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|---|---|---|---|---|
| 641.03 DAV | Week loan | 1 | Standard shelving location | Searching... Unknown |
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Summary
Summary
Twenty years in the making, here at last is the long-awaited magnum opus from one of the world's greatest authorities on the history and use of food and foodstuffs the world over. Food historian and author Alan Davidson has personally written an amazing 80 per cent of this unique work with additional articles by over 50 specialist authors from as far afield as the Philippines, Norway, and Australia. 2650 BRILLIANTLY READABLE A-Z ENTRIES over 40 feature articles highlighting staple foods of the world exquisite delicately drawn illustrations by laotian artist soun vannithone navigation chart to the companion theme- by-theme extensive bibliography the most wide-ranging coverage ever of foods and food products and how to use them from exotic vegetables and spices to edible fungi and fish of all kinds, from common-or-garden carrots to specialities, such as caterpillars, not for the squeamish famous cooked and prepared dishes and drinks from around the world with their main ingredients and method of preparation from cider, crocque-monsieur, and couscous to Sussex pond pudding, sherbet, and sonofabitch stew all the flavours, styles, and staples of national and regional cuisines, past and present, ranging from classical Greek and Roman, Inca, and Moghul cuisine to Parsi food and Jewish cookery, Cambodia, and Celtic feasting culinary terms, cooking techniques, and food science to enlighten amateur cook and professional alike from colour and curdling, to sushi and soffritto; from ice and irradiation, to listeria, and lactose intolerance the history of cookery books and food writers across 2000 years, including major surveys of English, French, Italian, German, Spanish, and American cookery books the place of food in culture and religion, through fasting and feasting, dietary laws and mythology, fast food and soul food, wedding meals and washing up
Author Notes
Alan Davidson is a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired from the Diplomatic Service - after serving in, amongst other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Vientiane, where he was British Ambassador - to pursue a fruitful second career as food historian and food writer extraordinaire. With his wife Jane, he co-founded the food history journal PPC (Petit Propos Culinaires) and with Dr Theodore Zeldin co-founded the annual Oxford Food Symposia, based in St Antony's College, Oxford. He is currently also Managing Director of Prospect Books Limited, the Chelsea-based publishing house specializing in food history and recipe books.
Reviews (3)
Booklist Review
This update to the 2005 edition replicates the authoritative, comprehensive nature of the original editions while adding a wealth of new food-related information. More than 250 entries (out of 3,000) have been updated with new research, and 43 entries have been added, including Local food, Foraging, Leftovers, Obesity, and Henri Nestlé. There is a subject index at the beginning of the work and an extensive bibliography at the close. Over 200 line drawings are included. This dense, venerable resource remains highly recommended for food collections in libraries of all types and is a must-read for any foodie. Libraries with older editions should absolutely consider updating with this revision.--Vnuk, Rebecca Copyright 2015 Booklist
Choice Review
This third edition comes 15 years after the first was published (CH, May'00, 37-4812). Both it and the second edition (2006) were compiled after Davidson's death. Due to the extent that each of these subsequent editions have strived to remain true to the original, there have been few substantive changes. An obvious cosmetic change is color. The second edition was done in a green theme (highlighting, etc.), the latest edition in orange. There also appear to be many more cross-references. Besides making the work that much more accessible to readers, this obviates the cross-reference index in the previous two editions. The original book was incredibly comprehensive (as evidenced by its 892 pages and the 20 years it took to produce). Writer/publisher Jaine added 72 new entries to the second edition and 43 more to the third. Further, Jaine states that he updated 250 of the original entries. In a book of this size, however, that indicates the vast majority remain the same. This makes it a valuable purchase for libraries or individuals that do not own the previous versions, but not an essential one for other audiences. Overall, the differences seem relatively slight. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Libraries that do not own earlier editions; all levels. --Susan Hurst, Miami University
Library Journal Review
From particular things to eat to cuisine, techniques, and ingredients, this tome delivers everything food. Most ingredient entries are organized by common rather than scientific names. The bibliography is quite extensive, and well researched. The space is given to text and research, with only a few diagrams and drawings of possibly lesser-known ingredients, such as kohlrabi (cabbage). Entries covering items that include the biscuit and biscuit varieties demonstrate not only the depth but also the British bias of the text. While it is noted that there is a difference in biscuit styles between the United States and Great Britain, the emphasis of the articles is on the British biscuit. This is evidenced again with coverage of corn (a cereal grain) and maize as with other variants in the languages throughout the material. VERDICT Illustrating a level of reference detail not common in food and food-related works, this title will appeal to the foodie, home cook, food lover, chef, food researcher, and hungry person. While overall it is comprehensive and thorough, the British bias may detract from the appeal to an American audience.-Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen, Oregon Inst. of Technology, Portland (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Table of Contents
| A TributeAlan Davidson |
| Preface to the Second EditionTom Jaine |
| IntroductionTom Jaine |
| ContributorsAlan Davidson |
| Subject Index |
| Notes on Using this Book |
| The Oxford Companion to Food A-Z Maps of Food Migrations |
| Bibliography |
| Index |
| Acknowledgements |