The Incredible Story of Cooking: From Prehistory to Today, 500,000 Years of Adventure

by Benoist Simmat, Stéphane Douay (illustrator)

For the first time, a graphic novel tells the story of humanity through the evolution of cuisine. From the discovery of fire to organic cooking, this book is aimed at all curious people and foodies. By the authors of Wine, A Graphic History.

As soon as humans mastered fire, they invented cooking. Did you know that Sapiens invented steam cooking and freezing? That the Mesopotamians created soups, bread, beer, ovens? That gastronomy and tableware have been symbols of political power?

These great discoveries changed the world, but also the way we eat. From America, the conquistadors brought spices, peppers, potatoes... Portuguese missionaries brought the frying technique to distant samurai who made the first tempuras. These are the beginnings of globalization.

In the 19th century with the industrial revolution, " capitalist" cuisine emerged: it was the beginning of the food industry. In the 21st century, the organic and buy local movements are shown as a reaction against the harmful effects of this culinary and gastronomic standardization.

To finish in style, find twenty-two recipes for dishes mentioned throughout our story that you can make at home!

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Graphic Novels, Food, Bande Dessinée, Historical, Comics

240 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2021

About the author

Benoist Simmat, né en 1973, est journaliste économique. Ancien du Nouvel Economiste, de L'Agefi et du Journal du Dimanche, il collabore ou a collaboré dans nombre de pages "éco" de la presse nationale, comme celles de L'Express, Libération, Management, La Revue du vin de France, etc. Menant parallèlement une carrière dans l'édition, il est également essayiste et scénariste des nouvelles "BD-enquêtes".

Reviews

[Carlex · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cuatro estrellas y media.

Por supuesto el medio del cómic permite ofrecer lo que te mostraría un libro pero de forma mucho más esquemática. En este caso, un libro que posiblemente no leería… No digo que sea preferible una opción sobre la otra, claro; pero por el tema tratado, con unas buenas ilustraciones y que al parecer el guionista se ha documentado bien (con abundantes notas indicando la bibliografía de referencia), estoy bastante satisfecho con la lectura. 

El libro abarca desde los primeros homínidos con sus formas primitivas de cocinado, y los progresivos avances como por ejemplo las formas de conservación de los alimentos o la fermentación (incluyendo primeras bebidas alcohólicas), hasta la edad contemporánea con sus formas de procesado industrial. El cómic tiene presentes las diversas cocinas del mundo, durante muchos siglos más avanzadas que la occidental, y tambien las últimas tendencias (veganismo, “slow food”, etc.).

Quién sabe, quizás en un futuro me anime a ampliar el tema con la lectura de algún buen tratado de los que citan en la bibliografía.

[Foggy Bunneh · Rating 2 out of 5]

8Intéressant mais représentations racistes des personnes asiatiques : visage jaune et dent de devant exagérées sortant de la bouche voir page 49 et a d'autres reprises dans la BD. Ces dessins aux stéréotypes racistes doivent cesser dans une bd sortie fin 2021. Ajoute cela un dialogue digne de la culture du viol page 91 entre 2 chasseurs :
" - regarde moi cette gazelle, elle court aussi vite que ta cousine quand je suis derrière !
- ah tu ne vas pas recommencer avec ma cousine !"
Très peu de femmes représentées si ce n'est a la préparation des repas. Les hommes sont partout même ceux qui pressent le raisin, qui discutent, aucune femme n'a de rôles actif fort. Bref une bd fait par 2 mecs resté dans leur boys club.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Très intéressant, mais malheureusement trop condensé pour pouvoir le rester tout du long. Je pense que faire plusieurs livres sur différentes époques/origines des plats/ingrédients auraient été plus pratique.

Et un peu plus de personnages féminins qui narrent elles aussi l'histoire aurait été pertinent (surtout pour un livre sortit il y a à peine quelques années).

Une dernière chose, difficile de passer à côté de représentations raciales de certains personnages (chinois ou noirs) qui là aussi méritent d'être revus vu la date de sortie du livre...

[Karine Grsl · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup aimé découvrir les différentes étapes de l'alimentation depuis la préhistoire jusqu'à nos jours. Les petites notes humoristique allège le texte parfois un peu dense. Cependant j'aurais aimé avoir plus d'éléments chronologiques, surtout vers la fin du livre ou on fait des sauts de grenouilles d'avant en arrière et où il devient compliqué de savoir où on est historiquement parlant, même si cela reste de l'ordre du détail.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book goes into depth about the history of food, perhaps focusing a bit too much on the past and not enough on the last century. The illustrations are cute but this book is a bit of an infodump and a little hard to get through. I read most of it and lost interest in the last 1/3 which is a shame because I was invested up until that point.

[Jerry Summers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Food overload. Simple, complex, industrial and back to slow and simple.

[Mae Vedel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinant

[LauranaLale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un livre très éducatif et ludique.
Facile à comprendre et rapide à lire.

[Alex Andrasik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun book! At its best when it traces the ways that food have shaped human behavior and society and vice versa. Sometimes a little sparse on details; I would have liked at least a sprinkling of deep dives into the origins of certain key foods or cooking styles, as opposed to just dropping them into the narrative fully formed. (There are a few exceptions to this, but not a ton.) The way the narrative touches on societies from all around the world is cool, though some (notably sub-Saharan African cultures) get shorter shrift than others. In addition, while the art is charming and clear, I would have loved a little more care and detail put into the depictions of food itself; most of the food on the page are suggestions of the real-world items using vague shapes and color. It's interesting, because the artist puts a great deal of care into depictions of architecture and scenery, so I know he probably could have done more. But, of course, the focus isn't really on the food here, it's on the people and the worlds they lived in. Each chapter does end with a sort of "summation page" featuring a single painterly image, and these are all pretty unreservedly gorgeous and evocative!

Maybe not surprisingly, the book was at its most interesting in the earlier chapters, depicting the history of food the furthest removed from what we're familiar with today. The discoveries and developments that made the foods of ancient Mesopotamia, Egypt and Greece what they were unfold in a most thrilling tapestry. And even further back, the exploration of the ways cooking developed in pre-historic settings was very neat! Even so, aspects of more recent eras, like the development of restaurant culture, the emergence of gastronomy as a pursuit of haute style, and the rise of "light eating" trends and their relationship to snacking, were worth the read.

I knew that I'd enjoy this author's vibe on the second page of text, when he had a caveman say, "Ice Age freaking picturesque, but we almost extinct." Indeed, caveman, indeed.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 4 out of 5]

They're not kidding when they say 500,000 years in the subtitle. The Incredible Story of Cooking is dense. If possible, I'd recommend taking it one era at a time - reading in small bites, as it were.

It's a fascinating read, though, as the need to consume calories has been a defining element of mankind since, well, the beginning. As homo sapiens becomes smarter, more social, and gathered in tighter quarters, our foods and cooking methods naturally change. The progression is really cool to see, especially the big swings in the beginning. Also interesting to see the occasional regression - our modern foods may keep the big world fed, but they're pretty bad at keeping us healthy.

The artwork is clean and engaging, even as the storytelling sometimes gets bogged down in minutiae. There are lots of lists and terms in native languages, so it's not often a breezy read. The graphic non-fiction equivalent of a ten-course meal: extravagant and (over)filling.

[Wayne Lemma · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s an informative and entertaining read that does a great job detailing the cooking practices of different cultures throughout time. It’s fascinating to see the ways that our culinary traditions have completely changed in some aspects and stayed constant for thousands of years in others.

It helps the reader see how cooking practices transcend cultures. All civilizations have borrowed or built on the foods of one another, and our cuisines have become increasingly interwoven in a globalized world.

That being said I wish they spent more time covering modern developments. It seemed rushed and could have explored more topics in depth. It felt like the authors were trying to cram it in at the end so they could wrap things up.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An extremely detailed graphic novel featuring the story of cooking-- not food but how cooking came to exist in different groups and cultures around the world from the plants, wildlife, and animals the existed, the types of culture they were living in, the climate, and also the sense of the time.

It's almost astounding how researchers and historians have been able to glean these pieces from history for Simmat to paint this picture as they did. It's chock full of information and as a reader, I can only imagine how some of this would have tasted then while some is still how we do it today.

[Feirodenn]

Un bande dessinée documentaire pour tous ceux curieux d'apprendre l'histoire de la cuisine ! On apprend les débuts préhistoriques, l'émergence du métier de cuisinier durant la haute antiquité, on apprend l'origine de nos aliments du quotidien, on apprend comment la gastronomie s'est développée en parallèle de solutions pour nourrir les masses. Les dessins illustrent très bien le contenu didactique dans un style simple et évocateur.

[Flapidouille · Rating 3 out of 5]

Plaisamment instructif, avec quelques détails manquants: on parle par exemple très tôt du sel sans préciser d'où il vient. Il n'est fait mention de sa découverte que bien plus loin dans le livre, ailleurs et plus tard. Quelques autres petites incohérences, pas vraiment gênantes... mais c'est dommage.
Cela tient plus du livre (abondamment) illustré que de la BD en tant que telle me semble-t-il. Un travail en tout cas sérieux.

[Kathryn Robbins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super interesting book! I learned a lot about food and our past and how we got to where we are today. Easy to read, facts are cited if you want to look more into the resources the author used. The book is very well organized and easy to read. My 8 year old was reading it and could understand the book. I recommend this book!

[Kristin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Despite it being a Graphic edition, it was still very informative. Much of the content was still pretty dense, and that made it tougher for me to get through considering the subject doesn’t pique my interest much. I do enjoy learning though, so was grateful for the opportunity. I do appreciate the wide variety of recipes included.

[Earla · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's packed full of info. As a foodie and lover of all things graphically told in panels, I'd take this one to a desert island if I could also look up its resources! It's a great read and has recipes, too! Our 9 year old granddaughter liked it too. I think I need to buy this book and keep it in my kitchen! The creators of this book are wonderful people!

[Carlos Úbeda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cómic divulgativo que utiliza el éxito de "La increíble historia del vino" para contar evolución de qué y cómo comemos a lo largo de la historia.
No deja de ser un trabajo de encargo, sin profundidad emocional, pero está muy bien resuelto y estructurado, aportando mucha información curiosa de un modo muy ameno y con acertados detalles humorísticos.

[Kirsten · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting but somewhat dense. I thought the earliest sections were the most readable and engaging. It spins a bit out of control - though is just too much - as it pushes rogresses through history. There is a strong overemphasis on Frnce, and not enough attention paid to other parts of the world, especially Africa.

[Mariepuce · Rating 4 out of 5]

J'ai beaucoup aimé en apprendre sur la cuisine depuis la préhistoire.
J'ai moins aimé les derniers chapitres qui vont trop vite

[Laetitia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Un bon aperçu de l'histoire de la cuisine, remplit d’anecdotes surprenante !
On y apprend qu'il faut remercier les portugais pour les tempuras japonais.

[Rachel]

I just wasn't getting into it and didn't care. Maybe I'll come back to it later.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Content warning: includes a depiction of the Prophet Mohammed (PBUH). Great book but found that page disturbing.

[WiseB · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is an easy read as a graphic novel covering cuisines with cooking since the prehistoric period and amongst different civilizations across different continents.

[David Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Entertaining and informational. I liked the bits about early history the best. I was also impressed with how scholarly it was, with citations all throughout. The art is pretty good.

[Luke · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5*

[Stella · Rating 4 out of 5]

Informative graphic novel about the history of cooking.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting review of the history of cooking, that is often slyly funny.

[Daria Zheglo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hyper divertissant, mais j’avoue que j’aurais préféré passer plus de temps sur la période 1600 à nos jours plutôt que sur la préhistoire et le Moyen Âge. En tout cas, vraiment pas mal !

[Yilaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some inaccuracies but a fun overview to read. Many reviews complain about it being dense but I didn't find it so.