Known for his entertaining investigations into culinary
practice, Massimo Montanari turns his hungry eye to the phenomenon
of food culture, food lore, cooking methods, and eating habits
throughout history. An irresistible buffet of one hundred concise
and engaging essays, this collection provides stimulating food for
thought for those curious about one of life's most fundamental
pleasures.
Focusing on the selection, preparation, and mythology of food,
Montanari traverses such subjects as the status of the pantry over
the centuries, the various strategies of cooking over time, the
gastronomy of famine, the science of flavors, the changing
characteristics of convivial rituals, the customs of the table, and
the ever-evolving identity of food. He shows that cooking not only
is a decisive part of our cultural heritage but also communicates
essential information about our material and intellectual
well-being.
From the invention of basic bread making to chocolate's
reputation for decadence, Montanari positions food culture as a
lens through which we can plot changes in historical values and
social and economic trends. Even the biblical tale of Jacob buying
Esau's birthright for a bowl of lentils is a text full of essential
meaning, representing civilization's important shift from a hunting
to an agrarian society. Readers of all backgrounds will enjoy these
delectable insights and their easy consumption in one companionable
volume.
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