The Cambridge World History of Food (2 Volume Set)
Author: Kenneth F Kipl
An undertaking without parallel or precedent, this monumental, two-volume work encapsulates much of what is known of the history of food and nutrition throughout the span of human life on earth. It constitutes a vast and essential chapter in the history of human health and culture.
Ranging from the eating habits of our prehistoric ancestors to food-related policy issues we face today, this work covers the full spectrum of foods that have been hunted, gathered, cultivated, and domesticated; their nutritional makeup and uses; and their impact on cultures and demography. It offers a geographical perspective on the history and culture of food and drink and takes up subjects from food fads, prejudices, and taboos to quesitons of food toxins, additives, labeling, and entitlements. It culminates in a dictionary that identifies and sketches out brief histories of plant foods mentioned in the text—over 1,000 in all—and additionally supplies thousands of common names and synonyms for those foods.
The essays in this volume are the work of 220 experts in fifteen countries, in fields from agronomy to zoology. Every chapter is accompanied by bibliographical references.
Cuisine
An essential addition to the library of any serious chef, culinary educator, or devotee of fine cuisine.
Journal of the American Medical Association
Who can profit from this encyclopedia? All of us! Anyone working in an area related to food will find it useful. While the discussions are not exhaustive, they point the way to the expert literature. Anyone who writes or talks about nutrition or food can dip into these books and come out with some gem that will spice up their presentation. At $150, these volumes are a steal and should be on the shelf of anyone interested in any phase of food science. This reviewer really enjoyed the assignment!
Publishers Weekly
It seems inconceivable that the editors and 224 international experts who contributed to this tour de force would suggest that our Paleolithic ancestors ate healthier than humans did up to 100 years ago, but they bolster their claim with facts: because they were hunter-gatherers, our Paleolithic forebears did not stay in one place long enough to pollute the local water with waste, nor did they come to rely on one primary source of food (and thus limit their access to vitamins and proteins). In addition to looking at the relationship between what we eat today and what humans ate millions of years ago, Kiple and Ornelas explore every type of food and food supplement, the cultural history of food, opposing views of vegetarianism, and related contemporary policy issues such as the argument over food labeling. With information that is up-to-date, a format that is easy to use and a fresh, engaging approach to their subject, Kiple and Ornelas have prepared a magnificent resource. The only quibble a reader may have, which the editors readily acknowledge, is that despite its claim to be a global study, the primary focus of their work is on the U.S. and Europe, but that is because more information on the history of foods in these areas is available than anywhere else. Serious students of health and anthropology, as well as libraries, provide an obvious market for this two-volume treatise. (Nov.) Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
Library Journal
Bringing together contributions from 224 experts writing on the "full spectrum of foods that have been hunted, gathered, cultivated, and domesticated," editors Kiple (Bowling Green State Univ.) and Ornelas have created an outstanding new reference source. Divided into two volumes, it is composed of chapters that are then further subdivided to cover a wide range of food- and nutrition-related topics, such as the foods our ancestors ate, the domestication and development of staple plant and animal foods, nutrient deficiencies and surfeits, and contemporary food-related policy issues. The final section is a "dictionary" with brief entries for 1000 plant foods mentioned elsewhere in the text. This reference shares some elements with The Oxford Companion to Food (LJ 10/15/99), but there are also significant differences. In the Oxford volume, for instance, the alphabetically arranged entries include such dishes as karabij, marmalade, and lasagna, while the Cambridge set covers topics like famine, food psychology, and food fads. Even when both books explore the same topic, such as apples, the amount and type of information provided vary enough that most readers would want to look at both sources. Both offer information on the cuisine of different countries, but while the Oxford volume gives each country a separate entry, the Cambridge set discusses some individually and combines others under broader geographic divisions, such as Southeast Asia. When it comes to the foods of different countries and regions, the Cambridge set provides more comprehensive information but on more specialized topics, such as apricots or pears, while the Oxford volume offers more details overall. Small public libraries on a tight budget might have to opt for just the Oxford volume, but all other libraries will want both sources in their reference collections. The Cambridge World History of Food is a remarkable work of scholarship and is highly recommended. (Subject index not seen.) [Until March 31, 2001, the price is $150.--Ed.]--John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.
New York Times - Florence Fabricant
...the inquisitive food lover will find much to sift through, from the beginning chapter on what ancient people ate, to one on contemporary food-policy issues....as such works go, this is one of the more thought-provoking.
What People Are Saying
Jared Diamond
This treasure trove of knowledge about food is so interesting and useful that I have only one regret. I wish that it had been available earlier, to spare me (and you) the effort of tracking down hundreds of different sources now summarized here. Whether you are a cook, gourmet, or glutton, an archaeologist, physiologist, or historian, you will be browsing these two volumes for years to come.
— (Jared Diamond, author of Guns, Germs, and Steel, Professor of Physiology, UCLA School of Medicine)
Donald Worster
An endless source of knowledge and insight.
— (Donald Worster, University of Kansas)
Table of Contents:
Part I. Determining What Our Ancestors Ate;
Part II. Staple Foods;
Part III. Dietary Liquids;
Part IV. The Nutrients - Deficiencies and Surfeits;
Part V. Food and drink around the world;
Part VI. History, Nutrition, and Health;
Part VII. Contemporary Food-Related Policy Issues;
Part VIII. A Dictionary of the World's Plant Foods.
Books about:
Homebrewing Volume I: Beginner Basics to Creating Your Own Award-Winning Recipes
Author: Al Korzonas
Al Korzonas is one of the most knowledgeable writers in the field of amateur brewing. He has been brewing since 1987, has won over 100 awards for his beers, has written many articles on beer and brewing, and has attained the rank of Master in the Beer Judge Certification Program. This book is unique in that the reader need only read chapter two to brew their very first batch of beer. Al explains all aspects of brewing in terms that anyone can understand and provides more troubleshooting information than most of the other homebrewing books combined. The book is fully referenced, contains more than 50 recipes and an entire chapter dedicated to teaching the reader how to create their own original recipes.
About the Author
Al Korzonas has been critically tasting and researching beer since 1979, after his first trip to Britain, Belgium and Germany. He holds Bachelor's and Master's Degrees in Electrical Engineering and supports his homebrewing habit by working as a software developer at Lucent Technologies - Bell Labs Innovations. Al has worked as a technical editor for Zymurgy magazine and is currently a technical consultant. He is a frequent contributor to the Homebrew Digest, Brewer's Forum, Lambic Digest, JudgeNet, and Advanced Topics in Brewing electronic "newsletters," and has written several articles for Zymurgy and Brewing Techniques. Al is an active member of the Chicago Beer Society (1996 AHA Homebrew Club of the Year), Brewers of South Suburbia, Urban Knaves of Grain, and Headhunters homebrew clubs, has achieved the rank of Master Judge in the Beer Judge Certification Program, and is a member of the BJCP scoresheet and style guideline subcommittees. A serious homebrewer since 1987, Al's beers have earned him over one hundred ribbons at homebrew competitions throughout the US including several in the American Homebrewers Association National Competition. His 7-Grain E.S.B. was selected Champion Beer at the 1995 CBS Midwest Invitational Brew-Off both by popular vote and by Michael Jackson. Al lives in Homer Glen, Illinois with his wife Karen and is owner of Sheaf & Vine, which publishes books and sells specialty brewing supplies.
Homebrew Digest #2625, Sunday 01 February 1998 - Sam Mize
Overall, an excellent reference for brewers at a broad range of expertise. I've been extract brewing (and reading like crazy) for a couple of years. I still wound up with a page of references to new ideas and useful info, and that's not counting the recipe and materials tables. My only "must-read" is the Bible but I'd certainly recommend this to anyone on [The Homebrew Digest], or as a first book on brewing.
