The Cambridge World History of Food (2-Volume Set) 1st Edition

Due to the growing awareness of culinary history, books which trace the paths of culinary treasures to their sources have become increasingly popular."That about half of the books are recently published encourages me to believe that historians have begun to take food history seriously. And it makes me feel good to think that there are at least a few people out there who like a little history with their dinner. -Michael Hastings, discussing the site called Food Books.While this extravagant two-volume work may seem overwhelming, scientific and highly intellectual, it is a true researchers dream reference. I was almost overwhelmed by the sheer volume of condensed knowledge. I had to work up the courage to casually page through the two volumes for over a week. You can hardly hold and read one book while standing. The books are reference size and quite heavy.Once you open the first volume you will realize the incredible amount of work which went into this compilation. Not only did 160 scholars prepare over 200 entries, it was edited by an army of highly qualified professionals. It is in fact a collection of original essays.If you have a thirst for knowledge and a hunger for tantalizing tidbits, this set will satisfy your appetite. I recommend glancing through the book to become aware of its properties and then taking time each day to read about one specific food. Otherwise, it will be too overwhelming. I found the story of sago, cacao, chickens, coffee and onions interesting, yet I had read many of the history details in other works. What I have never seen was all the additional information provided in such detail, it is exhaustive.The author makes an excellent point by explaining how central food is to history. Without food there would be no life and therefore no history. The information on never before heard of delicacies and staples will delight you. You can learn about food from all over the world. Volume Two has an A-Z quick reference from page 1713-1886. You can look up anything from Australian blue squash to zula nuts. I will still have to go back and read about cinsault, damiana, lecheguilla, sea holly, tansy, viognier, and wampi.To further your knowledge of the Latin names, there is a nice index. For further research...which I doubt is needed...you can see the sources consulted. The contents pages are found in both volumes for ease of use.The index takes up the greater part of a fourth of the second book. You can easily find various foods on the contents page or look for every single mention of a food in the Index.~The Rebecca Review

Great quality and packaged very protectively. Super happy for these books!

I teach high school Culinary Arts and Nutrition. I wish I had found this years ago. An amazing amount of information packed into these two volumes. Now I can donate a whole shelf of single books to our local library.

This book has excellent writing quality, but the manufacturing is very poor. I have read less than half-way through Volume I and already the book is falling apart. See photo. The book has been resting in a stationary position while reading, and still it is splitting apart. In addition, the art work has problems -- Although the drawings are excellent, the photographs (all black and white) are of extremely poor resolution, like a 200dpi fax machine or worse. The printer did a horrible job. They did not even pretend to connect the pages of the book to the cover. I have never seen such a poorly manufactured publication. It is an embarrassment to Cambridge University Press.

This is a wonderful book if you are interested in the history of food.

wife loves it

Arrived in near new condition!

Great book! Works well as a booster for the kids also!