Food: A Culinary History / Edition 1

by Jean-Louis Flandrin

Overview

At what point in history did people start serving meals at regular hours? Would we still be eating communally today if the Black Plague hadn't forced diners to eat at a safe distance from each other? What's the real story behind the origin of pasta? These are just a few of the tantalizing questions that are answered in this fascinating history of food from prehistoric times to the present. This comprehensive work explores the culinary evolution of cultures ranging from Mesopotamia to modern America, and explores every aspect of food history, from the dietary rules of the ancient Hebrews to the contributions of Arab cookery. Written by leading world authorities, this volume gives a unique perspective on the social and cultural mores of humankind through the ages, offering cooks, culinary scholars, and food lovers a banquet of information on which to feast.

"Now that gastronomy and the culinary arts in general are finally being accepted as legitimate academic subjects, it is time we had available to us a copious and worthy sourcebook.... Food ...is exactly what we have needed." —Julia Child

"Food excels in its thoroughness, its epic sweep, and its rootedness in culinary tradition ...it's also a pleasure." —Salon.com

Product Details

ISBN-13:	2900231111545
Publisher:	Columbia University Press
Publication date:	11/23/1999
Series:	European Perspectives: A Series in Social Thought and Cultural Criticism
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	624
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 1.25(h) x 9.00(d)

About the Author

Jean-Louis Flandrin is professor emeritus at the University of Paris VIII-Vincennes.

Massimo Montanari is professor of medieval history and the history of food at the Institute of Paleography and Medieval Studies, University of Bologna.

Table of Contents

Introduction to the Original Edition
One: Prehistory and Early Civilizations
Introduction: The Humanization of Eating Behaviors, by Jean-Louis Flandrin
1. Feeding Strategies in Prehistoric Times, by Catherine Perles
2. The Social Function of Banquets in the Earliest Civilizations, by Francis Joannes
3. Food Culture in Ancient Egypt, by Edda Bresciani
4. Biblical Reasons: The Dietary Rules of the Ancient Hebrews, by Jean Soler
5. The Phoenicians and the Carthaginians: The Early Mediterranean Diet, by Antonella Spano Giammellaro
Two: The Classical World
Introduction: Food Systems and Models of Civilization, by Massimo Montanari
6. Urban and Rural Diets in Greece, by Marie-Claire Amouretti
7. Greek Meals: A Civic Ritual, by Pauline Schmitt-Pantel
8. The Culture of the Symposium, by Massimo Vetta
9. The Diet of the Etruscans, by Giuseppe Sassatelli
10. The Grammar of Roman Dining, by Florence Dupont
11. The Broad Bean and the Moray: Social Hierarchies and Food in Rome, by Mireille Corbier
12. Diet and Medicine in the Ancient World, by Innocenzo Mazzini
13. The Food of Others, by Oddone Longo
Three: From the Late Classical Period to the Early Middle Ages (Fifth—Tenth Centuries)
Introduction: Romans, Barbarians, Christians—The Dawn of European Food Culture, by Massimo Montanari
14. Production Structures and Food Systems in the Early Middle Ages, by Massimo Montanari
15. Peasants, Warriors, Priests: Images of Society and Styles of Diet, by Massimo Montanari
Four: Westerners and Others
Introduction: Food Models and Cultural Identity, by Massimo Montanari
16. Christians of the East: Rules and Realities of the Byzantine Diet, by Ewald Kislinger
17. Arab Cooking and Its Contribution to European Culture, by Bernard Rosenberger
18. Mediterranean Jewish Diet and Traditions in the Middle Ages, by Miguel-Angel Motis Dolader
Five: The Late Middle Ages (Eleventh—Fourteenth Centuries)
Introduction: Toward a New Dietary Balance, by Massimo Montanari
19. Society, Food, and Feudalism, by Antoni Riera-Melis
20. Self-Sufficiency and the Market: Rural and Urban Diet in the Middle Ages, by Alfio Cortonesi
21. Food Trades, by Francoise Desportes
22. The Origins of Public Hostelries in Europe, by Hans Conrad Peyer
23. Medieval Cooking, by Bruno Laurioux
24. Food and Social Classes in Late Medieval and Renaissance Italy, by Allen J. Grieco
25. Seasoning, Cooking, and Dietetics in the Late Middle Ages, by Jean-Louis Flandrin
26. "Mind Your Manners": Etiquette at the Table, by Daniela Romagnoli
27. From Hearth to Table: Late Medieval Cooking Equipment, by Francoise Piponnier
Six: The Europe of Nation-States (Fifteenth—Eighteenth Centuries)
Introduction: The Early Modern Period, by Jean-Louis Flandrin
28. Growing without Knowing Why: Production, Demographics, and Diet, by Michel Morineau
29. Colonial Beverages and the Consumption of Sugar, by Alain Huetz de Lemps
30. Printing the Kitchen: French Cookbooks, 1480—1800, by Philip Hyman and Mary Hyman
31. Dietary Choices and Culinary Technique, 1500—1800, by Jean-Louis Flandrin
32. From Dietetics to Gastronomy: The Liberation of the Gourmet, by Jean-Louis Flandrin
Seven: The Contemporary Period (Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries)
Introduction: From Industrial Revolution to Industrial Food, by Jean-Louis Flandrin
33. The Transformation of the European Diet, by Hans Jurgen Teuteberg and Jean-Louis Flandrin
34. The Invasion of Foreign Foods, by Yves Pehaut
35. The Rise of the Restaurant, by Jean-Robert Pitte
36. The Food Industry and New Preservation Techniques, by Giorgio Pedrocco
37. The Taste for Canned and Preserved Food, by Alberto Capatti
38. The Emergence of Regional Cuisines, by Julia Csergo
39. The Perils of Abundance: Food, Health, and Morality in American History, by Harry A. Levenstein
40. The "McDonaldization" of Culture, by Claude Fischler
Conclusion: Today and Tomorrow, by Jean-Louis Flandrin and Massimo Montanari

What People are Saying About This

Julia Child

Now that gastronomy and the culinary arts in general are finally being accepted as legitimate academic subjects, it is time we had available to us a copious and worthy sourcebook. The Flandrin and Montanari Food: A Culinary History is exactly what we have needed. Literally overflowing with facts, anecdotes, and histories, it is a major compendium for those in the profession as well as a delightful store of knowledge for anyone who loves to read.

Nach Waxman

When two of Europe's great food historians collaborate to edit a major collection on food and culture, past and present, there is much to celebrate. From the cuisine of 'les temps prehistoriques'to the food of today ('le hamburger et la pizza'), more than forty scholars explore a huge range of fascinating topics.... A fine book that will bring enlightenment and pleasure to all those who can eat and think at the same time.

— Nach Waxman, Kitchen Arts & Letters Bookstore, New York City

Editorial Reviews

A massive but tasty compendium called Food: A Culinary History demonstrates that the art of dining has gone through some astonishing changes through the centuries.

Parade Magazine - Herbert Kupferberg

Food: A Culinary History is essential reading for students of the rich and influential culinary tradition rooted in the Mediterranean. It is provocative in providing a framework for a more general history of European foodways.

Journal of Social History

Food: A Culinary History stands as a remarkable achievement.

Journal of Modern History - Priscilla Ferguson

From the Bible and ancient Egypt to the 'banquets'of the Middle Ages and the 'McDonaldization'of Europe, Food: A Culinary History covers the immense history of the table throughout the world. Well researched and scholarly, it is essential reading for the historian and the lover of social studies as well as the modern cook and gourmet.

Jacques Pépin

Vastly informative.... Jean-Louis Flandrin and Massimo Montanari have done a marvelous job of making all these aspects of food history make sense from prehistory to the present.

Times Literary Supplement - Eugen Weber

The dense, illuminating, sometimes delightful, occasionally maddening collection of essays and papers introduced and edited by Flandrin and Montanari... aspires to be nothing short of a complete history of man's experience and conduct at the table... A cornucopia of captivating, subtle, myth de-bunking information, research and insight.

LOS ANGELES TIMES BOOK REVIEW - Michael Frank

Now that gastronomy and the culinary arts in general are finally being accepted as legitimate academic subjects, it is time we had available to us a copious and worthy sourcebook. The Flandrin and Montanari Food: A Culinary History is exactly what we have needed. Literally overflowing with facts, anecdotes, and histories, it is a major compendium for those in the profession as well as a delightful store of knowledge for anyone who loves to read.

Julia Child

From the Bible and ancient Egypt to the 'banquets'of the Middle Ages and the 'McDonaldization'of Europe, Food: A Culinary History covers the immense history of the table throughout the world. Well researched and scholarly, it is essential reading for the historian and the lover of social studies as well as the modern cook and gourmet.

Jacques Pépin

From the Bible and ancient Egypt to the 'banquets'of the Middle Ages and the 'McDonaldization'of Europe, Food: A Culinary History covers the immense history of the table throughout the world. Well researched and scholarly, it is essential reading for the historian and the lover of social studies as well as the modern cook and gourmet.

Jacques Pepin

Food: A Culinary History stands as a remarkable achievement.

— Priscilla Ferguson

Journal of Modern History

The dense, illuminating, sometimes delightful, occasionally maddening collection of essays and papers introduced and edited by Flandrin and Montanari... aspires to be nothing short of a complete history of man's experience and conduct at the table... A cornucopia of captivating, subtle, myth de-bunking information, research and insight.

— Michael Frank

Los Angeles Times BOOK REVIEW

A massive but tasty compendium called Food: A Culinary History demonstrates that the art of dining has gone through some astonishing changes through the centuries.

— Herbert Kupferberg

Parade Magazine

Vastly informative.... Jean-Louis Flandrin and Massimo Montanari have done a marvelous job of making all these aspects of food history make sense from prehistory to the present.

— Eugen Weber

Times Literary Supplement

The dense, illuminating, sometimes delightful, occasionally maddening collection of essays and papers introduced and edited by Flandrin and Montanari... aspires to be nothing short of a complete history of man's experience and conduct at the table... A cornucopia of captivating, subtle, myth de-bunking information, research and insight.

— Michael Frank

LA Times Book Review

Although written in a sophisticated manner, this is a thorough, up-to-date overview of a universally appealing topic.

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