A history of food

This is a most comprehensive book, full of tasty bits of information and insight. Do not try to read all at once - it's most useful to either use the table of contents for specific times in history or foods, etc., or read one chapter at a time with a good red wine, Stilton cheese and whole grain crackers. Highly recommend this book if you love food, politics, history and people! This is not for beach reading. It's a keeper.

I've been reading, re-reading, and browsing in this book since I bought it almost a year ago. I find it quite extraordinary. As a lifelong historian, I appreciate the exceptional research and the bright way the translator spins anecdotal hisotry into readable passages. As a single man who just started cooking some months ago, I find this book is also a "brain prompter." To be able to read about the history of the spices and foods which one prepares is like a double meal, one for the body and another for the mind.While the book, naturally, follows strongly the French historical line, nevertheless, it's still fascinating to read, cull through, and refresh the memory about even simple foods like bread, pork, and fish. If you're a cook of any kind, with this book you'll be able to spark dinner conversations with snippets of history about what you've served.

I usually avoid French Historians, just because their distinct style is not normally to my liking. This book was an exception, and I'll admit it surprised me. It is dense and anectotal, so I wouldn't recommend it for long reads, but if taken in small doses it's wonderful! She's very, very funny, which says a lot, because French writers usually don't make me chuckle. It took me a month to read it, and it was worth the time.