Moveable feasts : the history, science, and lore of food / by Gregory McNamee.

ISBN:

9780275989316

Title:

Author:

McNamee, Gregory.

Personal Author:

McNamee, Gregory.

Publication Information:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2007.

Physical Description:

xvii, 194, [1] p. : ill. ; 24 cm.

Contents:

Introduction -- Almond -- Amaranth -- Apple -- Artichoke -- Asparagus -- Banana -- Basil -- Broccoli -- Cantaloupe -- Carrot -- Chile -- Corn -- Cranberry -- Eggplant -- Garlic -- Grape -- Honey -- Lettuce -- Okra -- Olive -- Onion -- Orange -- Pear -- Pineapple -- Potato -- Rice -- Spinach -- Tomato -- Watermelon -- Wheat.

Subject Term:

Food -- History.

Cookery -- History.

Plants, Edible -- History.

Format:

Books

Electronic Access:

Table of contents only http://www.loc.gov/catdir/toc/ecip0616/2006021049.html

Publication Date:

2007

Publication Information:

Westport, Conn. : Praeger, 2007.

Available:*

Shelf Number	Material Type	Copy	Shelf Location	Status
641.3 MCN	Book	1	Standard shelving location	Searching... Unknown

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Summary

Food has functioned both as a source of continuity and as a subject of adaptation in the course of human history. Onions have been a staple of the European diet since the Paleolithic era, while the orange is once again being cultivated in great quantities in Southern China, where it was originally cultivated. Other foods--such as the apple and pear in Central Asia, the tomato in Mexico, the chili pepper in South America, and rice in South Asia--remain staples of their original regions and of the world diet today.Still other items are now grown in places that would have seemed impossible in the past-bananas in geothermally heated greenhouses in Iceland, corn on the fringes of the Gobi, and tomatoes in space. But how did humans discover how to grow and consume these foods in the first place? How were they chosen over competing foods? How did they come to be so important to us? In this charming and frequently surprising compendium, Gregory McNamee gathers revelations from history, anthropology, chemistry, biology, and many other fields, and spins them into entertaining tales of discovery, complete with delicious recipes from many culinary traditions around the world.

Among the 30 types of food discussed in the course of this alphabetically-arranged work are: the apple, the banana, chocolate, coffee, corn, garlic, honey, millet, the olive, the peanut, the pineapple, the plum, rice, the soybean, the tomato, and the watermelon. All of the recipes included with these diverse food histories have been adapted for recreation in the modern kitchen.

Author Notes

Gregory McNamee is the author or editor of numerous books, including "Blue Mountains Far Away," " Grand Canyon Place Names," "A Desert Bestiary," "The Sierra Club Desert Reader," and "Gila: The Life and Death of an American River." His work appears regularly in such publications as Outside, New times, and The bloomsbury Review. McNamee lives in Tucson, Arizona.

(Bowker Author Biography)

Reviews (3)

Booklist Review

In delightfully readable prose, McNamee considers some 30 assorted foods that make up a substantial part of the earth's comestible bounty. His essay on honey excepted, these brief chapters address products derived directly from vegetable sources. Apples, pears, oranges, bananas, cantaloupes, watermelons, grapes, and pineapples make up his list of significant sweet fruits that can be readily eaten out of hand. Related fruits, olives and cranberries, require some processing to give them palate appeal. Vegetables McNamee describes are generally cooked except for leafy ones such as lettuce, basil, and spinach. He includes four grains: wheat, rice, corn, and the relatively obscure amaranth. And of the nut family, only almond appears. Recipes accompany each entry, running the gamut from ancient Roman and medieval through contemporary. Culinary traditions include Iranian, Mexican, Italian, and Chinese. McNamee imaginatively brings to life some archaic uses of Earth's bounty. Succinct bibliographies offer readers further satisfaction. --Mark Knoblauch Copyright 2007 Booklist

Choice Review

Moveable Feasts is not an overall history of food; rather, it is an easily readable history of selected foods with some recipes. Starting with almonds and ending with wheat, McNamee discusses 30 foods such as eggplant, cranberry, honey, and olives. Each chapter details the history of their production, culinary preparation, evolution of use over time, some historical and contemporary recipes, and a brief list of articles and books for additional information. This book could be a useful addition to an extensive food history or food science collection, but the information is probably duplicated in other food history titles or cookbooks. Moveable Feasts is not appropriate as a general food history book for an academic library; it is neither an encyclopedic treatment of its subject nor a general overview. Summing Up: Optional. General readers; lower- and upper-division undergraduates. S. C. Hardesty Georgia State University

Library Journal Review

All food is the product of history, but who ate the first tomatoes and garlic, and how did they become so important in our diet and ubiquitous at the grocery store? Writer, journalist, editor, and critic McNamee presents a cultural geography of how food, such as broccoli, corn, rice, and honey, has moved about the planet. Each chapter contains a brief history of the food, basic nutritional information, and trivia, spun together in a chatty, conversational tone, followed by several recipes containing the featured ingredient and suggestions for further reading. While the primary focus is supposedly history, this title is heavy on anecdote with its true focus on storytelling. Recipes seem like a bit of an afterthought and, on occasion, in some ways unrelated to the text. Nevertheless, this amusing volume will likely appeal to casual readers; serious scholars of food history, as well as those writing reports, will want to explore further reading. For larger collections.-Pauline Baughman, Multnomah Cty. Lib., Portland, OR (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.