The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Nearly 700 pages of Americana on the table, this reference work is the gift for the culinary student, chef or Food Network groupie on your list. It's fun to flip through - 'the mimosa is one of America's first designer cocktails' - or burrow into (the 'pies and tarts' entry goes on for three pages)."--The Denver Post
"Clearly written and concisely presented, this volume will be an affordable multidisciplinary resource"--School Library Journal
"When it comes to American food, there's no better resource than the new Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink.This monster-size tome weighs enough to work your biceps and contains more than 1,000 entries that should answer every last one of your culinary curiosities."-New York Post
"Amateur and professional food historians will join lovers of culinary trivia in alternately marveling and chuckling over The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink, which tells just about everything you ever wanted to know on the subject, and then some.... Overall, it's a fun and informative read."--San Francisco Chronicle
"Whether you want to learn for learning's sake, dazzle friends with observations on the cocktail you're holding ("Did you know that Bourbon is a style of whiskey that can legally be made only in the United States?") or beef up your chances on a game show ("I'll take 'Drive-Ins' for $100, Alex"), editor Andrew F. Smith's efforts should not fail to deliverMany reference books fall short because they're, well, b-o-r-i-n-g. This one isn't."--Chicago Tribune
"Unique, fascinating, fun and indispensable, The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink is a must for anyone interested in the food culture of America, from the professional chef to the food writer to the lover of the table."--Jacques Pepin, star of Fast Food My Way and author of The Apprentice
"Here are the facts. This impressive Oxford Companion presents a complex subject without fuss or frills."--Anne Willan, director of La Varenne at Chateau du Fey, author of La Varenne Pratiqueand The Good Cook
"I've always wondered what American food and drink was exactly. Now that I've read the Oxford Companion, it's clear and understandable. And what a story! Filled with unusual twists and turns and peopled with ordinary and extraordinary cooks, chefs, farmers, inventors, scientists, restauranteurs, and entrepreneurs, I found it, like good food, quite irresistible."--Burt Wolf
"Erudite, witty, and stuffed with gems"--The Daily Telegraph (London)

Product Description

Offering a panoramic view of the history and culture of food and drink in America with fascinating entries on everything from the smell of asparagus to the history of White Castle, and the origin of Bloody Marys to jambalaya, the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink provides a concise, authoritative, and exuberant look at this modern American obsession. Ideal for the food scholar and food enthusiast alike, it is equally appetizing for anyone fascinated by Americana, capturing our culture and history through what we love most--food!
Building on the highly praised and deliciously browseable two-volume compendium the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, this new work serves up everything you could ever want to know about American consumables and their impact on popular culture and the culinary world. Within its pages for example, we learn that Lifesavers candy owes its success to the canny marketing idea of placing the original flavor, mint, next to cash registers at bars. Patrons who bought them to mask the smell of alcohol on their breath before heading home soon found they were just as tasty sober and the company began producing other flavors.
Edited by Andrew Smith, a writer and lecturer on culinary history, the Companion serves up more than just trivia however, including hundreds of entries on fast food, celebrity chefs, fish, sandwiches, regional and ethnic cuisine, food science, and historical food traditions. It also dispels a few commonly held myths. Veganism, isn't simply the practice of a few "hippies," but is in fact wide-spread among elite athletic circles. Many of the top competitors in the Ironman and Ultramarathon events go even further, avoiding all animal products by following a strictly vegan diet. Anyone hungering to know what our nation has been cooking and eating for the last three centuries should own the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink.
Nearly 1,000 articles on American food and drink, from the curious to the commonplace
Beautifully illustrated with hundreds of historical photographs and color images
Includes informative lists of food websites, museums, organizations, and festivals

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 736 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (May 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195307968
• ISBN-13: 978-0195307962
• Product Dimensions: 11 x 8.6 x 1.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #605,484 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars for anyone who has cooked, dined out, or eaten anything..., May 4, 2007

By	Kerstin A. Czarra "kerstismerst" (new york, ny) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Don't let "Oxford" scare you. Although amazingly researched and documented, the book is written for everyone who has eaten a twinkie to a
buche du noel.

Amazing history lessons on everything you like or dislike to eat.

As a native marylander, i was happy to learn the derivation of "stuffed ham"

A great gift for anyone who eats.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fascinating and useful resource, April 19, 2007

By	Ms. Readsalot (Yorktown Heights, NY) - See all my reviews

It's hard to put down - you can just open up to any page and find something interesting about food in American history - and drink too, of course. The foodie will absolutely adore having this book on their shelf! The illustrations and the historical images throughout are very interesting. The quality of the writing is excellent - I wouldn't expect anything less from Oxford. I'll be putting this right alongside my Oxford Companion to Wine!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Everything You Ever Wanted To Know About American Food, July 19, 2009

By	Sacramento Book Review "SacramentoBookReview.com" (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink (Oxford Companion To...) (Paperback)

//The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink// is not the type of book that one thinks to sit down and read from cover to cover, but is more likely considered an occasional reference. Anyone with an interest in food, however, will probably be unexpectedly drawn in by this book's inexhaustible collection of American food facts, stories, trivia, biographical entries, and photos--and once given a taste, they will want to come back for more.

Did you know that Coca-Cola is the second-best-known term on earth ("OK" being the first), or that the prototype for the microwave oven was created in 1946? This massive food encyclopedia reveals these snippets of Americana, as well as details ranging from a comprehensive list of diner slang to the story of Piggly-Wiggly markets, and, of course, the history of apple pie. It also describes the Kellogg Company's roots in the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, how avocados came to be a symbol of California agriculture, and reveals that Haagen-Dazs ice cream was invented by an American who simply gave it a European-sounding name because he thought that it would sell better.

In addition to food-specific facts, this book also contains a large collection of biographical entries that highlight both real and fictional American food legends. You will be enthralled as you read about early luminaries such as Sarah Tyson Rorer, a national food celebrity long before the inception of the Food Network, or Diamond Jim Brady, a self-made millionaire famous for indulging in feasts so outrageous that they often became spectator sports. The book also contains entries about modern American legends such as Julia Child, Wolfgang Puck, and Alice Waters and fictional food icons such as Betty Crocker and Aunt Jemima.

While poring through this book you will find yourself whisked through the history of farm and labor unions, the rise of food safety regulations and the details of proper dining etiquette. You will also feast your eyes on an array of historical and modern photos featuring images of classic advertisements, culinary characters, vintage cookbook covers, and popular food and beverage preparations. Additionally, this book includes invaluable sections regarding food and literature, as well as links to American Culinary Associations and region-specific food history groups.

Just when you feel that you've gorged yourself to capacity, unable to possibly absorb another tidbit of culinary information, you come to the book's appendix. Herein lies page after page of food and drink bibliographies, references, copious links to organizations, websites, museums, and periodicals--all relating to American food.

If you are interested in food, //The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink// is one reference book you simply should not be without. Whether your interest is in history and culture, or you simply want to impress your friends with your knowledge of obscure culinary trivia, this book will surely provide more than enough information to sink your teeth into.

Reviewed by
Andrea Rappaport