History Books - Page 4

Drink: A Cultural History of Alcohol

Iain Gately

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

A spirited look at the history of alcohol from the dawn of civilization to the twenty first century

For better or worse, alcohol has helped shape our civilization. Throughout history, it has been consumed not just to quench our thirsts or nourish our bodies but also for cultural reasons. It has been associated since antiquity with celebration, creativity, friendship, and danger, for every drinking culture has acknowledged it possesses a dark side.

In Drink, Iain Gately traces the course of humanity’s 10,000 year old love affair with the substance which has been dubbed “the cause of—and solution to—all of life’s problems.” Along the way he scrutinises the drinking habits of presidents, prophets, and barbarian hordes, and features drinkers as diverse as Homer, Hemmingway, Shakespeare, Al Capone, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson. Covering matters as varied as bacchanals in Imperial Rome, the gin craze in 17th century London, the rise and fall of the temperance movement, and drunk driving, Drink details the benefits and burdens alcohol has conveyed to the societies in which it is consumed. Gately’s lively and provocative style brings to life the controversies, past and present, that have raged over alcohol, and uses the authentic voices of drinkers and their detractors to explode myths and reveal truths about this most equivocal of fluids.

Drink further documents the contribution of alcohol to the birth and growth of the United States, taking in the war of Independence, the Pennsylvania Whiskey revolt, the slave trade, and the failed experiment of National Prohibition. Finally, it provides a history of the world’s best loved drinks. Enthusiasts of craft brews and fine wines will discover the origins of their favorite tipples, and what they have in common with Greek philosophers and medieval princes every time they raise a glass.

A rollicking tour through humanity’s love affair with alcohol, Drink is an intoxicating history of civilization

Hot Sour Salty Sweet: A Culinary Journey Through Southeast Asia

Jeffrey Alford, Naomi Duguid

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Total reviews: 31 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

The Mekong region, which extends south from China through Laos and Thailand to Cambodia and Vietnam, offers extraordinary food. Hot Sour Salty Sweet, which takes its name from the principal taste sensations of the region's cooking, provides an unparalleled culinary journey through this fertile land. Though the book contains a wealth of anecdotal material, its great strength lies in its 175 recipes, explicit formulas for the likes of Shrimp in Hot Lime Leaf Broth, Lao Yellow Rice and Duck, and Hui Beef Stew with Chick Peas and Anise. The breadth and substance of this authentic yet approachable collection is truly exciting; readers who cook from the book (not difficult to do once ingredients are assembled and techniques understood), as well as those searching for the best kind of armchair travel, will be delighted.

Beginning with a discussion of the Mekong region, its people (a complicated mix, among them the Kai, Akha, and Cham), and their characteristic foods, the book then provides recipes organized by ingredients, dish types, and topics such as "Everyday Dependable," "One-Dish Meals," "Kids Like It," and "Vegetarian Options." This latter style of division helps define and "domesticate" a vast array of cooking, often enjoyed at times and places foreign to Westerners. Chapters devoted to such sweets as Tapioca and Corn Pudding with Coconut Cream, grilled specialties, and fare for adventurous cooks, such as Aromatic Steamed Fish Curry (more painstaking technically, though not truly difficult) further widen the book's scope. Illustrated throughout with 150 color photos and containing a comprehensive ingredient glossary, the book is a definitive point of entry to a mostly unexplored culinary port of call. --Arthur Boehm

A History of the World in 6 Glasses

Tom Standage

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Total reviews: 49 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

From beer to Coca-Cola, the six drinks that have helped shape human history
Throughout human history, certain drinks have done much more than just quench thirst. As Tom Standage relates with authority and charm, six of them have had a surprisingly pervasive influence on the course of history, becoming the defining drink during a pivotal historical period.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses tells the story of humanity from the Stone Age to the 21st century through the lens of beer, wine, spirits, coffee, tea, and cola. Beer was first made in the Fertile Crescent and by 3000 B.C.E. was so important to Mesopotamia and Egypt that it was used to pay wages. In ancient Greece wine became the main export of her vast seaborne trade, helping spread Greek culture abroad. Spirits such as brandy and rum fueled the Age of Exploration, fortifying seamen on long voyages and oiling the pernicious slave trade. Although coffee originated in the Arab world, it stoked revolutionary thought in Europe during the Age of Reason, when coffeehouses became centers of intellectual exchange. And hundreds of years after the Chinese began drinking tea, it became especially popular in Britain, with far-reaching effects on British foreign policy. Finally, though carbonated drinks were invented in 18th-century Europe they became a 20th-century phenomenon, and Coca-Cola in particular is the leading symbol of globalization.

For Tom Standage, each drink is a kind of technology, a catalyst for advancing culture by which he demonstrates the intricate interplay of different civilizations. You may never look at your favorite drink the same way again.

Ambitious Brew: The Story of American Beer

Maureen Ogle

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Total reviews: 14 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Ambitious Brew, the first-ever history of American beer, tells an epic story of American ingenuity and the beverage that became a national standard. Not always America’s drink of choice, beer finally took its top spot in the nation’s glasses when a wave of German immigrants arrived in the mid-nineteenth century and settled in to re-create the beloved biergartens they had left behind. Fifty years later, the American-style lager beer they invented was the nation’s most popular beverage—and brewing was the nation’s fifth-largest industry, ruled over by titans Frederick Pabst and Adolphus Busch. Anti-German sentiments aroused by World War I fed the flames of the temperance movement and brought on Prohibition. After its repeal, brewers replaced flavor with innovations such as flashy marketing and lite beer, setting the stage for the generation of microbrewers whose ambitions would reshape the brew once again.

Grab a glass and a stool as Maureen Ogle pours out the surprising story behind your favorite pint.

Shine On: 100 Years of Shiner Beer

Mike Renfro

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Editorial Review:

Commemorating the 100-year anniversary of Shiner Beer, this entertaining history tells the complete story of a famous Texas establishment. Shiner Bock has entered into the pantheon of Texan icons, and this book chronicles its development, from the improbable beginning of German and Czech immigrants who founded the brewery to the successes and struggles of a growing business, recalling the many times the brand was as good as dead. For beer connoisseurs, Texas-history buffs, or simply those who appreciate a story of beating the odds, this is a tribute to an independent and well-made beer.

American Farmstead Cheese: The Complete Guide To Making and Selling Artisan Cheeses

Paul Kindsedt

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Total reviews: 8 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

This comprehensive guide to farmstead cheese explains the diversity of cheeses in terms of historical animal husbandry, pastures, climate, preservation, and transport-all of which still contribute to the uniqueness of farm cheeses today. Discover the composition of milk (and its seasonal variations), starter cultures, and the chemistry of cheese. The book includes:

A fully illustrated guide to basic cheesemaking

Discussions on the effects of calcium, pH, salt, and moisture on the process

Ways to ensure safety and quality through sampling and risk reduction

Methods for analyzing the resulting composition

... The Vermont Cheese Council is a nonprofit organization whose support of more than dozen Vermont cheesemakers contributes to a vision for continued agricultural practices and the preservation of Vermont's rural landscape. For those who want to quit their boring jobs and do something that will make their lives meaningful, here's the book. Paul Kindstedt must be considered an American treasure. Of all the books in my possession, this one is now the most important.

Food in History

Reay Tannahill

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 19 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Wonderful, enlighten read, with one caveat. 5 out of 5 stars.
10 of 10 people found this review helpful.

I deeply enjoyed this engrossing read. Tannahill has done a superb job mixing history, culture, and the culinary arts. As a student of culture and a lover of food I was drawn in by Tannahill's attention to detail, while at the same time writing an informative work that was easy to read and hard to put down. My one and only criticism lies in her choices for footnotes. I was puzzled by her choice to footnote the definition for porter (it's possible that porter was a unique drink in 1977 when the book was first written), while on numerous occasions not footnoting the references to regional foods, ingredients, and preparations. I soon found that referring to my copies of the Food Lover's Companion (Herbst, 1995) and the American Heritage Dictionary (2001) made for a much fuller reading experience. I would highly recommend this book to anyone with a love of food and culture, Tannahill will not disappoint.

Editorial Review:

An enthralling world history of food from prehistoric times to the present. A favorite of gastronomes and history buffs alike, Food in History is packed with intriguing information, lore, and startling insights--like what cinnamon had to do with the discovery of America, and how food has influenced population growth and urban expansion.

Welcome to Junior's! Remembering Brooklyn With Recipes and Memories from Its Favorite Restaurant

Marvin & Walter Rosen

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Total reviews: 27 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Baking quite possibly the best cheesecakes in the universe, Junior's Restaurant is a legend in its own right. Located in downtown Brooklyn, this home away from home has been wooing New Yorkers since it first opened its doors on Election Day, 1950. Three generations of the Rosen family have served up not only cheesecakes, but also a wealth of other diner delicacies, from Brisket Melt to out-of-this-world ice-cream sodas. Written by the sons of founder Harry Rosen, Welcome to Junior's combines slices of Brooklyn's history and culture with fascinating stories, and, thankfully for us, more than 100 recipes, including 7 for cheesecake. Of course, the real cheesecake recipes are a closely guarded secret, but the Rosens share a similar blueprint with us that ensures "you'll soon be experiencing the taste of ecstasy." There are no soggy graham-cracker bases here--just a lovely layer of light sponge-cake, which can be prepared in the home kitchen in five simple steps. Then, a bounty of cheesecake toppings are yours, including fresh blueberries, juicy pineapple, decadent chocolate swirl, and even pumpkin. Lest we forget what else Junior's has to offer, the Rosens share recipes for, among others, Baked Meat Loaf with Mushroom Sauce, French Fried Onion Rings, even Matzoh Ball Soup.

Junior's is much more than a diner; it is an experience, an urban retreat where good old-fashioned service still exists, where fantastic food is a guarantee, and where regulars and newcomers are all welcome. If you can't make it there in person, let Welcome to Junior's transport you there with words. --Naomi Gesinger

Old-Time Farmhouse Cooking: Rural American Recipes and Farm Lore

Barbara Swell

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Customer Reviews:
Total reviews: 3 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Spectacular 5 out of 5 stars.
17 of 18 people found this review helpful.

Old-Time Farmhouse Cooking genuinely takes the reader back in time. With black and white photos showing people of its time, recipes and tips taken from magazines at the time. Here is a classic tip! I almost died with laughter. This tip came from Farm Life September 1927, "Every Farm Wife Needs...Several neat, becoming, washable house dresses." I can say times have changed when I drop my son off at Kindergarten, and a lot of the mothers are in sweatpants, no make-up and their hair is tied back.

There are some great recipes inside this book to: Irish Beef Stew, Apple Dowdy, Pickled Okra and Seed Cake.

If you yearn for Grandma's cooking, or if you are interested in historic America, please check into this book. It really is a nice book!

Editorial Review:

American recipes from a time when the food was wholesome and life was full of fresh air and sunlight. These recipes, stories, jokes, advice, farm lore, and illustrations were collected from a wide variety of American agricultural sources from the 1880s to the 1950s.

Renewing America's Food Traditions: Saving and Savoring the Continent's Most Endangered Foods

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Total reviews: 2 Average rating: 4.5 of 5

Editorial Review:

Renewing America's Food Traditions is a beautifully illustrated dramatic call to recognize, celebrate, and conserve the great diversity of foods that gives North America its distinctive culinary identity that reflects our multicultural heritage. It offers us rich natural and cultural histories as well as recipes and folk traditions associated with the rarest food plants and animals in North America. In doing so, it reminds us that what we choose to eat can either conserve or deplete the cornucopia of our continent.

While offering a eulogy to a once-common game food that has gone extinct--the passenger pigeon--the book doesn't dwell on tragic losses. Instead, it highlights the success stories of food recovery, habitat restoration, and market revitalization that chefs, farmers, ranchers, fishermen, and foresters have recently achieved. Through such "food parables," editor Gary Paul Nabhan and his colleagues build a persuasive argument for eater-based conservation.

In addition, this book offers the first-ever list of foods at risk in America (more than a thousand), shows how all of us can personally support and participate in such recoveries, and lists food festivals held across the continent to honor and enjoy some of the country's most iconic foods, from crab cakes to maple syrup and filé gumbo. Organized by "food nations" named for the ecological and cultural keystone foods of each region--Salmon Nation, Bison Nation, Chile Pepper Nation, among others--this book offers an altogether fresh perspective on the culinary traditions of North America.