Art, Culture, and Cuisine: Ancient and Medieval Gastronomy Review

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(More customer reviews)Phyllis Bober has long been a pioneer in the history of cooking/foodways. Her thesis is that we can learn as much about a culture by examining it through the lens of its cuisine as by studying its art, literature, etc. This book is at once highly learned and well written--erudite and witty, like Fisher. An important work for anyone interested in the history of food and eating, the book covers "the prehistory of cuisine," the food culture of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, Rome, and Europe in the Middle Ages. Good illustrations. Can't wait to read the second volume covering the Renaissance through modernism that Bober is now writing.

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In Art, Culture, and Cuisine, Phyllis Pray Bober examines cooking through an assortment of recipes as well as the dual lens of archaeology and art history. Believing that the unity of a culture extends across all forms of expression, Bober seeks to understand the minds and hearts of those who practiced cookery or consumed it as reflected in the visual art of the time. Bober draws on archaeology and art history to examine prehistoric eating customs in ancient Turkey; traditions of the great civilizations of Egypt, Mesopotamia, Greece, and Rome; and rituals of the Middle Ages. Both elegant and entertaining, Art, Culture, and Cuisine reveals cuisine and dining's place at the heart of cultural, religious, and social activities that have shaped Western sensibilities.

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Food in History Review

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(More customer reviews)Food in History is an excellent introduction to a piece of human history that is probably so obviously important it's not widely researched: the crucial part that food played and plays in human society. Sure, everyone learns about how the spice trade was a leading factor in the Age of Exploration, and the discovery of crop rotation in the early Middle Ages, which "killed more than one child's interest in history" as the author rightly points out. This book goes much farther than that, showing the development of eating habits from neolithic man up to the early/mid 20th Century. Along the way, the author points out some truths that will be unpleasant to the food faddists of the early 21st Century: Humans ARE omnivores by evolution, and salt is also an evolution-induced craving, are just two of the basic points in the story of humans and food. (Speaking of food fads, these aren't limited to our Century and the US, fruit was considered dangerous by more than one culture and for reasons that sound depressingly familiar concerning dietary recommendations today...)
In a survey like this one, it can't do justice to EVERY culture's cuisine, but it does come close. Roman, Arab, Indian, Asian, and the influence of the Americas on European foods are well covered. The prose is lively, much wittier than I thought it would be given the subject, but also scholastic.
Is this a "popular" history? Yeah, I would say so, but there is also great material in here for the student and historian. So much so, that Food in History would make a great supplemental book for a World History course. Highly recommended.

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An enthralling world history of food from prehistoric times to the present. A favorite of gastronomes and history buffs alike, Food in History is packed with intriguing information, lore, and startling insights--like what cinnamon had to do with the discovery of America, and how food has influenced population growth and urban expansion.

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Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls: Facsimile Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)I have several copies of the original Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls and have found deletions of some of the old recipes in the new reproduction. There is no Easy Orange Cake and Clear Orange Sauce in the new. I noted several other changes too! On p.62 in the old is the recipe for Chocolate Fudge Milk Shake and in the new is Cake and Frosting Mix.
I was very excited about hearing that they were going to reprint this recipe book as my original copy was completely falling apart. I had bought several on an auction site to hand down to my kids that were not in good shape. I was going to buy the new one until I went through it and found that it is a revised reproduction and not a genuine reproduction. I would have liked them to have revised it by giving the exact old recipes and writing what changes were to be made if items were no longer available.

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Betty Crocker's classic cookbook for children is back-in an authentic reproduction of the original 1957 editionA whole generation of Baby Boomers grew up with Betty Crocker's Cookbook for Boys and Girls, and they have helped to make it the one of the most requested titles in the Betty Crocker archives. Now back by popular demand, this timeless favorite stands ready to capture the hearts of a new generation of budding cooks. Packed with recipes that are just as popular with kids today as they were 45 years ago, it shows how to make everything from Ice Cream Cone Cakes and Pigs in Blankets to Cheese Dreams and Sloppy Joes. The small format, easy recipes, charming color illustrations and photographs, and even the cover, are all the same as they were in the 1957 edition-and just as delightful as ever. The only innovation is the concealed wire binding that lies flat for easy cooking while being sturdy enough to withstand energetic handling by kids in the kitchen. It's the ideal book to give or to keep, for retro appeal, and for getting today's kids started in the kitchen.

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Dinners with Famous Women: From Cleopatra to Indira Gandhi Review

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(More customer reviews)This book is quite intriguing, and the author's credentials certainly seem to be in order. However there are a few faults to the book which trouble me. There are a LOT of typographical errors -- so many that sometimes the instructions aren't clear. Sometimes words are weirdly out of order, or there are footnotes about ingredients which aren't included in the recipes above. Also, in terms of authenticity, there are errors. I am quite sure that a 14th century French sauce wouldn't have had tomatoes in it. The biographies of the women seem accurate, but they aren't written with any difference of personality. Also, although the recipes do look very interesting and yummy, many of them really require the reader to already understand a lot about cooking. The little inbtween steps which make recipes accessible for the novice are missing.

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Dinners With Famous Women is a culinary history cookbook with a different twist -- women from different centuries recount the meals of their time. Enjoy dinner with Cleopatra, Annie Oakley, and Mata Hari as each famous woman describes the food of her generation.

Each chapter provides a menu and recipes for a succulent dinner inspired by these women of antiquity. Learn about a meal Anne Boleyn relished at Hampton Court with Henry VIII, eat a meal with Emily Dickinson, and celebrate Passover with Emma Goldman. In Dinners With Famous Women, culinary history becomes an exciting part of the cooking experience.

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Victorian Christmas Cookery (Traditional Country Life Recipe S.) Review

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(More customer reviews)This book was just what I was looking for. It is full of Victorian recipes, but with modern cooking instructions. It gives recipes for many different courses and has some menu ideas, but you can also create your own, of course. It also gives you an idea of what was common for Victorian holiday meals so you can also add your own similar recipes right along with it. It is a really great book. The only downfall is I do wish it had color photos of some (if not all) the recipes. That's just my own preference - I love cookbooks that show what each finished dish looks like. Other than that, it really is a good book if you are interested in cooking up some Victorian meals. I was looking for some new Christmas tradition foods for my family, and this really helped in giving me recipes plus helping in giving me other ideas as well.

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This title jumps into the Christmas feast by spotlighting the tastes and fragrances of the American holiday.From Oyster Soup and Parsley Sauce to Currant Jelly and Yule Dollies, the book explores recipes and cooking ideas popular in the last century, but with the palate of the modern family in focus. If you'd like to know how the tradition of Christmas dinner started and sample some true American favorites, then this book is a must for your kitchen library. Easy to read with clear step-by-step directions, don't miss it this season.

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The I Hate to Cook Book: 50th Anniversary Edition Review

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(More customer reviews)Peg Bracken's "I Hate to Cook Book" sure has an awful lot of good, simple recipes for a book that purports not to be about cooking. It's fun, fun, fun to read and the recipes truly are simple and good.
The best thing about the book is Bracken's inimitably breezy voice. When she tells you to stir "Company Carrots" until they're well-coated, she writes, " . . . stirring so that all the strips get well acquainted with the sauce." When introducing a recipe for "Rosy Radish Salad," she prefaces the instructions with, "This next one uses up radishes and some of your canned beans." No doubt she's always eager to get beyond dinner because she wants to get out of the kitchen and be seated with her guests, enjoying the conversation! She's a hoot to read, and the recipes work. I love the recipe names: Lamb Shanks Tra-La, Elevator Lady Spice Cookies, Sour Cream Cinch No. 1 and No. 2, Philosopher's Chowder, Breakthrough Salad, Immediate Fudge Cake, Dazzleberry Tart (which begins, "If the dazzleberries aren't ripe yet, use canned cherry pie filling"), and more. Even the chapter names are funny (No. 22 is entitled "Stealing from Knowledgeable People"). Get this book if you enjoy cooking or hate cooking--it doesn't matter--but definitely get it if you like a good laugh and good, plain, simple recipes.

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"There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who don't cook out of and have NEVER cooked out of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK, and the other kind...The I HATE TO COOK people consist mainly of those who find other things more interesting and less fattening, and so they do it as seldom as possible. Today there is an Annual Culinary Olympics, with hundreds of cooks from many countries ardently competing. But we who hate to cook have had our own Olympics for years, seeing who can get out of the kitchen the fastest and stay out the longest."- Peg BrackenPhilosopher's Chowder. Skinny Meatloaf. Fat Man's Shrimp. Immediate Fudge Cake. These are just a few of the beloved recipes from Peg Bracken's classic I HATE TO COOK BOOK. Written in a time when women were expected to have full, delicious meals on the table for their families every night, Peg Bracken offered women who didn't revel in this obligation an alternative: quick, simple meals that took minimal effort but would still satisfy. 50 years later, times have certainly changed - but the appeal of THE I HATE TO COOK BOOK hasn't. This book is for everyone, men and women alike, who wants to get from cooking hour to cocktail hour in as little time as possible.

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