Cuisine and Culture: A History of Food and People

Had to read this book for culinary school. It’s quite packed with information to digest and ponder about in the history of food and culture that cannot be explained separately from another. I connected and understood human history reading this than I did regular social studies texts. Would recommend for foodies or those curious about food. Quite a bit is focused on the perspective of U.S. history with some other international countries.

I use this book as a text to introduce the history and cultural dimensions of food. I have also purchased it as a gift for my friends who are history buffs and food lovers. It is concise and packed full of humor, content, recipes, charts and tables to support what is known and what is yet to be discovered. Hats off to Civitello for a wonderful compilation of information. I reviewed many books before selecting this one. It stands alone in presentation and blending of history and food.

I ordered this book for my son who needed it for one of his classes in culinary school. I glanced through it and found it to be interesting and full of information I never knew. Now I can't wait to read it when my son is through with it! He is really enjoying the class and the knowledge he"s getting from this book. The book tells you all about different cultures from practically the cave man days through today, the foods ate, and the social, religious, and differentcustoms they practiced. It also explains a lot of myths and beliefs associated with foods.

Very interesting book! I actually purchased this after taking an audio tour of the Getty museum and this book (and author) were quoted in regard to one of the paintings. The little clip was intriguing enough for me to want to buy the book. It get's a little dry in certain spots, but overall the book was very enjoyable and extremely informative.

at the GETTY MUSEUM in LOS ANGELES, i used an audio tour about how food has been served through some earlier centuries. the guest speaker was LINDA CIVITELLO. i was so impressed by her talk that i looked her up to see who she is and if she had written anything accessible. THIS BOOK IS SUCH A WONDERFUL, FRESH WAY TO LEARN ABOUT FOOD...and how food became cultural markers that we now call cuisine. great graphics. i love this book so much i have given as a gift to several people who also loved it.

Our discussion workshop group is using Civitello's book as a study. The collective information, written with interesting tidbits alongside and a little humor, make this a really enjoyable and easy read. Although more expensive, the 3rd edition (our group has used all three editions at one time) has added newly-discovered and current information. Ms. Civitello's logic in chronicling the impact of food on developments of culture and events in history is amazing - a kind of all-inclusive spiraling upwards.

A basic introduction to any person interested in the history of food from Prehistory to the 20th century. Specially useful for high school courses or College's freshman courses if accompanied by other reading materials. It has recipes, maps, pictures, tables, myths, and interesting stories. The book is well written and is fun to read.

This book is responsible for my current lack of sleep. It is absolutely riveting and a most amazing history of cuisine within its cultural context. As an agribusiness academic who also loves to cook recipes from many different parts of the world, this book was a revelation. As the author admits, she can only paint with a broad brush and invites readers to explore any particular aspect by consulting other more in-depth books. Just amazing.

It’s a book.... exactly as pictured , no funny business

"Cuisine & Culture - a History of Food and People" is a dreadful sham. It superficially skims a surface of food and people, and scatters gobbets of history so briefly as to appeal only to those with the smallest attention span. Worst, it has nothing to do with the "culture" indicated in the book's title. It is very US-centric.One US reviewer noted that the author erroneously informs us that Alaska became a US State in 1960 (the actual date was 1959). This is tantamount to giving the creation of Magna Carta a date of 1216, the Battle of Waterloo as 1816, or, as the author actually states in her discussion of Isabella Beeton, "at the end of the C19th, desperate peasant farmers from Ireland... went to the United States in search of a better life." The Irish Diaspora peaked over 50 years earlier in the Famine. She has a tendency for sweeping generalisations - for example, in discussing the medieval meal she states that "the best linen was used at the start..." This may have been true for a tiny minority, but certainly not the case for the greatest majority of folk. Her Latin is also lacking. Shameful from an author with a Masters in history from UCLA. How did these errors continue to exist in this "revised" edition, where were the editors?If you want a book that gives you long-winded answers to simple pub quiz questions about food, then this is it, though the answers may not be correct. If you want a book that actually deals with food and culture then look elsewhere!

The product arrived on time. Great book!