Ways of Eating: Exploring Food through History and CultureWhat we learn when an anthropologist and a historian talk about food. From the origins of agriculture to contemporary debates over culinary authenticity, Ways of Eating introduces readers to world food history and food anthropology. Through engaging stories and historical deep dives, Benjamin A. Wurgaft and Merry I. White offer new ways to understand food in relation to its natural and cultural histories and the social rules that shape our meals. Wurgaft and White use vivid storytelling to bring food practices to life, weaving stories of Panamanian coffee growers, medieval women beer makers, and Japanese knife forgers. From the Venetian spice trade to the Columbian Exchange, from Roman garum to Vietnamese nớc chấm, Ways of Eating provides an absorbing account of world food history and anthropology. Migration, politics, and the dynamics of group identity all shape what we eat, and we can learn to trace these social forces from the plate to the kitchen, the factory, and the field. |
Contents
| 8 | |
Akashiyaki at NishiAkashi | 27 |
Coffee and Pepper | 62 |
Before Kimchi | 89 |
The Spirit Safe | 107 |
Authenticity in Panama | 129 |
The Icebox | 147 |
Foods Industrial Revolution | 150 |
Bricolage | 168 |
Nem on the Menu | 190 |
Conclusion | 205 |
Bibliography | 223 |
Other editions - View all
Ways of Eating: Exploring Food Through History and Culture Benjamin Aldes Wurgaft,Merry White Limited preview - 2025 |
Ways of Eating: Exploring Food Through History and Culture Benjamin Aldes Wurgaft,Merry White Limited preview - 2023 |
Common terms and phrases
Africa akashiyaki American animals Apicius baked beans became beer began blade bread Bricolage British called calories Canterbury Tales century chapter China Chinese Chinese cuisine chocolate Christian coffee colonial Columbian Exchange common consumers cookbooks cooking corn crops cuisine culinary culture developed diet dishes domesticated drink Dutch early East eaten eating elites Europe European farmers farming fish flavor flour food’s foodways French fruit Future of Food garum global grain Greek grew grow gruit Han Chinese Han Dynasty History human imperial important India Industrial Revolution ingredients islands Japan Japanese kimchi kitchen knife labor land Laudan living McDonald's meal means meat medieval tastes modern native nixtamalization noodles nutmeg nutritional pepper Persian Empire plants political population Portuguese production recipes restaurant rice roast Roman sauce seeds served social beverages Spice Islands spices spirit safe staple empires story sugar sweet takoyaki tion trade traveled University Press vegetables VIGNETTE wealth wheat York