There's No Ham in Hamburgers: Facts and Folklore About Our Favorite Foods

by Kim Zachman, Peter Donnelly (Illustrator)

Overview

From hot dogs and hamburgers to ice cream and pizza, this fascinating book is full of fun facts and stories of the origins of some of America's most popular foods.

Why is there no ham in hamburgers? How did we make ice cream before we could make ice? How did hot dogs get their name? From the origins of pizza (which got a big boost from Clarence Birdseye, of all people) to the Cornell professor who invented chicken fingers, There's No Ham in Hamburgers has all the ingredients for an entertaining and educational middle-grade read. Packed with informative sidebars, recipes, and experiments, along with fabulously funny illustrations by Peter Donnelly, this book is a reading recipe that kids will sink their teeth into!

A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
2024 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List Selection

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780762498079
Publisher:	Running Press Book Publishers
Publication date:	04/06/2021
Pages:	144
Sales rank:	504,472
Product dimensions:	8.05(w) x 10.45(h) x 0.65(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

When Kim Zachman was a kid, she drove her parents crazy asking "Why?" She still asks a lot of questions, and when she finds fun, fascinating answers, she writes about them. She lives in Roswell, Georgia, with her husband, two teenage daughters, and their almost-perfect dog.

Peter Donnelly is an award-winning illustrator who is influenced by midcentury design, folk art, and vintage print. He lives and works in Ireland.

Editorial Reviews

"Accessible and engaging…. A high-interest, tasty treat."—Booklist

"Told in a breezy, conversational style, the book walks readers through the often surprisingly far-ranging history and folklore of favorite foods from pizza to peanut butter. A good choice for any young gourmand’s bookshelf." —Kirkus Reviews

"This title would be a great addition to classes studying food and nutrition. Some parts can even be used in chemistry class. It would also be great a supplement when discussing how an idea or invention is created and then morphs over time, especially when the impact of a changing culture is considered."—School Library Connection

"Delightfully described and illustrated with amusing cartoon characters, this account of familiar foods engagingly combines history with the immigration story . . . . Add this selection to home, school, and office; for both young and old to savor as it holds a treasure of pleasure."—San Francisco Book Review

"An excellent and fun read for any kid or adult foodie."—School Library Journal

“Scientific concepts appear in highlighted text boxes and include an explanation for why chips become stale and how milk chocolate requires overcoming the tendency for oil and water to separate. At least one recipe also doubles as an easy experiment, inviting readers to measure the temperature of ice before and after making ice cream . . . . [R]eaders of all ages are likely to learn something new about food.”—Science magazine

From the Publisher

05/01/2021

Gr 4–8—Where do some of our favorite foods come from and how did they get their names? Zachman tackles this mystery and the history of favorite foods. She begins with the classic hamburger, digging back in history to a 15-year-old running out of his traditional fair food, and questioning whether credit for the first hamburger should go to Genghis Kahn. The book explores all of this and more with fascinating facts, cultural influences, a little kitchen science, and some lighthearted fun along the way. Readers learn eel is one of the most popular pizza toppings in Japan, black olives are really just green olives soaked in a special solution, and why dachshunds have their loveable nickname. The layout of the book is simple but effective. Simple illustrations and boxes highlight extra tidbits about each food. Every chapter also has a page with "Oh No! Nutrition" and "Chew on This" sections. These sections discuss the foods' healthy and not-so-healthy elements and fun facts. VERDICT An excellent and fun read for any kid or adult foodie.—Erin Olsen, Hunter Coll. Elem. Sch., NY

School Library Journal

2021-02-09
Learn the history of some of America’s favorite foods in this delicious page-turner.

What’s the connection between hamburgers and horses? French fries and Peru? Ice cream and…George Washington? Foodies, folklorists, and factoid aficionados will all clamor to discover the answers in this finger-lickin’-good study of food history. Told in a breezy, conversational style, the book walks readers through the often surprisingly far-ranging history and folklore of favorite foods from pizza to peanut butter. The tidbits on offer are both entertaining (Eleanor Roosevelt earned opprobrium for serving hot dogs to King George VI and Queen Elizabeth) and enlightening (Americans say cookie rather than biscuit because the rebellious colonists rejected the British term and opted for the Dutch word koekjes instead).The book is divided into 10 chapters in total, each focusing on a different food item or meal and including both trivia and a related recipe for those who want to impress their friends with general knowledge and their culinary skills. Occasional two-tone illustrations and callout boxes break up the text, providing light humor and additional info, respectively. Readers who are hungry for more will be able to sample from the select bibliography, which breaks down sources by chapter for easy consumption. The index is stuffed to the brim, making for easy access to facts between reads.

A good choice for any young gourmand’s bookshelf. (Nonfiction. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews