Publisher's Synopsis
A Cultural History of Food presents a comprehensive, authoritative overview of food from ancient times to the present. Together, the six volumes cover almost 3,000 years of food and its physical, spiritual, social and cultural dimensions. The periods covered are: 1. A Cultural History of Food in Antiquity (800 BCE - 500 CE) 2. A Cultural History of Food in the Medieval Age (500 - 1300) 3. A Cultural History of Food in the Renaissance (1300 - 1600) 4. A Cultural History of Food in the Early Modern Age (1600 - 1800) 5. A Cultural History of Food in the Age of Empire (1800 - 1900) 6. A Cultural History of Food in the Modern Age (1920 - 2000) Each volume discusses the same themes: 1. Food Production 2. Food Systems 3. Food Security, Safety and Crises 4. Food and Politics 5. Eating Out 6. Professional Cooking, Kitchens and Service Work 7. Family and Domesticity 8. Body and Soul 9. Food Representations 10. World Developments This structure allows readers to gain an overview of a particular period by reading one of the volumes or to follow a theme throughout history by reading the relevant chapter in each volume. Superbly illustrated, this is the definitive work on food in history. An essential text for students and scholars.
