Moveable Feasts: The History, Science, and Lore of Food

Food has functioned both as a source of continuity and as a subject of adaptation in the course of human history. Onions have been a staple of the European diet since the Paleolithic era, while the orange is once again being cultivated in great quantities in Southern China, where it was originally cultivated. Other foods—such as the apple and pear in Central Asia, the tomato in Mexico, the chili pepper in South America, and rice in South Asia—remain staples of their original regions and of the world diet today.Still other items are now grown in places that would have seemed impossible in the past-bananas in geothermally heated greenhouses in Iceland, corn on the fringes of the Gobi, and tomatoes in space. But how did humans discover how to grow and consume these foods in the first place? How were they chosen over competing foods? How did they come to be so important to us? In this charming and frequently surprising compendium, Gregory McNamee gathers revelations from history, anthropology, chemistry, biology, and many other fields, and spins them into entertaining tales of discovery, complete with delicious recipes from many culinary traditions around the world.

Among the 30 types of food discussed in the course of this alphabetically-arranged work are: the apple, the banana, chocolate, coffee, corn, garlic, honey, millet, the olive, the peanut, the pineapple, the plum, rice, the soybean, the tomato, and the watermelon. All of the recipes included with these diverse food histories have been adapted for recreation in the modern kitchen.

KLIATT

Have you ever wondered about the history of a particular food? Well, here is a delightful book that answers those questions. Each chapter contains a brief history of the food, basic nutritional information and trivia, all related in a conversational tone, followed by several recipes containing the featured ingredient and suggestions for further reading. Some of the 30 foods discussed are: apple, chocolate, coffee, garlic, honey, peanut, plum, soybean, tomato and watermelon. All recipes accompanying these diverse food histories have been adapted for the modern kitchen. Gregory McNamee is the author of 28 books and has also published articles in a wide variety of periodicals including Smithsonian and Sierra. He is also a contributing editor for Encyclopedia Britannica. This is a fascinating book. Reviewer: Shirley Reis

Gregory McNamee is the author or editor of twenty-eight books and has published articles in a wide variety of periodicals, from Smithsonian and Sierra to the Washington Post. He is a contributing editor for Encyclopaedia Britannica, for which he writes about world geography and culture, including food.