The secret history of food: strange but true stories about the origins of everything we eat
(Book)
Description
"Is Italian olive oil really Italian, or are we dipping our bread in lamp oil? Why are we masochistically drawn to foods that can hurt us, like hot peppers? Far from being a classic American dish, is apple pie actually . . . English? "As a species, we're hardwired to obsess over food," Matt Siegel explains as he sets out "to uncover the hidden side of everything we put in our mouths." Siegel also probes subjects ranging from the myths--and realities--of food as aphrodisiac, to how one of the rarest and most exotic spices in all the world (vanilla) became a synonym for uninspired sexual proclivities, to the role of food in fairy- and morality tales. He even makes a well-argued case for how ice cream helped defeat the Nazis. The Secret History of Food is a rich and satisfying exploration of the historical, cultural, scientific, sexual, and, yes, culinary subcultures of this most essential realm"--provided by publisher.
Exploring cultural, scientific, sexual, and culinary substructures, this essential read for all foodies, at turns both funny and fascinating, looks at the little-known history surrounding food.
Copies
More Details
Notes
Reviews from GoodReads
Citations
Siegel, M. (2021). The secret history of food: strange but true stories about the origins of everything we eat. First edition. Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Siegel, Matt. 2021. The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat. Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Siegel, Matt, The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat. Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2021.
MLA Citation (style guide)Siegel, Matt. The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat. First edition. Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2021.
Staff View
Record Information
| Last Sierra Extract Time | Sep 10, 2025 06:44:03 PM |
|---|---|
| Last File Modification Time | Sep 10, 2025 06:44:17 PM |
| Last Grouped Work Modification Time | Sep 10, 2025 06:44:08 PM |
MARC Record
| LEADER | 03906cam a2200493 i 4500 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| 001 | on1264409804 | ||
| 003 | OCoLC | ||
| 005 | 20250210225907.0 | ||
| 008 | 210820s2021 nyu g b 001 0 eng d | ||
| 019 | |a 1225287934 | ||
| 020 | |a 9780062973214 |q (hardcover) | ||
| 020 | |a 0062973215 |q (hardcover) | ||
| 040 | |a NjBwBT |b eng |e rda |c FMG |d FMG |d OCLCO |d OCLCQ |d JAS |d CLE |d YDX |d BDX |d OJ4 |d IUK |d CGB |d WD | ||
| 049 | |a CKEA | ||
| 050 | 1 | 4 | |a GT2850 |b .S563 2021 |
| 050 | 4 | |a GT2850 |b .S5624 2021 | |
| 082 | 0 | 4 | |a 394.1/2 |2 23 |
| 100 | 1 | |a Siegel, Matt |c (Food writer), |e author. |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no2021103906 | |
| 245 | 1 | 4 | |a The secret history of food : |b strange but true stories about the origins of everything we eat / |c Matt Siegel. |
| 250 | |a First edition. | ||
| 264 | 1 | |a New York, NY : |b Ecco, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, |c ©2021. | |
| 300 | |a 270 pages ; |c 24 cm | ||
| 336 | |a text |b txt |2 rdacontent | ||
| 337 | |a unmediated |b n |2 rdamedia | ||
| 338 | |a volume |b nc |2 rdacarrier | ||
| 504 | |a Includes bibliographical references (pages 197-249) and index. | ||
| 505 | 0 | |a A history of swallowing -- Pie, progress, and Plymouth Rock -- Breakfast of champions -- Children of the corn -- Honey laundering -- The vanilla of society -- The ghosts of Cockaigne past -- The choices of a new generation -- Forbidden berries (or appetite for distraction) -- Attack of the killer tomatoes. | |
| 520 | |a "Is Italian olive oil really Italian, or are we dipping our bread in lamp oil? Why are we masochistically drawn to foods that can hurt us, like hot peppers? Far from being a classic American dish, is apple pie actually . . . English? "As a species, we're hardwired to obsess over food," Matt Siegel explains as he sets out "to uncover the hidden side of everything we put in our mouths." Siegel also probes subjects ranging from the myths--and realities--of food as aphrodisiac, to how one of the rarest and most exotic spices in all the world (vanilla) became a synonym for uninspired sexual proclivities, to the role of food in fairy- and morality tales. He even makes a well-argued case for how ice cream helped defeat the Nazis. The Secret History of Food is a rich and satisfying exploration of the historical, cultural, scientific, sexual, and, yes, culinary subcultures of this most essential realm"--provided by publisher. | ||
| 520 | |a Exploring cultural, scientific, sexual, and culinary substructures, this essential read for all foodies, at turns both funny and fascinating, looks at the little-known history surrounding food. | ||
| 650 | 0 | |a Food habits |x History. |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2008103984 | |
| 650 | 0 | |a Food |x History. |0 http://id.loc.gov/authorities/subjects/sh2008103985 | |
| 907 | |a .b26838461 | ||
| 945 | |y .i65824726 |i 20703043321 |l bran |s - |h |u 6 |x 0 |w 1 |v 5 |t 2 |z 08-20-21 |r - |o - |a 394.12 SIE | ||
| 945 | |y .i65871960 |i 21802722054 |l wdan3 |s - |h |u 6 |x 0 |w 1 |v 6 |t 2 |z 09-02-21 |r - |o - |a 394.12/SIE | ||
| 945 | |y .i65916669 |i 21600871889 |l wsan |s - |h |u 3 |x 0 |w 0 |v 2 |t 2 |z 09-15-21 |r - |o - |a 394.12 SIE | ||
| 945 | |y .i65920612 |i 22205201480 |l maan |s - |h |u 6 |x 0 |w 1 |v 1 |t 2 |z 09-15-21 |r - |o - |a 394.12 SIEGEL | ||
| 945 | |y .i65934192 |i 22301004267 |l stan |s - |h |u 4 |x 0 |w 0 |v 0 |t 2 |z 09-20-21 |r - |o - |a 394.1 SEI | ||
| 945 | |y .i65936930 |i 21707850562 |l waan |s - |h |u 12 |x 2 |w 2 |v 6 |t 2 |z 09-21-21 |r - |o - |a 394.12 SIEGEL | ||
| 945 | |y .i66153049 |i 33520001450293 |l osan |s - |h |u 7 |x 1 |w 1 |v 2 |t 2 |z 09-23-21 |r - |o - |a 394.12 SIEGEL | ||
| 945 | |y .i66164795 |i 31200500369565 |l hmanb |s - |h |u 10 |x 0 |w 1 |v 3 |t 2 |z 09-27-21 |r - |o - |a 641.309/SIE | ||
| 945 | |y .i6617501x |i 31251004220424 |l wman |s - |h |u 5 |x 0 |w 0 |v 3 |t 167 |z 09-29-21 |r - |o - |a 394.12 SIEGEL | ||
| 945 | |y .i66181410 |i 21203958646 |l nwan |s - |h |u 7 |x 0 |w 1 |v 6 |t 2 |z 09-30-21 |r - |o - |a 641.3009 SIE | ||
| 945 | |y .i66186535 |i 20905842892 |l mean |s - |h |u 3 |x 0 |w 0 |v 2 |t 2 |z 10-01-21 |r - |o - |a 394.12 SI | ||
| 998 | |e - |d a |f eng |a br |a hm |a ma |a me |a nw |a os |a st |a wa |a wm |a ws |a wd | ||