Customer Reviews

Food: A Culinary History (European Perspectives)

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I tend to really enjoy books on culinary history; unfortunately this one left me wanting more. The chapters are disjointed, with no true unifying theme. The prose is stilted, though I suspect alot of this is due to poor translation. The information itself is good, but badly presented; overall a boring mess of a book. Pick up Tannahill's "Food in History" instead.

Food: A Culinary History from Antiquity to the Present
The book, Food: A Culinary History from Antiquity to the Present, edited by Jean-Louis Flandrin and Massimo Montanari, offers the reader a wonderful progression through the history of culinary arts. Starting with the developments of early man and finishing with the "McDonaldization" of our culture, the compilation of different essays covers, in very grave detail, the culinary practices of man during certain periods of time. The book which actually is a compilation of many works, by separate writers, has varying tones throughout the book. Each writer has a certain style and tone to his or her words. While some express great detail, others simply skim the surface. This in turn creates a confusing book separated not only by different writing styles but different tones. Granted the book does have its sections where the language and material is dry and dull, but the overall coverage of important information is excellent. Going along with the language aspect, the understanding of the language can become quite difficult at times. However, the book makes sense in the end. It really depends on what writer one is reading. Some are confusing and dry while others are simple and excited about what they are writing. I found myself multiple times flipping through the book to find interesting topics and writers. But the overall value of the book is high. The content it contains is also very interesting. The cultures of different societies are clearly presented and information on each culture is insightful and beneficial towards those who wish to learn more on past techniques and practices. The book, in the end, comes out on top solely because of the valuable information provided.

This is a challenging text that appeals to the higher mind. It is highly crossed referenced. I have reviewed much of the source material and it is accurate. It ranks amongst the Norton Anthology of Literature as a text in culinary arts.

Many texts that people read are enjoyable, but few will serve the reader as much during their lifetime.

This text is tedious, in the same way that Organic Chemistry is tedious. This text is not a cook book but a true history. For this reason alone, it is to be respected.

A student that reads this book in their twenties, and follows the sources in the thirties, will always be respected in their forties for their knowledge regarding cuisine.

Had to buy this book for a class and its really interesting but its just really wordy and at some points not a easy or enjoyable read. Its got great information and is the book for you if you are into culinary/food history :)

This book was a required text for our culinary 101 class at the John Folse Culinary Institute at Nicholls State University. I believe the culinary history book was very informative and intriguing. It contained very useful information about many culinary aspects. It explained the foods and food preparations used in the ancient times, and also explained how the foods and food preparations that we use today came to be. The book also helped me to gain knowledge of why we eat certain foods and why we eat the way we do. This is a great book to use as a guide to food of yesterday and today. It is a very informative book that I will definitely keep throughout my culinary career.

This book is a great reading for anyone that wants to read up on culinary history. The book has great detail and content.

This book was required as part of my culinary history class. It is easy to read, but I didn't find it very entertaining. I know that it is supposed to be informative, but I didn't find it attention grabbing. I felt like I had to look up every word to understand what the book was trying to say. I didn't see where it actually flowed with the class syllabus. The book talks about the history of food and how religion and culture are incolved. I didn't have a hard time reading the book, but I had a hard following where the book was going with the information. I thought that some of the information was interesting, but most of the text was all facts. I guess if you want to read about culinary history, then this is the book for you. If you read this book for enjoyment and pleasure I'm afraid that this book won't be very entertaining. I'm glad that I have read the book for future information and knowledge.

I was required to read this text for a college class in which I am enrolled. I am a culinary arts student. I found this text to be very informative. The information given in this book was interesting to learn about, though it was not presented in the most ideal way. I had trouble keeping interest in the book. Some parts were easy to read while others seemed to drag on and on. Had this book been presented in a more story like fashion it would have been easier to read leisurely. As far as using this text in a classroom, it is a very resourceful tool. I found that the information helped me better understand how the history of culinary influences our culinary practices today.

I read Food: A Culinary History it was a required text for a culinay history class in which am currently enrolled in. I read the book and thought it had a lot of good information in it that could really help, but I think if the book was not poorly written it would be a lot more enjoyable. I only read the book becuase it was a required text. If it was not a required text, I would of set the book down after the first couple of pages. I think the information in this book gives it the potential to be a very good book and could one day be very helpful, but it needs to be completely rewritten.

This book was used as my textbook for my culinary 101 class. It was very informative and traces the roots of culinary history and evolution very well, but as a class textbook, I do not recommend it. I found it hard to keep up with and it was too lengthy for one semester. I found myself getting lost in the book. If you want a culinary history foundation book, this is a great one, but not as a textbook.