for good food and a curiosity for where that food originated. That person will know instinctively that the best way to approach a culture--and, indeed, the human animal--is through the stomach. For this individual, The Cambridge World History of Food will be something of a bible, and the best of gifts. A massive scholarly tome in two volumes and more than 2,000 pages, the CWHF encompasses a wealth of learning that touches on nearly every aspect of human life. (It also reveals the answers to the three earlier questions: No, French cuisine as we know it is a 19th-century development; in the 16th century, following the conquest of the Volga Tatar; ginger, in colonial Mexico.) Thoroughly researched and highly accessible despite its formidable layout, the set addresses a groaning board of topics past and present, from the diet of prehistoric humans to the role of iron in combating disease; from the domestication of animals to the spread of once-isolated ethnic cuisines in a fast-globalizing world. Of greatest interest to general readers is its concluding section--a dictionary of the world's food plants, which gives brief accounts of items both common and exotic, from abalong to Zuttano avocado. The product of seven years of research, writing, and editing on the part of more than 200 authors, The Cambridge World History of Food promises to become a standard reference for social scientists, economists, nutritionists, and other scholars--and for cooks and diners seeking to deepen their knowledge of the materials they use and consume. --Gregory McNamee This Outstanding Work Of Scholarship Explains What We Eat And Why We Eat It. The Multidisciplinary Articles Discuss Both Individual Foods And Topics Such As Food Fads, Famine, And Eating Disorders.--outstanding Reference Sources, American Libraries, May 2001. V. 1. Determining What Our Ancestors Ate -- Staple Food, Domesticated Plants And Animals -- Grains -- Roots, Tubers, And Other Starchy Staples -- Important Vegetable Supplements -- Staple Nuts -- Animal, Marine, And Vegetable Oils -- Trading In Tastes -- Important Foods From Animal Sources -- Dietary Liquids -- The Nutrients -- Vitamins -- Minerals -- Proteins, Fats, And Essential Fatty Acids -- Deficiency Diseases -- Food-related Disorders -- Diet And Chronic Disease. V. 2. Food And Drink Around The World -- The History And Culture Of Food And Drink In Asia -- In Europe -- In The Americas -- In Sub-saharan Africa And Oceania -- Culinary History -- History, Nutrition, And Health -- Contemporary Food-related Policy Issues -- A Dictionary Of The World's Plant Foods. Editors, Kenneth F. Kiple, Kriemhild Coneè Ornelas. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. An undertaking without parallel or precedent, this monumental volume encapsulates much of what is known of the history of food and nutrition. It constitutes a vast and essential chapter in the history of human health and culture. Ranging from the eating habits of our prehistoric ancestors to food-related policy issues we face today, this work covers the full spectrum of foods that have been hunted, gathered, cultivated, and domesticated; their nutritional make-up and uses; and their impact on cultures and demography. It offers a geographical perspective on the history and culture of food and drink and takes up subjects from food fads, prejudices, and taboos to questions of food toxins, additives, labelling, and entitlements. It culminates in a dictionary that identifies and sketches out brief histories of plant foods mentioned in the text - over 1,000 in all - and additionally supplies thousands of common names and synonyms for those foods. "This outstanding work of scholarship explains what we eat and why we eat it. The multidisciplinary articles discuss both individual foods and topcs such as food fads, famine, and eating disorders."--"Outstanding Reference Sources," American Libraries, May 2001.Examines the history of food and nutrition, covering all foods that are hunted, gathered, cultivated, and domesticated; their nutritional makeup and cultural/demographic impact; as well as food fads, taboos, additives, and labeling.