A History of Food

A HISTORY OF FOOD

This classic work is an exploration and celebration of man's relationship with food from earliest times to the present day. Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat tells the story of cuisine and the social history of food, taking in fascinating, little-known byways along the journey. For instance, we learn that Aztecs enjoyed chocolate as a drink with chilli and honey; we discover the Iroquois origins of popcorn; we hear about the potential culinary and farming uses of lupin seeds. Toussaint-Samat looks at the transition from a vegetable-based to an increasingly meat-based diet, as well as at the relationship between people and what they eat, between particular foods and social behavior, and between dietary habits and methods of cooking.

This new expanded edition includes a foreword by food writer, Betty Fussell, author of The Story of Corn and Raising Steaks, a new final chapter covering recent developments in food production and consumption around the world, and an updated bibliography. Beautifully illustrated with nearly 70 illustrations and new color plates, A History of Food will continue to be read and enjoyed by a fresh generation of readers.

Auteur

Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat The author is an historian, journalist, and writer. She has written for a variety of periodicals in France and published over seventeen books on cuisine, history, and French regional culture. Her books on the Loire and Périgord received commendations from the Académie Française and the Académie du Périgord. Her principal historical interest is in the medieval and renaissance culture of Europe, in particular the domestic economy, food, and clothing. She pursues her research in association with the École des Hautes Études.

Résumé
A HISTORY OF FOOD This classic work is an exploration and celebration of man's relationship with food from earliest times to the present day. Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat tells the story of cuisine and the social history of food, taking in fascinating, little-known byways along the journey. For instance, we learn that Aztecs enjoyed chocolate as a drink with chilli and honey; we discover the Iroquois origins of popcorn; we hear about the potential culinary and farming uses of lupin seeds. Toussaint-Samat looks at the transition from a vegetable-based to an increasingly meat-based diet, as well as at the relationship between people and what they eat, between particular foods and social behavior, and between dietary habits and methods of cooking. This new expanded edition includes a foreword by food writer, Betty Fussell, author of The Story of Corn and Raising Steaks, a new final chapter covering recent developments in food production and consumption around the world, and an updated bibliography. Beautifully illustrated with nearly 70 illustrations and new color plates, A History of Food will continue to be read and enjoyed by a fresh generation of readers.

Contenu
Foreword to the New Expanded Edition by Betty Fussell xiii

Preface xv

List of Illustrations xvi

Acknowledgements xix

Introduction 1

Part I: Collecting Gathering Hunting 9
*From Fire to the Pot*

1 Collecting Honey 14

Honey in the Golden Age 14

A Taste of Honey 16

Honey in Legend 18

Honey in Nature and History 21

Honey-Cakes, Spice-Bread, Gingerbread 28

Mead and Sacramental Intoxication 30

2 The History of Gathering 35

The Ancient Pulses 35

The Symbolism of Beans 40

The Etymology (and Entomology) of Haricot Beans 41

The Holy War of Cassoulet 45

Soya: the Most Widely Eaten Plant in the World 46

Soya: Nutritional Facts and Figures 50

Mushrooms and Fungi 50

Roots 57

Table of Vegetable Nutrition 65

3 Hunting 66

The Great Days and the Decline of Game 66

Nutritional Facts and Figures about Game 79

Part II: Stock-breeding Arable Farming: Meat, Milk, Cereals 83
*The Evidence of Occupied Sites*

4 The History of Meat 85

The Birth of Stock-breeding and Society 85

Table of Areas of Origin of the First Domestic Animals 88

Meat-Eating: Likes and Dislikes 89

The Horse, the Spirit of Corn 95

Fat Oxen and Prosperous Butchers 95

5 The History of Dairy Produce 103

Cheese and Curds 103

Yoghurt: Fermented Milk 108

Butter: the Cream of the Milk 109

The Symbolism of Butter 113

6 The History of Cereals 114

Cereals as Civilizers 114

The Symbolism of Wheat 117

Table of the Long March of Cereals 118

Imperialist Cereals 119

The Myth of Demeter 126

Everyday Cereals 127

Harvest Festivals 133

Strategic Cereals 134

Rice in the East 139

The Symbolism of Rice 149

Maize in the West 149

Why Maize is Called 'I Have No More Gumbo' 159

Why Corn-Cobs are Thin and Small 160

Zuni Legend of Maize Flour 160

From Porridge to Beer 161

The Technique of Brewing Beer 167

The History of Pasta 170

The History of Grain Spirits 176

Part III: The Three Sacramental Foods: Oil, Bread, Wine 183
*The Fundamental Trinity*

7 The History of Oil 185

Olive Oil 185

The Dietary History of Olive Oil 187

Olive Oil in Legend and Symbolism 191

Making Olive Oil 193

Other Oils 196

Margarine 199

8 The History of Bread and Cakes 201

The Bread on the Board 201

The Symbolism of Bread and Cakes 207

Four Stages in the Development of Bread-Making 209

The Taste of Bread 210

The Technique of Bread-Making 214

Our Daily Bread 215

Special Cakes for Sundays 218

9 The History of Wine 223

From the Vine to Wine 223

Dessert Grapes 230

The Technique of Wine-Making 231

The Symbolism of Wine 233

The Legend of Dionysus 235

The Proper Use of Wine 236

Cooking with Wine 249

Wine and God 251

A Wine of Revolution 258 **Part IV: The Economy of the Ma...