A sweet tooth is a powerful thing. Babies everywhere seem to smile
when tasting sweetness for the first time, a trait inherited,
perhaps, from our ancestors who foraged for sweet foods that were
generally safer to eat than their bitter counterparts. But the
"science of sweet" is only the beginning of a fascinating story,
because it is not basic human need or simple biological impulse
that prompts us to decorate elaborate wedding cakes, scoop ice
cream into a cone, or drop sugar cubes into coffee. These are
matters of culture and aesthetics, of history and society, and we
might ask many other questions. Why do sweets feature so
prominently in children's literature? When was sugar called a
spice? And how did chocolate evolve from an ancient drink to a
modern candy bar? The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets explores
these questions and more through the collective knowledge of 265
expert contributors, from food historians to chemists,
restaurateurs to cookbook writers, neuroscientists to pastry chefs.
The Companion takes readers around the globe and throughout time,
affording glimpses deep into the brain as well as stratospheric
flights into the world of sugar-crafted fantasies. More than just a
compendium of pastries, candies, ices, preserves, and confections,
this reference work reveals how the human proclivity for sweet has
brought richness to our language, our art, and, of course, our
gastronomy. In nearly 600 entries, beginning with "a la mode" and
ending with the Italian trifle known as "zuppa inglese," the
Companion traces sugar's journey from a rare luxury to a ubiquitous
commodity. In between, readers will learn about numerous sweeteners
(as well-known as agave nectar and as obscure as castoreum, or
beaver extract), the evolution of the dessert course, the
production of chocolate, and the neurological, psychological, and
cultural responses to sweetness. The Companion also delves into the
darker side of sugar, from its ties to colonialism and slavery to
its addictive qualities. Celebrating sugar while acknowledging its
complex history, The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets is the
definitive guide to one of humankind's greatest sources of
pleasure. Like kids in a candy shop, fans of sugar (and aren't we
all?) will enjoy perusing the wondrous variety to be found in this
volume.
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