Food history

Food history is an interdisciplinary field that examines the history of food, and the cultural, economic, environmental, and sociological impacts of food. Food history is considered distinct from the more traditional field of culinary history, which focuses on the origin and recreation of specific recipes. Food historians look at food as one of the most important elements of cultures, reflecting the social and economic structure of society.

Food history is a new discipline, considered until recently a fringe discipline. The first journal in the field, Petits Propos Culinaires was launched in 1979 and the first conference on the subject was the 1981 Oxford Food Symposium.

Bibliography

Books

• Gremillion, Kristen J. Ancestral Appetites: Food in Prehistory (Cambridge University Press; 2011) 188 pages; explores the processes of dietary adaptation in prehistory that contributed to the diversity of global foodways.
• Grew, Raymond. Food in Global History, Westview Press, 2000
• Haber, Barbara. "Culinary History Vs. Food History" in:The Oxford companion to American food and drink, ed. by Andrew F. Smith, Oxford University Press, 2007, pp. 179–180
• Kiple, Kenneth F. and Kriemhild Coneè Ornelas,eds. The Cambridge World History of Food, (2 vol, Cambridge UP, 2000)
• Mintz, Sidney. Sweetness and Power: The Place of Sugar in Modern History (Penguin 1986), ISBN 0140092331
• Mintz, Sidney. Tasting Food, Tasting Freedom: Excursions into Eating, Power, and the Past, Beacon Press, 1997, ISBN 0807046299
• Katz, Solomon ed. The Encyclopedia of Food and Culture (Scribner, 2003)
• Marion Nestle: Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health, revised and expanded edition (Berkeley, University Presses of California, 2007).
• Shapiro, Laura. Something From the Oven: Reinventing Dinner in 1950s America,Viking Adult 2004, ISBN 0670871540

Journals

• Food and Foodways. Explorations in the History and Culture of Human Nourishment
• Food, Culture and Society: An International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research

See also

• Food timeline

External links

• Food History
• University of Houston Digital Library: 1850-1860's Hotel and Restaurant Menu Collection images
• Italian Food History Blog