Eating History: 30 Turning Points in the Making of American Cuisine, by Andrew F. Smith (New York: Columbia University Press, 2009) Andrew Smith starts Eating History with the observation that there’s a vast gulf between what Americans say they’d like to … Continue reading →

Consider the humble avocado.  Green and tough on the outside, somewhat slimy on the inside, it’s high in fat (but, as supporters tell us, the good kind of fat) and difficult to use in cooking.  In short, it’s a strange … Continue reading →

This is part of the Traveling Foods Series, in which I take a look at foods eaten by different kinds of travelers. In the fall of 1906, Vilhjalmur Stefansson, a Canadian-born anthropologist, was in a quandary.  He was on an … Continue reading →

Food In History by Reay Tannahill (New York: Stein and Day, 1973) I read Food In History years before I thought about studying food history; at the time I just thought it was an interesting book to check out from the … Continue reading →

Harvey Levenstein’s 2003 book Paradox of Plenty is a thick book that recounts the history of food in America over the past 150 or so years.  It covers enough material that, in some ways, it functions better as a reference book … Continue reading →