Food

A scholarly, narrative work rather than a recipe collection, this volume traces the history of food and eating across human civilization from prehistoric times to the late twentieth century. Edited by Jean-Louis Flandrin and Massimo Montanari, with an English-language edition prepared by Albert Sonnenfeld, the book draws on contributions from a wide range of academic authorities to examine how culinary customs, table manners, and gastronomic culture evolved across different societies and eras. It addresses broad questions about the origins of structured mealtimes, individual dining implements, and the social criteria by which food and cuisine have been judged. Aimed at scholars, students, and serious general readers with an interest in food history, it functions as a comprehensive reference work on the cultural and historical dimensions of human eating.