Food history almanac : over 1,300 years of world culinary history, culture, and social influence / Janet Clarkson.

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

The Food History Almanac covers 365 days of the year, with information and anecdotes relating to food history from around the world from medieval times to the present. The daily entries include such topics as celebrations; significant food-related moments in history from the fields of science and technology, exploration and discovery, travel, literature, hotel and restaurant history, and military history; menus from famous and infamous meals across a wide spectrum, from extravagant royal banquets to war rations and prison fare; birthdays of important people in the food field; and publication dates for important cookbooks and food texts and "first known" recipes. Food historian Janet Clarkson has drawn from her vast compendium of historical cookbooks, food texts, scholarly articles, journals, diaries, ships' logs, letters, official reports, and newspaper and magazine articles to bring food history alive. History buffs, foodies, students doing reports, and curious readers will find it a constant delight. An introduction, list of recipes, selected bibliography, and set index, plus a number of period illustrations are added value.

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Library Journal Review

Adding to the growing body of work on the subject, this resource covers over 2,000 years of culinary history and culture in a calendar format. The work spans a range of topics such as food legislation, inventions, and scientific discoveries, as well as recipes and food traditions from all over the world in all environs and social settings. For instance, looking at March 13, the reader learns that Henry Jones received a patent for self-rising flour in 1845 and Juliet Corson opened the New York Cooking School in 1877. The strength of this reference is definitely the variety of topics discussed and the use of primary resources throughout. It's weakness is the almanac format. While the information provided is fascinating, it lacks context and without the index, specific topics would be difficult to find. The book also includes a list of more than 200 recipes but page numbers are not included so the user has to flip through the book to find the recipe's date. The brief further-reading list contains seven books and eight websites. VERDICT Overall, this is a well-researched collection of food facts and events organized by date, but its usefulness to those new to food history is limited by the format.-Lisa Ennis, Univ. of Alabama at -Birmingham Lib. (c) Copyright 2014. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

CHOICE Review

This almanac is a "this day in history"-type compendium for those interested in food and dining history. The author, an Australian food writer, has turned years of information-gathering into a two-volume set of interesting, random, historical food facts. The volumes are arranged in daily chronological order, starting with January 1. Most days have several entries. In some cases entries are listed under a series of broad topics such as "Journals and Letters," "Food and War," "Discoveries and Inventions," "Science and Technology," and "Explorers and Adventurers." The time periods vary throughout the 1,300 years covered. Each entry is labeled with the year and location, but no specific citations or sources are provided, other than a short bibliography at the end of the set. Menus and diary entries (many from Samuel Pepys) are some of the most frequently featured items. A good index is included, which is key for identifying salient entries on specific topics. The set also has a list of featured recipes and a few black-and-white illustrations sprinkled throughout. This is an entertaining resource, more for food history or trivia buffs than for academics. Summing Up: Optional. General readers. S. Hurst Miami University

Booklist Review

There are plenty of recent titles on the history of food, but this one has a twist it is in calendar format. Each day of the year features food trivia related to the date, and a smattering of historical recipes are found throughout the text as well.Noted food-writer Clarkson begins, naturally, with New Year's Day and a discussion of the many traditions and rituals found across the world. She delves into history, detailing a menu of what was served for dinner in a British monastery in 1493 to mark the day; noting that the Bass Pale Ale logo was the first trademark to be registered in 1875, after an employee spent the night outside the registrar's office; and revealing that January 1, 1937, was the day that SPAM got its name, courtesy of a contest at the Hormel Mansion's New Year's Day party. Facts for every day of the year are given in this enjoyable and easy-to-digest manner. Recipes include the first-known published recipe for brownies (published January 7, 1896, and containing no chocolate!).Other examples of the information within include a discussion of the dispute over why New York City is called the Big Apple (New York State officially adopted the apple as the state fruit on July 26, 1976); a recollection of what Lewis and Clark ate on September 1805; what patients ate at London's Foundling Hospital on November 17, 1747 (the food served there depended on whether or not it was pork season or other season); and a recipe for baked crow, from September 8, 1936.Although there is an index, this book is not really meant for research. Casual readers and foodies will delight in the myriad of facts and figures found in this almanac. This entertaining and interesting read is recommended for most public libraries, where it should do well in the circulating collection, even at two volumes.--Vnuk, Rebecca Copyright 2014 Booklist