These essays were presented at the seventeenth Leeds Symposium on Food History, of which this is the fourteenth volume in the series 'Food and Society.' Their common theme is the way in which we cooked our food from the medieval to the modern eras, most especially, how we roasted meats. The authors are distinguished food historians, mostly from the north of England. David Eveleigh discusses the rise of the kitchen range, from the 19th-century coal-fired monsters to the electric and gas cookers of the early 20th century. Ivan Day, in two essays, talks about techniques of roasting. In the first he tells of the ox roast - the open-air celebration with the cooking done on a blazing campfire. In the second he traces the history of the clockwork spit, the final, most domestic version of the open-hearth device that had been driven by dogs or scullions in earlier centuries. Peter Brears gives us the fruits of many years' involvement in the reconstruction of the kitchens at Hampton Court and other Royal Palaces in his account of roasting, specifically the 'baron of beef', in these important locales. The final two chapters discuss aspects of baking rather than roasting. Laura Mason tells of the English reliance on yeast as a raising agent - in the earliest times deriving it from brewing ale, and Susan McClellan Plaisted gives an account of running a masonry wood-fired oven in living-history museums in America, discussing the transmission of cooking techniques from the Old to the New World, and the problems encountered in baking a satisfactory loaf. The book is very generously illustrated, both by photographs of artefacts and reproductions of early prints and engravings that elucidate their purpose and function.

Food is not just a way to fill our stomachs but is representative of the culture and time we live in. It tells a story and can act as a catalyst for social engagement. As the impact of mass food production on the environment becomes ever more apparent, movements advocating organic farming and local, small-scale food production are finally receiving an ear. The appeal of exotic, imported foods is fast becoming less popular than a preference for being able to meet the producer and quickly find out the processes and supply chain involved. Gather & Nourish presents a chance for you to meet some of those makers and discover more about how they cultivated their business and why they believe ethically sourced and produced food is important. A smorgasbord of artisans - including a beekeeper, a distiller, a dairy farmer, and a winemaker - enthusiastically share their appetite for food and creativity while offering an insightful and tasty slice of the world of urban agriculture, small-scale farming, and sustainable living.

Ghulam Bombaywala sells bagels in Houston. Demetrios dishes up pizza in Connecticut. The Wangs serve tacos in Los Angeles. How ethnicity has influenced American eating habits-and thus, the make-up and direction of the American cultural mainstream-is the story told in We Are What We Eat. It is a complex tale of ethnic mingling and borrowing, of entrepreneurship and connoisseurship, of food as a social and political symbol and weapon-and a thoroughly entertaining history of our culinary tradition of multiculturalism. The story of successive generations of Americans experimenting with their new neighbors' foods highlights the marketplace as an important arena for defining and expressing ethnic identities and relationships. We Are What We Eat follows the fortunes of dozens of enterprising immigrant cooks and grocers, street hawkers and restaurateurs who have cultivated and changed the tastes of native-born Americans from the seventeenth century to the present. It also tells of the mass corporate production of foods like spaghetti, bagels, corn chips, and salsa, obliterating their ethnic identities. The book draws a surprisingly peaceful picture of American ethnic relations, in which "Americanized" foods like Spaghetti-Os happily coexist with painstakingly pure ethnic dishes and creative hybrids. Donna Gabaccia invites us to consider: If we are what we eat, who are we? Americans' multi-ethnic eating is a constant reminder of how widespread, and mutually enjoyable, ethnic interaction has sometimes been in the United States. Amid our wrangling over immigration and tribal differences, it reveals that on a basic level, in the way we sustain life and seek pleasure, we are all multicultural.

Chocolate: Pathway to the Gods takes readers on a journey through 3,000 years of the history of chocolate. It is a trip filled with surprises. And it is a beautifully illustrated tour, featuring 132 vibrant color photographs and a captivating sixty-minute DVD documentary. Along the way, readers learn about the mystical allure of chocolate for the peoples of Mesoamerica, who were the first to make it and who still incorporate it into their lives and ceremonies today.
Although it didn't receive its Western scientific name, Theobroma cacao--"food of the gods"--until the eighteenth century, the cacao tree has been at the center of Mesoamerican mythology for thousands of years. Not only did this "chocolate tree" produce the actual seeds from which chocolate was extracted but it was also symbolically endowed with cosmic powers that enabled a dialogue between humans and their gods. From the pre-Columbian images included in this sumptuous book, we are able to see for ourselves the importance of chocolate to the Maya, Aztecs, Olmecs, Mixtecs, and Zapotecs who grew, produced, traded, and fought over the prized substance.
Through archaeological and other ethnohistoric research, the authors of this fascinating book document the significance of chocolate--to gods, kings, and everyday people--over several millennia. The illustrations allow us to envision the many ancient uses of this magical elixir: in divination ceremonies, in human sacrifices, and even in ball games. And as mythological connections between cacao trees, primordial rainforests, and biodiversity are unveiled, our own quest for ecological balance is reignited. In demonstrating the extraordinary value of chocolate in Mesoamerica, the authors provide new reasons--if any are needed--to celebrate this wondrous concoction.

The food that Jewish people eat is part of our connection to our faith, culture, and history. Not only is Jewish food comforting and delicious, it's also a link to every facet of Judaism. By learning about and cooking traditional Jewish dishes, we can understand fundamentals such as kashrut, community, and diversity. And Jewish history is so connected to food that one comedian said that the story of Judaism can be condensed into nine words: They tried to kill us. We survived. Let's eat. Let's Eat follows the calendar of Jewish holidays to include food from the many different Jewish communities around the world; in doing so, it brings the values that are the foundation of Judaism into focus. It also covers the way these foods have ended up on the Jewish menu and how Jews, as they wandered through the world, have influenced and been influenced by other nations and cuisines. Including over 40 recipes, this delicious review of the role of food in Jewish life offers a lively history alongside the traditions of one of the world's oldest faiths.

The book is targeted to aspiring bon vivants, modern metrosexuals, millennials, and hipsters eager to become the new gentleman. Content not only includes quick guides to great drinks, foods, and cigars, but also makes the case for why every real gentleman needs a great flask, a classic pen, and a watch that may not be "smart" but will make you look and feel like 007. Features short essays on each subject, with classic illustrations accompanying each, all in a handsome package that will evoke thoughts of a trusted old leather-bound book.

Ranging from the imperial palaces of ancient China and the bakeries of fourteenth-century Genoa and Naples all the way to the restaurant kitchens of today, Pasta tells a story that will forever change the way you look at your next plate of vermicelli. Pasta has become a ubiquitous food, present in regional diets around the world and available in a host of shapes, sizes, textures, and tastes. Yet, although it has become a mass-produced commodity, it remains uniquely adaptable to innumerable recipes and individual creativity. "Pasta: The Story of a Universal Food" shows that this enormously popular food has resulted from of a lengthy process of cultural construction and widely diverse knowledge, skills, and techniques.

Many myths are intertwined with the history of pasta, particularly the idea that Marco Polo brought pasta back from China and introduced it to Europe. That story, concocted in the early twentieth century by the trade magazine "Macaroni Journal," is just one of many fictions umasked here. The true homelands of pasta have been China and Italy. Each gave rise to different but complementary culinary traditions that have spread throughout the world. From China has come pasta made with soft wheat flour, often served in broth with fresh vegetables, finely sliced meat, or chunks of fish or shellfish. "Pastasciutta," the Italian style of pasta, is generally made with durum wheat semolina and presented in thick, tomato-based sauces. The history of these traditions, told here in fascinating detail, is interwoven with the legacies of expanding and contracting empires, the growth of mercantilist guilds and mass industrialization, and the rise of food as an art form.

Whether you are interested in the origins of lasagna, the strange genesis of the Chinese pasta bing or the mystique of the most magnificent pasta of all, the "timballo," this is the book for you. So dig in

Every day 1,500 Bostonians can't resist buying sweet, simple treats such as Homemade Pop-Tarts, from an alumna of Harvard with a degree in economics. From Brioche au Chocolat and Lemon Raspberry Cake to perfect croissants, Flour Bakery-owner Joanne Chang's repertoire of baked goods is deep and satisfying. While at Harvard she discovered that nothing made her happier than baking cookies leading her on a path that eventually resulted in a sticky bun triumph over Bobby Flay on the Food Network'sThrowdown. Almost 150 Flour recipes such as Milky Way Tart and Dried Fruit Focaccia are included, plus Joanne's essential baking tips, making this mouthwatering collection an accessible, instant classic cookbook for the home baker.

For cooks everywhere who are falling in love with cast iron comes will it skillet? The new cookbook from Daniel Shumski, who last applied his out-of-the-box food-loving sensibility to Will It Waffle? With 92,000 copies in print. Here are 53 original recipes that are surprising, delicious, and ingenious in their ability to capitalise on the strengths of cast iron. The simplicity of Toast with Olive Oil and Tomato, because you just can't achieve that perfect crust in a toaster. A gooey, spiraled Giant Cinnamon Bun with a surprise swirl inside. Popcorn taken to another level with clarified butter. Homemade Corn Tortillas that use the pan to flatten and cook them. A Spinach and Feta Dip that stays warm from the residual heat of the pan. Plus, pastas that come together in one skillet - no separate boiling required; beautiful breads and pizzas; luscious desserts and more, along with detailed information on buying, seasoning, and caring for your cast-iron cookware.

Discover the surprising reason restrictive diets don't work-and a practical, science-based guide to reclaim your health through the power of real food. Carbs aren't causing your weight gain. Dairy may not be the reason for your upset stomach. And your liver isn't fatty because of the occasional hamburger. It's time to enjoy eating everything again-and to reclaim our health along the way. Eat Everything offers a better alternative to complicated, minimally effective, and highly restrictive diets. Physician Dawn Harris Sherling lays out compelling new evidence implicating food additives as the real culprits behind diet-related diseases and shares simple, actionable advice to heal. We're constantly told to fear carbs, gluten, and dairy, and we turn to strict diets to solve our health problems. Yet Americans still have one of the highest rates of obesity and diabetes in the world, and millions suffer from digestive ailments like irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Digging into emerging research, Dr. Sherling realized it's not the foods but the food additives, especially emulsifiers, that are at the root of our problems. Our bodies can't digest them, but they feed our microbiomes and they're everywhere in the ultra-processed foods that make up about half of our daily diets. In this refreshing and accessible guide, readers will learn: How to lose weight without a restrictive diet Why so many popular ultra-processed foods are actively harmful to our bodies How to navigate eating at restaurants-for any meal or occasion Tips for filling our grocery bags with real food Why avoiding food additives is beneficial for our bodies and minds How to embrace healthful cooking at home, with 30 delicious recipes Dr. Sherling lays out the research on food additives and offers a straightforward guide to eating just about everything (yes, even bread, pasta, and ice cream!) without pain, worry, or guilt. This isn't just another restrictive diet in disguise; it's a call to rediscover our love of real food.

For centuries, the food and culinary delights of the Byzantine empire - centred on Constantinople - have captivated the west, although it appeared that very little information had been passed down to us. Tastes of Byzantium now reveals in astonishing detail, for the first time, what was eaten in the court of the Eastern Roman Empire - and how it was cooked. Fusing the spices of the Romans with the seafood and simple local food of the Aegean and Greek world, the cuisine of the Byzantines was unique and a precursor to much of the food of modern Turkey and Greece. Bringing this vanished cuisine to life in vivid and sensual detail, Dalby describes the sights and smells of Constantinople and its marketplaces, relates travellers' tales and paints a comprehensive picture of the recipes and customs of the empire and their relationship to health and the seasons, love and medicine. For food-lovers and historians alike, Tastes of Byzantium is both essential and riveting - an extraordinary illumination of everyday life in the Byzantine world.

"My sister is pregnant with a Lemon this week, Week 14, and this is amusing. My mother's uterine tumor, the size of a cabbage, is Week 30, and this is terrifying." When her mother is diagnosed with a rare form of cancer, Karen Babine-a cook, collector of thrifted vintage cast iron, and fiercely devoted daughter, sister, and aunt-can't help but wonder: feed a fever, starve a cold, but what do we do for cancer? And so she commits herself to preparing her mother anything she will eat, a vegetarian diving headfirst into the unfamiliar world of bone broth and pot roast. In these essays, Babine ponders the intimate connections between food, family, and illness. What draws us toward food metaphors to describe disease? What is the power of language, of naming, in a medical culture where patients are too often made invisible? How do we seek meaning where none is to be found-and can we create it from scratch? And how, Babine asks as she bakes cookies with her small niece and nephew, does a family create its own food culture across generations? Generous and bittersweet, All the Wild Hungers is an affecting chronicle of one family's experience of illness and of a writer's culinary attempt to make sense of the inexplicable.

Feasting and Fasting in Opera shows that the consumption of food and drink is an essential component of opera, both on and off stage. In this book, opera scholar Pierpaolo Polzonetti explores how convivial culture shaped the birth of opera and opera-going rituals until the mid-nineteenth century, when eating and drinking at the opera house were still common. Through analyses of convivial scenes in operas, the book also shows how the consumption of food and drink, and sharing or the refusal to do so, define characters' identity and relationships. Feasting and Fasting in Opera moves chronologically from around 1480 to the middle of the nineteenth century, when Wagner's operatic reforms banished refreshments during the performance and mandated a darkened auditorium and absorbed listening. The book focuses on questions of comedy, pleasure, embodiment, and indulgence-looking at fasting, poisoning, food disorders, body types, diet, and social, ethnic, and gender identities-in both tragic and comic operas from Monteverdi to Puccini. Polzonetti also sheds new light on the diet Maria Callas underwent in preparation for her famous performance as Violetta, the consumptive heroine of Verdi's La traviata. Neither food lovers nor opera scholars will want to miss Polzonetti's page-turning and imaginative book.