Leftovers: A History of Food Waste and Preservation

by Eleanor Barnett

A topical, informative and entertaining history of food preservation and waste in Britain from the sixteenth-century kitchen to the emergence of food justice movements in the present day. By exploring the many ingenious ways in which our ancestors sought to extend the life of food, Leftovers opens a window on the lives and values of ordinary people in the past, revealing how such factors as wealth, inequality and religious doctrine have shaped perceptions of food waste from Elizabethan times to the twenty-first century.Embracing a wide historical span that takes in Tudor household management, the introduction of new methods of food preservation during the Industrial Revolution; state promotion of the avoidance of food waste in two World Wars, and the politics of food in the era of sustainability, Leftovers links its central historical focus to humanitarian and environmental issues of urgent contemporary interest – including the impacts of globalisation and scientific advancement, wealth and gender divisions, and the relationship of human beings with plants and animals.

Genres: Food, History, Nonfiction

384 pages, Hardcover

Published September 10, 2024

Reviews

[Alex Gravina · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was really disappointed by this book. I was hoping for a history of the methods of food preservation along with a discussion of the role of food waste. What I got was a surface level history of topics that were only occasionally related to food waste and even less so preservation (the main methods of preservation aren't even thoroughly described, and why they preserve food isn't mentioned).

The second half of the book is a story about food waste in COVID and looking to the future. These pieces aren't really history and are quite repetitive.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this read! It was highly facts driven but the author told a fantastic story to guide the reader through the history of food preservation and waste. Most of it was set in the UK but it was fascinating to hear about how European countries have shifted their strategies for waste and preservation over the centuries.

Would recommend for anyone interested in sustainability, food waste, and how the heck we can, as individuals, feel a bit better about how we use up our food.

[Yvonne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a brilliant book to read and while the title sounds like something from decades ago, it is actually very appropriate.

The book looks at how food has been grown and used over the centuries. The author takes the reader back to how inventions have changed how we look and deal with food over the years. Shopping used to be a daily event as there was no way of keeping fresh food fresh, it could be salted and smoked but there was very little that could be done to preserve food and retain the flavour as there is today.

With the emergence of technologies, that were new at the time, the people's understanding of how food storage improved. Understanding that rotten foods can cause illness and death took a step towards how food was sold, prepared and stored. It was not until the realisation of this that ice was used in special cooling boxes would prolong food did things began to change. Along with this was the use of canning foods.

Many discoveries over the decades have improved the quality of foods. It also opened up the UK household to foods that would never have made the journey from other countries and still be edible. This was good for the consumer but it also saw the start of something else. Food waste! With food being stored longer, it meant that the shopper could buy more. Food would be kept chilled, frozen or canned so this meant no more need for a daily shop. This ultimately led to food going past its fresh and nutritious state.

It was noticed that food was spoiling as it was not being used. I know that I have wasted food over the years. From the random lettuce in the back of the salad drawer, the forgotten tin of random beans in the back of the cupboard or the long-forgotten pack of sausages in the back of the freezer. While they were good for consumption at the time of purchase, they had, however, lingered too long and spoiled.

The author tackles these subjects and a whole lot more. Food waste is something that is a more modern event. I can remember the food mountains being mentioned when I was a child. If you think this is a book that looks just at the past then you would be mistaken. The thing I liked about this book was that the author brought things up to date. Not just mentions of plastics and pollution but how new technologies and inventions are not always the best thing.

The author lays this book out in such a good way, that there is plenty to learn and also realise. It will make you look at your shopping habits. I think I am very good as I have very little food waste. I do compost, any mealtime leftovers are either used again for another dish, eaten cold or given to the dog.

The author does not lay blame at anyone's front door as such, but what she does do is look at society over the years, the changes in our lives and developments in other countries. How things from the past gave us answers to problems that would make our lives today very different but also how these also gave us a new set of problems.

This book is a look at food over the centuries, from the early modern age to the present day. At the changes in opinions, way of life, living standards and conditions, society and the environment. It is an incredibly interesting book that has a lot to think about. It opened my eyes to quite a few things that I had not thought about.

Fabulous book, well researched and very readable, with no boring lists of stats but instead a well-thought-out and addictive book. I would definitely recommend this.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not what I expected from the title but the book captivated me 3/4 of the way through. It is almost a great book but lost it when it got to the pandemic when it turned into an unrelatable and political mess. Note that I'm probably politically aligned with the author but that stuff has nothing to do with the first part of the book, and it even felt like it was written by a different author. Better editing from the publisher might have helped.

It is Great Britain centric so I needed to make adjustments for my home in the US.

Even so, I highly recommend the book and almost put it as a "must read" book. Just skip everything from the pandemic forward.

[Jen Lees · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, what an incredible book! I never thought the history of food leftovers could be such an interesting read. I cannot recommend this book enough, it is informative, witty, and wildly entertaining.

[Shannon]

dnf 💔

[Seriesbooklover · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for a free and unbiased opinion.
I couldn’t put this book down. I was hooked from the introduction when the author described the Great Nottingham Cheese riots of 1766- a historical event that was not covered in any detail when I was school.
The book traces the history of food waste and food preservation from ancient times when food was preserved in the summer for the bleak winter months to very little waste to the current time where society is more aware of food waste and the environmental concerns of ever increasing amounts of rubbish.
It was reassuring to read that this isn’t a new problem, the descriptions of the Thames being a waste ground for butchers and the resulting stench that led to protests sounds familiar. As is the campaigns on imaginative and creative ways of substituting ingredients during the world wars- just have a look on blogs on thrift and saving money or the craze for banana bread during lockdown.
I found the history of how canned food came to be ( a result of a competition) and how this led to scandal of sailors being poisoned by contaminated cans. A scandal so bad it was discussed in parliament!