Encyclopedia of Food and Culture Book

This impressive reference contains well-researched entries, many written by specialists. The defining subject of food and culture allows a broad selection of topics; readers will delight in the variety offered, which includes scientific, historic, and anthropologic topics. National foods are listed in entries for the country or region, which cover history, geography, people, types of food produced, and historic and current dishes. National dishes are also included in entries on types of food, such as fish, eggs, wheat, and so on. Popular dishes, particularly those of the West, are featured, as are a broad variety of food-related topics such as aversion to food, modern packaging, and hunger strikes. A list of references accompanies each entry. The contributors are mainly American academics; others are historians, food historians, authors, and agricultural and other specialists in the US, Canada, and Europe. The work is illustrated in b&w. Annotation (c)2003 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Library Journal

The role of food in different cultures "throughout time and in all parts of the world" is explored in this exceptional new three-volume culinary reference, edited by a leading expert on the anthropology of food at the University of Pennsylvania. Contributors include food specialists, anthropologists, archaeologists, historians, economists, and critics, who provide 600 signed articles covering topics such as individual staple foods; the preparation, distribution, and storage of various foods; the role of food in different holidays and festivals; nutrition and food science; food symbolism and its use in various arts; national cuisines; and biographies of influential individuals in food history. Entries range in length from one page to 20 or more, and each includes a bibliography of additional sources. The set features 550 black-and-white photographs and illustrations, with separate eight-page inserts of color illustrations in each volume. There is some overlap between this encyclopedia and The Cambridge World History of Food. For example, both provide information on culinary subjects such as tomatoes and wheat and food in different countries such as Russia or China, but even when the same topic is covered, such as potatoes, the details and the information offered by these two sources can vary enough that most comprehensive collections will want both titles. Public libraries especially will find Encyclopedia of Food and Culture valuable since it does cover a broader range of culinary subjects and its alphabetic arrangement of entries is easier to use than the chapter structure of The Cambridge World History of Food. For information on narrower culinary topics like madia or ragout, libraries will still need The Oxford Companion to Food, and for actual recipes and practical cooking details no culinary reference work equals Larousse Gastronomique. For academic libraries, large public libraries, or any library with a demand for culinary information, this set is highly recommended.-John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.