History of Food

by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat, Anthea Bell (Translator)

This wide-ranging and comprehensive reference history covers in one volume the history of foodstuffs, the story of cuisine and the social history of eating. From the origins of mankind, and the transition from a vegetable to an increasingly carnivorous diet, the story unfolds of the interrelationship between people and diet, between particular foods and social mores, between dietary custom and cuisine.

A strong theme of natural history runs through the book. Bees and honey are examined and discussed, as are pulses, soya, fungi, cereals and the sources of vegetable oils. Game and meat of all kinds from poultry to horsemeat are described, as are all kinds of sea foods. Domestic animals, vegetable and fruit farming, fish farming and other human initiatives are compared with the economic markets they serve, and the dietary effects they have. Foods of pleasure, from confectionery to wine, from coffee to caviar are also covered.

This vast survey concludes with an investigation of scientific issues, including methods of food preservation, dietetics and the importance of vitamins. A selection of significant illustrations is included in the text, and there is a comprehensive bibliography and index. The French edition of this book won the History Prize of the Societe des Gens de Lettres de France.

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

824 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1987

Reviews

[Scheherazade W. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ramblings of a French woman presented as a global "history" despite lacking consistent scientific and historical citations. I don't mind a thick book, or rambling French women. I do however want to be sure I'm reading something on food history that is fact checked and internationally inclusive (if that's even reasonably possible with such a broad subject.)

I did plenty of curious googling as I read, and would say only 60-70% of the information presented here is true. Some things in here are just out and out made up by the author. The title is also misleading. She has western European food history covered, especially France, but other countries and cultures are presented as a garnish.

Don't bother picking this one up.

[Jim Chevallier · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is pretty much required reading for anyone with a serious interest in comprehensive food history. It is dense with information and carefully organized. My one big quibble is that Toussaint-Samat uses footnotes very sparingly. This is already frustrating when trying to track down some of her sources; it is all the worst when she passes on erroneous information. Which she unfortunately does on a number of occasions - Le Grand d'Aussy's distorted account of Charlemagne's cheese (which she further distorts by making assumptions about the exact cheese and region), the standard myth about the croissant being invented at a siege, a completely bogus item about Dagobert II (apparently fabricated by a 19th century writer), etc. She also makes some strange mistakes on her own account, such as confusing Radegund (a saint) with Fredegund (a murderess).
So anyone using this work for scholarship should double check information from it. But these, in the overall scope, are minor blemishes in a monumental work.

[Rebecca Huston · Rating 5 out of 5]

A whacking huge brick of a book, but if you're at all interested in culinary history, or want to know where an ingredient was first eaten and when, this book will tell you. Lots of pictures, lots of detail, this is one of my keepers.

For the more complete review, please go here:
http://www.epinions.com/review/Histor...

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with a previous reviewer -- the focus is very euro-centric, with North America considered and Asia added as afterthoughts for some topics. However, thoroughly researched and terribly informational. I used it as a reference for a paper and found myself plowing through the rest of it out of sheer curiosity and interest.

[Brad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Despite the Euro and Franco-centric scope of the book as broader history, this book contains fascinating food scholarship wrapped into cogent narrative morsels. Many people I know use it as a reference book but I couldn't put it down and read it cover-to-cover.

[Romulus · Rating 5 out of 5]

Znakomita (smakowita) książka. Bardzo frankocentryczna, ale nie mam tego za złe. Szkoda, że tak mało polskich "akcentów". Choć się nie znam, to liczyłem na więcej. Krótka wzmianka o piciu wódki. Potem o Stanisławie Leszczyńskim i kugelkopfie. Na koniec najlepsza. W 1683 r., kiedy król Jan III Sobieski pokonał Turków, w ich obozie znaleziono worki z kawą. Nie bardzo wiedziano, co z tym zrobić. Na szczęście znalazł się nasz rodak, były turecki więzień, który wyjaśnił. Król podarował mu część zdobyczy. Cesarz za zasługi nadał prawa mieszczanina wiedeńskiego. A nasz rodak otworzył pierwszą w Wiedniu kawiarnię. I dzięki niemu powstała kawa po wiedeńsku. Trochę mi to nastrój poprawiło. Choć kawy nie cierpię. :)

[Roger · Rating 2 out of 5]

While this covers a variety of interesting topics and the span of human history, the writing is somewhat stream of consciousness and lacks credibility. If it is as accurate in other areas as in the history of wine, with which I am familiar, it is a mere collection of anecdotes, many of which have been discredited by careful research. I finally gave up after I finished the section on wine in favor of other books on the topic which I hope are better researched and more cogently written.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is fascinating and comprehensive, but is better dipped into over time than read end-to-end. It's a bit French-centric, and the section on spices is weak (and wrong in a few spots). It also ends abruptly with no effort to pull the full story together. More of a reference book.

[Jonas Gehrlein · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book covers most of the history of food consumption and prodution from roman times to 1970 with a strong French focus. So if you are interested in what types of food people where eating in Europe in the past and how food was prepared and stored, this book gives a good general overview even if the authors viewpoint on how good the food is to eat and a few too many digressions into the why french food is the best, but if you want to know more about food history in Europe,this book is highly recommended

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn’t get past the chapter on honey. The writing style is excessively conversational, equivocating, uninspired, and frankly a little like a college paper by someone who just wants to get through it. This is confusing because there is much detail and clearly some interest for the subject. Another reviewer mentioned that maybe a third of the information presented is inaccurate. I hope not, that’s a lot of filler. It’s a sizable tome of tedious phrasing and unassertive claims.

[Klemen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’ve read many history books and this is by far the hardest to read. Some topics should have been explained more easily and the information seems scattered. I guess it’s understandable the topic might be hard to explain.

I’ve also read that other readers are complaining about the validity of the facts. Which is a bit worrysome to say the least.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actually read this a long time ago when, by chance, I fell into a culinary world--one I didn't know existed. I love this book! It's a great reminder that every food has behind it many stories, a rich history. Food is much more than a nourishment and comfort, it is to be celebrated, savored and never taken for granted.

[Saba · Rating 4 out of 5]

writing about this book today while I read it in 2007 that must tell you something , I did purchase it as the edition I read was a library one . Fascinating !!!!

[Joan Porte · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must read for foodies

[MargarethaNowStoryGraph Bye Amazon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book on all kinds eatable from histories' most long ago to histories' most recent. Very interesting, very educative. Perfect for the food-nerd you didn't know you were.

[Mai Radhiallah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Membaca sejarah ini buat kita rasa bersyukur wujudnya makcik pakcik zaman dahulu. Kalau tak kerana pengilhaman ilmu kepada mereka, tidak ada keju, kopi, teh dll.. di atas meja makan kita.

[Luis Alejandro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely book to read

[Cartimandua · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m about halfway through, and I’m disappointed. A lot of guesses and anecdotal evidence presented as fact, and heavily weighted in French favour. Hard to take it seriously as a factual piece.

[Lorraine · Rating 2 out of 5]

very western euro-centric, casual racism. Not in-depth, during the vegetable section only 4 (greens, cabbage, asparagus and tomatoes) are discussed. What about carrots, parsnips and cucumbers, I cry!

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

A text that is very comprehensive about Western foods from Egypt to France.

[Adam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Istnieją drogie książki, których cena nie przekłada się na jakość lub też ogranicza się jedynie do ładnego wydania, czy zdjęć, zaś treść pozostawia wiele do życzenia.

Książka Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat do tej grupy się nie zalicza. Pomimo że jej cena nie jest najniższa, a w środku nie znajdziemy ani jednego obrazka, czy schematu, jej treść spełnia wszelkie życzenia, które mogą pojawić się w nas podczas ściągania tej pozycji ze sklepowej półki.

Książka jest bardzo obszerna, ma blisko 700 stron pisanych niewielką czcionką (która wielokrotnie jest jeszcze zmniejszana). Na każdej z tych stron znajduje się obfita wiedza historyczna, kulturowa oraz językowa. Czytając tę książkę można sobie tylko wyobrazić ile miesięcy bardzo żmudnej pracy należało uczynić, aby ujrzała ona światło dzienne.

Czy warto przeczytać? Oczywiście, wyjaśnia mnóstwo zagadnień, opowiada niesamowite i nierzadko bajeczne historie. Choć trzeba poświęcić na nią sporo czasu, z pewnością jest tego warta. Podobnie jak swojej ceny.

Jedna uwaga - autorka jest Francuzką, więc najwięcej historii związanych jest z Francją. Oczywiście nie tylko, starożytność jest opisywana równie obszernie, ale trzeba mieć to na uwadze, że poszczególnych danych kiedy, gdzie i w jaki sposób dany przysmak trafił na polskie stoły, raczej nie znajdziemy.

[Samuel · Rating 3 out of 5]

It took me forever to get through this massive volume, but it was both informative and enjoyable. The one thing to note about it is that it's very, very French; it touches on other parts of the world too, but all roads within its pages eventually lead back to Paris. If you want to know about food and cooking in anything but a French/Western European/Mediterranean context, this probably isn't the book for you. However, it covers what it covers very well, with plenty of entertaining anecdotes along the way.

[Catherine · Rating 3 out of 5]

There should be an option 'unfinished". Overall, a very impressive collection of facts regarding foods. However it's a heavy read, and more like a collection of small books, each on one topic. I didn't find it entertaining enought to have it on my nighttable.

So although I won't read it entirely, I enjoy having it as a reference book on my food & cooking shelves and will have a look at it from time to time when I decide to know more about one food in particular.

On the down side... I am having some issues with the veracity of some of her statements. For example, she mentions that one of the first letters of the alphabet is after oil or olive (cna't remember). I used to be super interested by the topic of the history of writting and how letters evolved in various civilization. I have checked my books again and didn't find any trace of what she is talking about and I am pretty sure my books are excellent references... So since I am not a food historian, I have to trust her, but still, I am not yet 100% confident that the information is totally accurate. I hope to read here other comments to help me figure out.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This had just the information I was looking for -- which is just what Publisher's Weekly didn't like about it. I wanted to find information about French food from medieval through 1800s, and there's quite a bit about that in here. Loved the mix of history and edibles.

[Spencer Rich · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's very witty, informative and French, but it's awfully long--sometimes long-winded. Some things were skimmed. A great reference to have on your shelf; not so much a great thing to check out from the library. Something every foodie should own, anyway.

[Bryan Rucker]

this one's gonna take me a while...

[Amy]

This is more of a reference book, and it's about three inches thick, so maybe it will always stay on my to-read "shelf".

[S.R. Dantzler]

Great stuff if you are a foodie!

[C · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit dry... not a book you pick up and walk around with, but a book you pick up and haul to the couch/bed/chair and read...then sleep.

[Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Świetna książka. Podział epok jest przejrzysty i nie ma dziwnych przeskoków jak w Encyklopedii głupoty.