A Movable Feast: Ten Millennia of Food Globalization (Hardcover)

by Kenneth F. Kiple (Author)
Key Phrases: new foods, food homogeneity, food globalization, Movable Feast, New World, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Recycling much historical material from the magisterial Cambridge World History of Food (which the author co-edited), this slender volume distills 10,000 years of food history into just 300 pages. While the first work was notable for its rich multiplicity of voices and deeply informed scholarship, this one is a bit of a hash, owing to its author's insistence on squeezing a far-ranging narrative into the narrow framework of globalism. Far from being a new economic concept, the globalization of food, asserts Kiple, is as old as agriculture itself (globalization being murkily defined as "a process of homogenization whereby the cuisines of the world have been increasingly untied from regional food production, and one that promises to make the foods of the world available to everyone in the world"). The strongest material examines the spread of agriculture and its ramifications: it's a paradox of civilization that increased food production encourages population growth, which invariably creates food shortages and disease. That said, gastronomes will find scraps to nibble on here and there—who knew, for example, that the Egyptians trained their monkeys to harvest grapes? (June)
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Review
"Kenneth Kiple has written a delicious history of food, from the pickings our earliest ancestors happened to find under the trees to the amazing range of food available in the nearest supermarket today, from the first domesticated pigs to the prime pork chops we ate for dinner last night. This is a cornucopia of information about food, both profound and fun, a history, a reference book, and a collection of fascinating facts." --Bunny Crumpacker, author of The Sex Life of Food

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (April 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 052179353X
• ISBN-13: 978-0521793537
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #205,223 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Movable Feast, May 23, 2007

By	V. Kennedy "book crazed" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This book tracks human history and food from our earliest ancestors up to the present. It's loaded with information. If you've ever been curious about where foods come from and how they've changed the world, you should read this book. I enjoyed it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Movable Feast, January 28, 2008

By	Jose Olivares (Santiago, Chile) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A Movable Feast: Ten Millennia of Food Globalization
A very interesting book. Well researched and well written. Gives you a history of our food, from almonds to zucchini, where did they come from, who used them first and what for, and how their use expanded throughtout the world. A real best for food lovers, professional and amateur cookers, and any curious person (such as, did you ever wonder why no chicken or eggs, or potatoes, are ever mentioned in the Bible?).
Jose Olivares, Santiago, Chile

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Worth consuming, December 18, 2007

By	Kevin ONeill "History Teacher" (Chicago) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Great information, some very interesting stories, but not great writing. I agree that it was a bit dry at times, but as an academic work, it contained a wealth of information in a well-organized way. If you're looking for a particular food or era, the book is very accessible. There are also plenty of stories to add to classroom discussions, and some sections worth having kids read (Neolithic Revolution, Irish Potato Famine).