ตำนานอาหารโลก: เบื้องหลังจานโปรดโดนใจคนทั่วโลก

by Albert Jack, พลอยแสง เอกญาติ (Translator)

ซีซาร์สลัด คิดค้นโดยซีซาร์แห่งกรุงโรม?
พิซซ่า อบครั้งแรกบนโล่ทหารในกองทัพเปอร์เซีย?
ไอศกรีมซันเดย์ เดิมมีขายเฉพาะวันอาทิตย์?
ชีสเค้ก เป็นสิ่งแทนความรักของชาวกรีก?
บลัดดีแมรี ได้ชื่อมาจากราชินีโรคจิต?
ไข่เยี่ยวม้า เป็นอาหารเก่าแก่นับพันปี?
เฟรนช์ฟรายส์ ถือกำเนิดในฝรั่งเศส?
ฮอตดอก ทำจากเนื้อสุนัขพันธุ์ไส้กรอก?
แซนด์วิช เป็นสิ่งประดิษฐ์ของสาวกซาตาน?
น้ำสลัดเทาซันด์ไอแลนด์ มาจากเกาะนับพันแห่ง?

ค้นหาคำตอบของคำถามเหล่านี้พร้อมทั้งไขความลับเบื้องหลังชื่อและความเป็นมาของอาหารเมนูดังระดับโลกกว่า 160 รายการ ได้ใน ตำนานอาหารโลก: เบื้องหลังจานโปรดโดนใจคนทั่วโลก โดย อัลเบิร์ต แจ็ก หนังสือประวัติศาสตร์อาหารแนวใหม่ซึ่งจะทำให้ผู้อ่านอิ่มอร่อยไปกับข้อมูลระดับสารานุกรมทว่าย่อยง่ายไม่ต่างจากวรรณกรรมผ่านปลายปากกาของยอดนักเขียน

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Food, Cookbooks, Food History, Cooking, Food and Drink

416 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

About the author

Albert Jack, pen name for Graham Willmott, is an international best-selling author and historian. He is an expert in explaining the unexplained and has appeared on live television shows and has made thousands of radio appearances worldwide.

Reviews

[Penpitcha Thaweepong · Rating 4 out of 5]

เล่าถึงเกร็ดประวัติของอาหารหลากหลายอย่าง แน่นอนว่าเน้นอาหารตะวันตก
อ่านได้เพลินๆ แนะนำให้ดูรูปอาหารประกอบไปด้วยแล้วจะอ่านได้อย่างมีอรรถรสมากขึ้น

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Albert Jack leads readers on an exploration of the origin of various foods or at least food names, some food idioms, and other various sundry little foodie fun facts.

I was really enjoying this, being one of those odd people who loves random facts. But then I stumbled upon a glaringly wrong entry related to the idiom "take the cake" that Mr. Jack said supposedly emerged from American slaves reading a Bible story about a knight who is rewarded for his task with a cake. I knew there is no such story in any version of the Bible; I did a quick google search for such a tale and found the story in a book called Weird Tales. It took me all of 30 sec to find that reference. That, combined with how many times he said that Americans used such and such a phrase (a phrase I'd never even heard of), made me wonder about the quality of his research behind the book. Some entries feel well-researched and have primary quotes that make them seem very solid, but others...not so much. For example, he said Americans have called French fries "freedom fries" since 2003. Umm, that may have lasted 2 days in one little town. I have never heard a fellow American say such a thing. I still enjoyed the book, but as is ironically fitting for a book on food, I'm taking things herein with a pinch of salt.

Notes on content: Maybe a few minor swear words in quotes. No sexual content. No graphic violence (well, unless you count pigs and such being butchered).

[Simon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pleasant enough, bite-sized, fact-filled nuggets of food history. Presumably aimed at the UK market, as the only mention of non-European food is a couple of chapters relating to the origins of dishes found in Chinese and Indian takeaways. The fact that each dish gets only a page or so precludes any depth, but there's still much to enjoy, and it's full of anecdote and etymology.

[Clare · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book contained a fascinating look at some well-known culinary dishes. I found out about Earl Grey and why a tea is named for him. I found out Caesar salad had nothing to do with a Roman emperor. I found out Diamond Jim Brady did some culinary espionage and that in 1583 Scotland got rid of the Christmas holiday and it wasn't reinstated until 1958.
There are quite a few foods named for a famous person, some others had their original name changed due to political divides. It was also interesting to note what part of a Peking Duck the wealthy preferred and what part they gave to the servants.
There are so many interesting facts about food included in this highly enjoyable read.

[ஐ Katya (Book Queen)ஐ · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out okay and was very interesting. The trouble is, it can't continue to hold your interest without boring you to tears. The author gives you historical backgrounds that can at times be incredibly fascinating, however, he can also drone on and put you to sleep he's so boring. It would have been better had it been shorter, as I made it through 2/3rds of the book, reading 5-10 minutes at a stretch, before I was so bored that I started skimming the last couple of sections.

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lived up to expectations: short, fun histories of food names and origins that were amusing. While I did not expect great historical research, I did perhaps expect a bit more editorial uniformity among the entries. Some were fun and well written while others meandered. I think the book also would have been a bit better if it were not so UK food focused - although I am sure that the author picked a single focus to narrow the topic.

[Jonathan Copeland · Rating 3 out of 5]

quite enjoyed the book. It's rather light and easy to read. In many cases the origins of dishes do not seem to be known so it's inconclusive in many cases. The author adds many bits of popular history, which many people will already know about, but I didn't mind that.

[Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The perfect book for anyone who enjoys random trivia about the origin of food.
Dazzle your friends.
Entertain your coworkers.
Or, at the very least, make some amusing small talk at the next party you go to.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting book filled with fun food facts.

[Tracey]

Lesley marked to-read; interest in topic

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick read on historical background of most of our favorite foods. From soup to nuts...very entertaining!

[Nattaporn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lot of information about food that I like, very interesting book.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such a sad story! Though not a well written read, it was such a compelling story and worth the read.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely, yummy book, very neatly sectioned into courses, so beginning with breakfast and ending with the cheeseboard. I particularly liked the chapter about Christmas food.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting history and trivia for food nerds

[angela · Rating 1 out of 5]

not very interesting

[Emily Von pfahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Highly informative and entertaining. Not surprisingly it will make you hungry, except in the sections on Haggis and blood pudding. Oh and the horrible fermented sauce the Romans made.

[David Fock Chun Man · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to chew, easy to swallow. (SPOILER)
Some food were made because of laziness, some because of ressource being scarce and other one, by accident! :)

[Froggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

[GothChickVibing · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting, a little long here and there. I skipped the cheese chapter, who even likes cheese anyway? It's so gross.

[Lils · Rating 5 out of 5]

one of the best reads ive had in 2018. interesting, funny and informative. if you love food, you got to add this to your read list.

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Albert Jack has a chatty, tongue-in-cheek manner of writing while giving his readers information on the origins of some of our favorite foods - be it just the odd name or even how the tasty dish was created and by whom.

Pavlova. Vindaloo. Crepes Suzette, Kebabs. Toad in the Hole. Welsh Rarebit. Expresso. Mulligatawny Soup. What is a Full English Breakfast and how it differs from the Full Irish, the Full Welsh and Full Scots. Background origins of some food-ish everyday phrases from 'humble pie' to 'the big cheese'.
There is a slight focus on foods of the United Kingdom but he doesn't leave out the popular American foods especially since cuisine and favored tastes cross borders easily.

The book is broken down into 15 sections -
Breakfast
Lunchbox
Fast Food
Aperitifs and Appetizers
Salads and Vegetables
The Fish Course
Sauces and Seasonings
The Meat Course
Indian Cuisine
Italian Cuisine
Chinese Cuisine
Christmas Dinner
The Dessert Cart
The Cheese Course

Oh, and Caesar from the Caesar's Salad fame - he was an Italian immigrant to arrived in America and opened a restaurant just over the border in Tijuana which became a favorite of sotuhern Californians. During one Fourth of July celebration, not wanting to aggravate the drunken customers demanding food, his daughter tossed some ingredients together into a salad. Tada! It was a hit and celebrities would travel to have his 'Aviator Salad" which was imported into the U.S. as a Caesar Salad. His name? Caesar Cardini.

2020-066

[Octavia Cade · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun collection of mostly well-known stories in the history of food. They're grouped together by type - breakfast, sauces, desserts, and so on - but otherwise there's no real defining factor. They're just stories about food that the author has found interesting, and I don't mean that as denigration. (It's a perfectly fine reason for a collection, and gives the whole an appealing variety and sense of quirk.) Though it must be said the selection's not entirely down to random chance and personal liking. There are a lot of stories from England and France particularly, and while it would be interesting to see a more international focus, it's also entertaining to read about food that I'm personally very familiar with, so six of one and half a dozen of the other there. Where it does fall down a bit, on the other hand, is in the level of repetition. There's quite a lot of it, and perhaps a wider variety of dishes would have gone some way to mitigating this.

Also, I am pleased to see the credit for pavlova given to New Zealand instead of those dessert thieving reprobates across the ditch, as is right and proper.

[Ashmita Sengupta · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you love food and you love history, this book is for you. It does a great job of tracing the journey and the inception of some of the most iconic dishes. I loved connecting the dots across the book.

However, the storytelling element could've been better. It was very piecemeal in its approach - a more Bill Bryson-eque approach to writing this book would've made it an exponentially better and easier read.

[Janet Rosfeld · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting and entertaining non-fiction book about the origins of some out favorite foods. Fun fact - historians believe that cheesecakes were served to the athletes during the first Olympic games in 776 BC. It was nice that this book could be read in small bites, waiting for a phone call, sitting in your Drs. office etc. Learned alot!

[Nats Lakkatham · Rating 3 out of 5]

- เป็นหนังสืออ่านง่าย ได้ทำความรู้จักกับอาหารชนิดต่าง ๆ รอบโลก (โดยเฉพาะอาหารยุโรป)
- เป็นหนังสือคล้ายสารานุกรมประวัติอาหาร มีติดบ้านก็ดูดีไม่น้อย
- แต่อ่านแล้วจะรู้สึกลอย ๆ หน่อย อาจเป็นเพราะเราไม่เคยได้รู้จัก ไม่ได้กินอาหารเหล่านั้น
- แต่ได้เข้าใจบริบททางสังคมของยุโรปเพิ่มขึ้นมาก นอกเหนือจากเชิงเศรษฐกินและการเมือง
- เลยทำให้จับประเด็กได้ว่า อาหารมีผลต่อชีวิตได้อย่างไร

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

For foodlovers and wordsmiths! ‘Did you know that the Cornish pasty was invented to protect tin miners from arsenic poisoning, or that the word 'salary' comes from Roman soldiers being paid their wages in salt? Is the Scotch egg actually from Scotland and what did some retired crusaders have to do with French toast? What dish was invented by Greek bandits on the run? '

[Michael Anderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Histories, trivia, and fun facts about food and dishes, most of which are (naturally, given where I bought the book) British. I particularly enjoyed the entries about dishes I know and not so much about those I have never heard of. Overall, it’s a nice, episodic read.

[HAGAO · Rating 3 out of 5]

ไม่รู้เพราะเขียนไม่น่าสนใจหรือเพราะอากาศร้อน หลังๆ หนังสือไม่สามารถ hold interests ไว้ได้ แต่ด้วยความที่สนใจอาหารตะวันตกอยู่แล้ว พร้อมกับเปิดรูปอาหารไปด้วยจึงอ่านจบ ในแง่ของความรู้ถือว่าโอเค พิมพ์แล้วก็รู้สึกหิว

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm no food historian (though I do like to read about food history), so if someone like me notices multiple errors of fact, it stands to reason that the research was not particularly deep or carefully fact-checked.