Opis

Covers the various aspects of cuisine and the social history of eating. This book tells the story of man's relationship with food since earliest times.Foreword to new edition by Betty Fussell.Preface.Acknowledgments.List of Illustrations.Introduction.Part I: Collecting, Gathering, Hunting.From fire to the pot.1. Collecting honey.Honey in the Golden Age.A taste of honey.Honey in legend.2. The history of gathering.The ancient pulses.The symbolism of beans.The etymology (and entomology) of haricot beans.The holy war of cassoulet.Soya: the most widely eaten plant in the world.Soya: nutritional facts and figures.Mushrooms and fungi.Roots.Table of vegetable nutrition.3. Hunting.The great days and the decline of game.Nutritional facts and figures about game.Part II: Stock-breeding, Arable Farming: Meat, Milk, Cereals.The evidence of occupied sites.4. The history of meat.The birth of stock-breeding and society.Areas of origin of the first domestic animals.Meat-eating: likes and dislikes.The horse, the spirit of corn.Fax oxen and prosperous butchers.5. The history of dairy produce.Cheese and curds.Yoghurt: fermented milk.Butter: the cream of the milk.The symbolism of butter.6. The history of cereals.Cereals as civilizers.The symbolism of wheat.The long march of cereals.Imperialist cereals.The myth of Demeter.Everyday cereals.Harvest festivals.Strategic cereals.Rice in the east.The symbolism of rice.Maize in the west.Why maize is called 'I have no more gumbo'.Why corn cobs are thin and small.Zuni legend of maize flour.From porridge to beer.The technique of brewing beer.The history of pasta.The history of grain spirits.Part III: The Three Sacramental Foods: Oil, Bread, Wine.The fundamental trinity.7. The history of oil.Olive oil.The dietary history of olive oil.Olive oil in legend and symbolism.Making olive oil.Other oils.Margarine.8. The history of bread and cakes.The bread on the board.The symbolism of bread and cakes.Four stages in the development of bread-making.The taste of bread.The technique of bread-making.Our daily bread.Special cakes for Sundays.9. The history of wine.From the vine to wine.Dessert grapes.The technique of wine-making.The symbolism of wine.The legend of Dionysus.The proper use of wine.Cooking with wine.Wine and God.A wine of revolution.Part IV: The Economy of the Markets.The centre of the city.10. The history of fish.The fish of the ancient world.A Who's Who of sea fish.The Salmonidae, a family of aristocrats.Fishing in legend.Extravagance and economy in eating fish.The symbolism of fish.Uses for less profitable fish.The providential nature of salt fish.Drying, salting and smoking fish; an age-old procedure.Aquaculture and pisciculture: fish farming.Blue Europe, or the common fish market.From fishing to our plates.11. The history of poultry.Facts about poultry.Choosing poultry.The symbolism of poultry.Eggs: their uses and customs.Part V: Luxury Foods.The revels of the Gauls.12. Treasures from the sea.The history of garum.The history of caviare.A Who's Who of caviare.How to keep caviare happy.The history of shellfish and crustaceans.Facts about crustaceans.The history of shellfish farming.The biology of the oyster.The biology of the mussel.13. The treasure of the forests.The history of pork and charcuterie.About ham.Sausages.The symbolism of the pig.The history of foie gras.Facts about foie gras.The symbolism of liver.The history of truffles.Part VI: The Era of the Merchants.Making a good profit.14. An essential food.The history of salt.The symbolism of salt.The technique of winning salts.15. Spice at any price.About spices.The secret of spices.Cinnamon.Pepper.Ginger.Turmeric and cardamom.Cloves.The great trading companies.Nutmeg and mace.Chillies and sweet peppers.Aromatics and the imagination.Saffron.Vanilla.Everday condiments and herbs.Herbs.The proper use of spices, aromatics and condiments.The grocer's trade.Part VII: New Needs: Sugar, Chocolate, Coffee, Tea.Gluttony and greed for gain.16. The lure of sugar.Rum, a sugar spirit.The legend of sugar.17. Confectionary and preserves.18. Chocolate and divinity.Definitions of chocolate.19. Coffee and politics.Coffee from the islands.Coffee in legend.20. Tea and philosophy.Tea in legend.The symbolism of tea.Part VIII: Orchards and Kitchen Gardens.Instructions for the garden.21. The tradition of fruits.The symbolism of the apple.Grafting.Dessert apples.Cider and Calvados.Pears.Plums.Peaches.The peach in legend.Apricots.The dietetics of apricots.Cherries.The diatetics of cherries.Strawberries.Melons.Oranges.Growing and selling oranges.A Who's Who of oranges.Grapefruit.Figs.The symbolism of figs and the fig tree.Dates.Pineapples.Bananas.Avocados.22. The evolution of vegetables.Cabbages.Cauliflowers.Salad.Chicory and endive.Watercress.Asparagus.Growing asparagus.Artichokes.Tomatoes.23. The potato revolution.Sweet chestnuts.Potatoes.Souffle potatoes.Part IX: Science and Conscience in the Diet.The hows and whys of quality.24. Preserving by heat.Canned sardines.The technique of canning.Food preservation.Pasteurized milk.25. Preserving by cold.Quick-freezing.26. The assurance of dietetics.Vitamins.27. A reassuring future.Notes.Bibliography.Index