Art, Culture, and Cuisine: Ancient and Medieval Gastronomy

by Phyllis Pray Bober

In Art, Culture, and Cuisine, Phyllis Pray Bober examines cooking through an assortment of recipes as well as the dual lens of archaeology and art history. Believing that the unity of a culture extends across all forms of expression, Bober seeks to understand the minds and hearts of those who practiced cookery or consumed it as reflected in the visual art of the time.

Bober draws on archaeology and art history to examine prehistoric eating customs in ancient Turkey; traditions of the great civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome; and rituals of the Middle Ages. Both elegant and entertaining, Art, Culture, and Cuisine reveals cuisine and dining's place at the heart of cultural, religious, and social activities that have shaped Western sensibilities.
 

Genres: Food, History, Nonfiction, Food and Drink

462 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 1999

Reviews

[Lama Al Khatib · Rating 3 out of 5]

A comprehensive reference for art and cuisines covering Prehistory, ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece, Hellenistic Greece, Rome, early Middle Ages and late gothic international. It’s interesting to know about the earliest food habits and kitchen techniques but all in all I think I would’ve preferred reading a book that includes the facts but adopts a less rigidapproach for a topic as interesting as food.

I found the accounts of hiding surprises (such as birds) in pies and desserts very jaw dropping. I couldn’t help but remember the childhood rhyme “Sing a song of sixpence a pocket full of rye, four and twenty black birds baked in a pie. When the pie was open the birds began to sing...”.

I also found the pages about ancient Egypt interesting as I live in the Middle East and there are certain foods that are still loved and eaten today such as Melukhiya (a spinach-like leaf) cooked as a stew and served with chicken and rice.

[Kara · Rating 4 out of 5]

It doesn't seem to matter when or where; everyone thinks their food is the best and any other food is just weird.

Ancient Rome was my favorite section - although some of the ancient practice around the Mediterranean were eye opening.

[Çetineus · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Bir sofrada karabiber kullanılıyorsa, o sofrada savurganlık var demektir."

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

While it is interesting that the author utilizes archaeology/anthropology and art history/history to examine foodways from prehistory to about 1400 AD, I was disappointed that there wasn't more visual analysis of art, especially since "Art" is the leading word in the title. This could have easily been assigned in a food history course, rather than a food and art course because the emphasis is so minimal.

That aside, this is a good text for food history, but it's a bit odd that she ends her chronology at the year 1400.

[Snail in Danger (Sid) Nicolaides]

This seems to be the kind of book that's hard to engage with. Well-chosen illustrations, which seemed more fascinating than the text - not just the ones that are typically seen when one deals with culinary history. None of them are in color, though.

[ⵀⴰⵙⵙⴰⵏ ⵀⴰⵢⴰⵙⵜⴰⵏⵉ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Underline knowing how and knowing that on ancient gastronomy