Dying to Eat: Cross-Cultural Perspectives on Food, Death, and the Afterlife

Material Worlds

by Candi K. Cann (Editor)

Food has played a major role in funerary and memorial practices since the dawn of the human race. In the ancient Roman world, for example, it was common practice to build channels from the tops of graves into the crypts themselves, and mourners would regularly pour offerings of food and drink into these conduits to nourish the dead while they waited for the afterlife. Funeral cookies wrapped with printed prayers and poems meant to comfort mourners became popular in Victorian England; while in China, Japan, and Korea, it is customary to offer food not only to the bereaved, but to the deceased, with ritual dishes prepared and served to the dead.

Dying to Eat is the first interdisciplinary book to examine the role of food in death, bereavement, and the afterlife. The contributors explore the phenomenon across cultures and religions, investigating topics including tombstone rituals in Buddhism, Catholicism, and Shamanism; the role of death in the Moroccan approach to food; and the role of funeral casseroles and church cookbooks in the Southern United States. This innovative collection not only offers food for thought regarding the theories and methods behind these practices but also provides recipes that allow the reader to connect to the argument through material experience. Illuminating how cooking and corpses both transform and construct social rituals, Dying to Eat serves as a fascinating exploration of the foodways of death and bereavement.

Genres: Death, Nonfiction, History

208 pages, Hardcover

Published January 5, 2018

Reviews

[Lu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Absolutely fascinating cultural history of foods role in ritual and death.

[Deirdre Fagan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book at the Popular Culture/American Culture Association conference last spring. My poetry and fiction tend to be infused with food rituals and images so its cover immediately caught my eye. The collection is an engaging read that is well researched and documented. I particularly enjoyed learning about the Whitechapel Club from Christa Shusko since I had never before heard of it. The structure of the book from “Starters” to “Digestifs” is whimsical and fun. Including recipes was also a nice touch. A great book for those interested in cultural perspectives on death.

[Maggie Creech · Rating 3 out of 5]

not particularly in depth, but a nice collection of essays that could serve as an entry point for anyone interested in learning more about the topic