Food History: A Feast of the Senses in Europe, 1750 to the Present

This pioneering book emphasizes the importance of the senses in the study of food history, exploring how words, symbols, industrialization, nationhood, and globalization shape our understanding and experience of food.

Format: Hardback
Length: 214 pages
Publication date: 18 May 2021
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

This groundbreaking book revolutionizes the study of food history by placing the senses at the forefront, recognizing that the traditional focus on food types, quantities, and nutritional values is incomplete without some acknowledgment of smell, touch, sight, hearing, and taste. Eating is a multi-sensory experience that unfolds every day and at every meal. The senses of smell, touch, sight, hearing, and taste actively engage in the preparation and consumption of food. However, these sensory experiences are fleeting, leaving only a vestigial imprint on the historical record. Historians have traditionally shown limited interest in the senses beyond taste, and this book fills that research gap.

The book explores four dimensions:
1. Words, Symbols, and Uses: Describing the Senses: This dimension delves into the process of how specific vocabularies for food are developed. It examines how language shapes our perception and understanding of food, and how different cultures and societies use words to convey sensory experiences.
2. Industrializing the Senses: This dimension analyzes the fundamental change in the sensory qualities of foods under the pressure of industrialization and economic forces beyond the control of the household and the artisan producer. It explores how industrialization has altered the taste, texture, and appearance of food, and how this has impacted our eating habits and cultural practices.
3. Nationhood and the Senses: This dimension explores how the combination of the senses and food plays into how nations see themselves and how food becomes a signature of political ideologies in practical, everyday terms. It examines how food is used to express national identity, cultural heritage, and social values, and how it shapes social interactions and relationships.
4. Food Senses and Globalization: This dimension examines the links between food, the senses, and the idea of international significance. It explores how food is consumed and experienced across different cultures and regions, and how it contributes to the globalization of food culture and trade.

By elevating the senses to a central role in the study of food history, this book offers a comprehensive and interdisciplinary approach to understanding the past. It is an invaluable resource for scholars of food history, food studies, food culture, as well as social and cultural historians. The book provides a fresh perspective on the relationship between food, the senses, and society, and it encourages scholars to explore new avenues of research and inquiry.

In conclusion, this groundbreaking book is a must-read for anyone interested in food history, food studies, or food culture. It offers a comprehensive and innovative exploration of the senses, providing a new lens through which to understand the past and the present. By placing the senses at the forefront of our understanding of food, this book opens up new avenues of research and inquiry, and it contributes to our broader understanding of the complex and multifaceted world of food.

Weight: 494g
Dimension: 161 x 242 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367515584