Customer Reviews

Exotic Brew: The Art of Living in the Age of Enlightenment

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Not as jaw-droppingly fascinating as "The Incorruptible Flesh" but better than his book about blood, "Exotic Brew" is full of trenchantly rendered facts based on an insane amount of research. Camporesi's writing style satisfies the layman and scholar alike, and I love how he drops these super creative insights into the way people lived long ago so easily. It's awesome that so many of Camporesi's works have been translated in the last few years.

This incredible book describes the changes of manners and cuisine - and with them, an entire socio-cultural transformation - that the Enlightenment enabled in Europe. Camporesi, a Professor of Italian Lit. at the University of Bologna, gives the reader the sights, smells, and tastes of the tables of Europe, from the lowliest of the low classes, to the pretentious dining rooms of the ruling classes. He traces food history, the introduction of "new foods," such as spices, "unthinkable meats," and "unpredictable fruits," whether by the discoveries of trade and travel, or changes in popular attitudes. Flowers became a commodity. Food fads, foods as status symbols and tokens of refinement - are described. The birth of orangeade and lemonade, popular notions of the curative or restorative powers of one food or another, are all detailed - in an organized and satisying fashion. Camporesi covers a fascinating and thrilling subject with clarity and erudition. The book is organized into fourteen chapters, and each can be read as a separate and complete essay. Some of their titles: "A Blissful and Drinkable Eternity," "The Botany of the Palate," "Mad and Startling Names." This book is really a must-read for any student of European social history, culinary history, or popular culture.

a very decadent look at the lifestyle of EM Italians. I enjoyed the authors style. He really draws you in with his description.