Download or read book The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets written by and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2015-04-01 with total page 947 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A sweet tooth is a powerful thing. Babies everywhere seem to smile when tasting sweetness for the first time, a trait inherited, perhaps, from our ancestors who foraged for sweet foods that were generally safer to eat than their bitter counterparts. But the "science of sweet" is only the beginning of a fascinating story, because it is not basic human need or simple biological impulse that prompts us to decorate elaborate wedding cakes, scoop ice cream into a cone, or drop sugar cubes into coffee. These are matters of culture and aesthetics, of history and society, and we might ask many other questions. Why do sweets feature so prominently in children's literature? When was sugar called a spice? And how did chocolate evolve from an ancient drink to a modern candy bar? The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets explores these questions and more through the collective knowledge of 265 expert contributors, from food historians to chemists, restaurateurs to cookbook writers, neuroscientists to pastry chefs. The Companion takes readers around the globe and throughout time, affording glimpses deep into the brain as well as stratospheric flights into the world of sugar-crafted fantasies. More than just a compendium of pastries, candies, ices, preserves, and confections, this reference work reveals how the human proclivity for sweet has brought richness to our language, our art, and, of course, our gastronomy. In nearly 600 entries, beginning with "à la mode" and ending with the Italian trifle known as "zuppa inglese," the Companion traces sugar's journey from a rare luxury to a ubiquitous commodity. In between, readers will learn about numerous sweeteners (as well-known as agave nectar and as obscure as castoreum, or beaver extract), the evolution of the dessert course, the production of chocolate, and the neurological, psychological, and cultural responses to sweetness. The Companion also delves into the darker side of sugar, from its ties to colonialism and slavery to its addictive qualities. Celebrating sugar while acknowledging its complex history, The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets is the definitive guide to one of humankind's greatest sources of pleasure. Like kids in a candy shop, fans of sugar (and aren't we all?) will enjoy perusing the wondrous variety to be found in this volume.

Download or read book Candy written by Samira Kawash and published by Macmillan. This book was released on 2013-10-15 with total page 417 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A lively cultural history that explains how candy became more like food and food more like candy"--

Download or read book Cuisine and Empire written by Rachel Laudan and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2015-04-03 with total page 488 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Rachel Laudan tells the remarkable story of the rise and fall of the world’s great cuisines—from the mastery of grain cooking some twenty thousand years ago, to the present—in this superbly researched book. Probing beneath the apparent confusion of dozens of cuisines to reveal the underlying simplicity of the culinary family tree, she shows how periodic seismic shifts in “culinary philosophy”—beliefs about health, the economy, politics, society and the gods—prompted the construction of new cuisines, a handful of which, chosen as the cuisines of empires, came to dominate the globe. Cuisine and Empire shows how merchants, missionaries, and the military took cuisines over mountains, oceans, deserts, and across political frontiers. Laudan’s innovative narrative treats cuisine, like language, clothing, or architecture, as something constructed by humans. By emphasizing how cooking turns farm products into food and by taking the globe rather than the nation as the stage, she challenges the agrarian, romantic, and nationalistic myths that underlie the contemporary food movement.

Download or read book Sweet Tooth written by Kate Hopkins and published by St. Martin's Press. This book was released on 2012-05-22 with total page 321 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A cultural history of candy-how it evolved from medicine and a luxury to today's Kit Kat bars and M&M's Told through the Kate Hopkins' travels in Europe and the U.S., Sweet Tooth is a first-hand account of her obsession with candy and a detailed look at its history and development. The sugary treats we enjoy today have a prominent past entertaining kings, curing the ill, and later developing into a billion-dollar industry. The dark side of this history is that the confectionery industry has helped create an environment of unhealthy overindulgence, has quelled any small business competition that was deemed to be a risk to any large company's bottom line, and was largely responsible for the slave trade that evolved during the era of colonization. Candy's history is vast and complex and plays a distinct part in the growth of the Western world. Thanks to the ubiquity of these treats which allows us to take them for granted, that history has been hidden or forgotten. Until now. Filled with Hopkins' trademark humor and accompanied by her Candy Grab Bag tasting notes, Sweet Tooth is a must-read for everybody who considers themselves a candy freak.

Download or read book Food and Drink in American History 3 volumes written by Andrew F. Smith and published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA. This book was released on 2013-10-28 with total page 2304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This three-volume encyclopedia on the history of American food and beverages serves as an ideal companion resource for social studies and American history courses, covering topics ranging from early American Indian foods to mandatory nutrition information at fast food restaurants. The expression "you are what you eat" certainly applies to Americans, not just in terms of our physical health, but also in the myriad ways that our taste preferences, eating habits, and food culture are intrinsically tied to our society and history. This standout reference work comprises two volumes containing more than 600 alphabetically arranged historical entries on American foods and beverages, as well as dozens of historical recipes for traditional American foods; and a third volume of more than 120 primary source documents. Never before has there been a reference work that coalesces this diverse range of information into a single set. The entries in this set provide information that will transform any American history research project into an engaging learning experience. Examples include explanations of how tuna fish became a staple food product for Americans, how the canning industry emerged from the Civil War, the difference between Americans and people of other countries in terms of what percentage of their income is spent on food and beverages, and how taxation on beverages like tea, rum, and whisky set off important political rebellions in U.S. history.

Download or read book Christmas Food and Feasting written by Madeline Shanahan and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-04-05 with total page 243 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From its pre-Christian origins to the present, food has always been central to Christmas; a feast at which tradition, nostalgia, innovation, symbolism, and indulgence all come together at the table. This book explores the rich story of Christmas food and feasting, tracing the history of how our festive menu evolved and inherited elements of pagan ritual, medieval traditions, early modern innovations, Victorian romanticism, and contemporary commercialism. Although it makes reference to global traditions, it focuses specifically on the story of how the British Christmas meal evolved, both on its native shores and beyond. It considers the origins, form, and structure of the modern British Christmas dinner, with its codified menu and iconic festive dishes and drinks. It also tells the story of what happened to that meal as it was taken throughout the Empire, becoming entrenched in places most strongly associated with the British Diaspora. In these places, spread across the Globe, keeping a very precise model of Christmas became a key marker of cultural identity. This British Christmas was not unchanging, though; rather, it adapted to new environments, and merged with the Christmases of other cultures encountered to create new traditions. Looking beyond Britain, to places strongly associated with its Diaspora, such as the United States of America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, helps us to understand the cultural significance and meaning of this feast with more complexity. With recipes and menus, this work will help modern readers understand the feasts of Christmas past, and perhaps incorporate some of those old dishes into Christmas-present festivities.

Download or read book Tablet to Table Vol 1 Issue 8 written by Toni Risson and published by Tercio Publishing. This book was released on 2013-04-15 with total page 76 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Lollies, Candies and Sweets The appeal of old-fashioned lollies and their indelible imprint on our childhood memories, with a feature story from lolly PhD scholar, Dr Toni Risson. Includes embedded videos on creating a Dolly Varden cake with trainer of chefs Lourayne Mahood from William Angliss Institute, as well as a look at our ongoing love affair with chocolate, and a romp through a lifetime of Kit Kat courtesy of Nestlé Australia.

Download or read book Diet for a Large Planet written by Chris Otter and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2023-06-05 with total page 420 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A history of the unsustainable modern diet—heavy in meat, wheat, and sugar—that requires more land and resources than the planet is able to support. We are facing a world food crisis of unparalleled proportions. Our reliance on unsustainable dietary choices and agricultural systems is causing problems both for human health and the health of our planet. Solutions from lab-grown food to vegan diets to strictly local food consumption are often discussed, but a central question remains: how did we get to this point? In Diet for a Large Planet, Chris Otter goes back to the late eighteenth century in Britain, where the diet heavy in meat, wheat, and sugar was developing. As Britain underwent steady growth, urbanization, industrialization, and economic expansion, the nation altered its food choices, shifting away from locally produced plant-based nutrition. This new diet, rich in animal proteins and refined carbohydrates, made people taller and stronger, but it led to new types of health problems. Its production also relied on far greater acreage than Britain itself, forcing the nation to become more dependent on global resources. Otter shows how this issue expands beyond Britain, looking at the global effects of large agro-food systems that require more resources than our planet can sustain. This comprehensive history helps us understand how the British played a significant role in making red meat, white bread, and sugar the diet of choice—linked to wealth, luxury, and power—and shows how dietary choices connect to the pressing issues of climate change and food supply.

Download or read book Culinary Aesthetics and Practices in Nineteenth Century American Literature written by M. Drews and published by Springer. This book was released on 2009-10-26 with total page 263 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Culinary Aesthetics and Practices in Nineteenth-Century American Literature examines the preponderance of food imagery in nineteenth-century literary texts. Contributors to this volume analyze the social, political, and cultural implications of scenes involving food and dining and illustrate how "aesthetic" notions of culinary preparation are often undercut by the actual practices of cooking and eating. As contributors interrogate the values and meanings behind culinary discourses, they complicate commonplace notions about American identity and question the power structure behind food production and consumption.

Download or read book Zo Bakes Cakes written by Zoë François and published by Ten Speed Press. This book was released on 2021-03-16 with total page 274 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: IACP AWARD FINALIST • The expert baker and bestselling author behind the Magnolia Network original series Zoë Bakes explores her favorite dessert—cakes!—with more than 85 recipes to create flavorful and beautiful layers, loafs, Bundts, and more. “Zoë’s relentless curiosity has made her an artist in the truest sense of the word.”—Joanna Gaines, co-founder of Magnolia NAMED ONE OF THE BEST COOKBOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TIME OUT Cake is the ultimate symbol of celebration, used to mark birthdays, weddings, or even just a Tuesday night. In Zoë Bakes Cakes, bestselling author and expert baker Zoë François demystifies the craft of cakes through more than eighty-five simple and straightforward recipes. Discover treats such as Coconut–Candy Bar Cake, Apple Cake with Honey-Bourbon Glaze, and decadent Chocolate Devil’s Food Cake. With step-by-step photo guides that break down baking fundamentals—like creaming butter and sugar—and Zoë’s expert knowledge to guide you, anyone can make these delightful creations. Featuring everything from Bundt cakes and loaves to a beautifully layered wedding confection, Zoë shows you how to celebrate any occasion, big or small, with delicious homemade cake.

Download or read book Field Guide to Candy written by Anita Chu and published by Quirk Books. This book was released on 2014-12-16 with total page 356 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: At last, a field guide to making and identifying virtually every candy imaginable, from peanut-butter cups to mint meltaways! Field Guide to Candy is the definitive guide to candies from around the world, with more than 100 recipes and variations on such tried-and-true classics as caramel apples, rocky road, and lollipops as well as traditional international favorites like Turkish delight, truffles, and French pralines. This delectable guide introduces readers to the best techniques for creating chocolates; sugary sweets; creamy, sticky, chewy candies; nutty treats; and fun and simple classics. Every candy is photographed in glorious full color, with step-by-step instructions on how to prepare, make, and store your creations. Entries include fascinating historical background, helpful baking notes, and serving suggestions for each delicious variety. Whether you’re a candy-making novice or veteran pastry chef, mouth-watering homemade confections are minutes away with Field Guide to Candy!

Download or read book Sherbet and Spice written by Mary Isin and published by I.B. Tauris. This book was released on 2013-01-08 with total page 336 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: One hundred sculpted sugar lions, baklava the size of cartwheels a thousand layers thick, helva made in memory of the dead, rose jam in a hundred pots of Dresden china, violet sherbet for the sultan, and parrots addicted to sugar . . . the stories behind Turkey's huge variety of sweets and puddings, valued not only for their taste but as symbols of happiness, good fortune, and goodwill, are as fascinating as their flavor. This riveting exploration of their history and role in Turkish culture is a voyage of adventure, taking us from the sultan's palace to the homes of ordinary people in Turkey's villages and towns, and beyond to Central Asia, Persia, Arabia, and Egypt.

Download or read book A History of Food written by Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-03-25 with total page 776 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The story of cuisine and the social history of eating is afascinating one, and Maguelonne Toussaint-Samat covers all itsaspects in this classic history. New expanded edition of a classic book, originally published togreat critical acclaim from Raymond Blanc, The New YorkTimes, The Sunday Telegraph, The Independent andmore Tells the story of man’s relationship with food fromearliest times to the present day Includes a new foreword by acclaimed food writer Betty Fussell,a preface by the author, updated bibliography, and a new chapterbringing the story up to date New edition in jacketed hardback, with c.70 illustrations and anew glossy color plate section "Indispensable, and an endlessly fascinating book. The view isstaggering. Not a book to digest at one or several sittings. Savorit instead, one small slice at a time, accompanied by a very finewine." –New York Times "This book is not only impressive for the knowledge it provides,it is unique in its integration of historical anecdotes and factualdata. It is a marvellous reference to a great many topics." –Raymond Blanc "Quirky, encyclopaedic, and hugely entertaining. Adelight." –Sunday Telegraph "It's the best book when you are looking for very clear butinteresting stories. Everything is cross-referenced to anextraordinary degree, which is great because the information givenis so complex and interweaving." –The Independent "A History of Food is a monumental work, a prodigiousfeat of careful scholarship, patient research and attention todetail. Full of astonishing but insufficiently known facts." –Times Higher Education Supplement

Download or read book Durrell and the City written by Donald P. Kaczvinsky and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2012 with total page 233 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Durrell and the City commemorates the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Alexandria Quartet with a collection of fourteen new essays by a group of international scholars and critics. The collection provides a critical consideration of Durrell's urban landscapes, from the London of his early novels to Avignon during World War II in his last great series, while focusing on the place that made him famous--the city of Alexandria--in order to provide a reassessment of his career and achievement.

Download or read book The Banquet written by Ken Albala and published by University of Illinois Press. This book was released on 2007-03-19 with total page 342 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The importance of the banquet in the late Renaissance is impossible to overlook. Banquets showcased a host’s wealth and power, provided an occasion for nobles from distant places to gather together, and even served as a form of political propaganda. But what was it really like to cater to the tastes and habits of high society at the banquets of nobles, royalty, and popes? What did they eat and how did they eat it? In The Banquet, Ken Albala covers the transitional period between the heavily spiced and colored cuisine of the Middle Ages and classical French haute cuisine. This development involved increasing use of dairy products, a move toward lighter meats such as veal and chicken, increasing identification of national food customs, more sweetness and aromatics, and a refined aesthetic sense, surprisingly in line with the late-Renaissance styles found in other arts.

Download or read book Barbarous Antiquity written by Miriam Jacobson and published by University of Pennsylvania Press. This book was released on 2014-10-13 with total page 296 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In the late sixteenth century, English merchants and diplomats ventured into the eastern Mediterranean to trade directly with the Turks, the keepers of an important emerging empire in the Western Hemisphere, and these initial exchanges had a profound effect on English literature. While the theater investigated representations of religious and ethnic identity in its portrayals of Turks and Muslims, poetry, Miriam Jacobson argues, explored East-West exchanges primarily through language and the material text. Just as English markets were flooded with exotic goods, so was the English language awash in freshly imported words describing items such as sugar, jewels, plants, spices, paints, and dyes, as well as technological advancements such as the use of Arabic numerals in arithmetic and the concept of zero. Even as these Eastern words and imports found their way into English poetry, poets wrestled with paying homage to classical authors and styles. In Barbarous Antiquity, Jacobson reveals how poems adapted from Latin or Greek sources and set in the ancient classical world were now reoriented to reflect a contemporary, mercantile Ottoman landscape. As Renaissance English writers including Shakespeare, Jonson, Marlowe, and Chapman weighed their reliance on classical poetic models against contemporary cultural exchanges, a new form of poetry developed, positioned at the crossroads of East and West, ancient and modern. Building each chapter around the intersection of an Eastern import and a classical model, Jacobson shows how Renaissance English poetry not only reconstructed the classical past but offered a critique of that very enterprise with a new set of words and metaphors imported from the East.

Download or read book The Fruit Hunters written by Adam Leith Gollner and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2013-06-11 with total page 304 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A historical account of the role of fruit in the modern world explores the machinations of multi-national corporations in distributing exotic fruits, the life of mass-produced fruits, and the author's experience with unusual varieties that are unavailable in America.