Feast: A History of Grand Eating

The title of this review says it all. It's informative without weighing the reader down with obsessive detail, entertaining without s=being superficial. Roy Strong is an excellent writer and this is essential reading for any modern day foodie who is yet to be enlightened with occidental eating cultures and their origins.

An intriguing book on a universal subject. Feasts are ultimately a spectacle where food is used to project personal influence, make deals and curry favors. As Strong shows, these motivations haven't changed thru seismic changes in the art of the meal (introduction of fork and spoon, tables, sugar, spice ..). The prehistoric culinary history spanning the Greek and Romans is fascinating, as is the rediscovery of these "excesses" under the watchful eyes of the church. The post-renaissance portrayal becomes less intrigue and more detail, although there are some nice segments about the effect of sugar, the rise and fall of spice and the emergence of etiquette. The latter half of the book could be more entertaining, but all in all worth a read.

The next time you invite people for dinner, stop and think about what you do to get ready. Inviting the right people, planning an exciting menu, decorating the table, arranging the seating plan, the order of the courses : all of these are vestigal remnants of formal dining practices over the centuries.This is a fun book to read. It's a non-scholarly round-up of many, many academic articles that have appeared on the subject of dining along with a summary of some of most significant historical works on food, dining, entertainment and medicine. If you are interested in food, the evolution of table manners and the developmental history of your family breakfast room, then this is a jolly good read. I thoroughly enjoyed it and only wished I could jump in a time machine and appear at one of the amazing Italian Renaissance jamborees! Highly recommended.

Roy Strong's Feast is inviting history of grand eating examines the social history and cultural phenomenon of entertaining and feasts; from its early heyday in the 9th century when a Babylonian emperor invited 70,000 guests for dinner, to modern times. Engaging historic black and white photos pepper a culinary history which provides plenty of insights on the background and evolution of the idea of the feast and the culinary celebration of food.