Delicious

A savoury account of how the pursuit of delicious foods shaped human evolution

Nature, it has been said, invites us to eat by appetite and rewards by flavour. But what exactly are flavours? Why are some so pleasing while others are not? Delicious is a supremely entertaining foray into the heart of such questions.

With generous helpings of warmth and wit, Rob Dunn and Monica Sanchez offer bold new perspectives on why food is enjoyable and how the pursuit of delicious flavours has guided the course of human history. They consider the role that flavour may have played in the invention of the first tools, the extinction of giant mammals, the evolution of the world's most delicious and fatty fruits, the creation of beer, and our own sociality. Along the way, you will learn about the taste receptors you didn't even know you had, the best way to ferment a mastodon, the relationship between Paleolithic art and cheese, and much more.

Blending irresistible storytelling with the latest science, Delicious is a deep history of flavour that will transform the way you think about human evolution and the gustatory pleasures of the foods we eat.

"Our hosts at this empirical dinner party envision a new future for the study of flavour, with seats for the curious of every stripe... A persuasive, entertaining argument about how our avid pursuit of deliciousness helped shape our evolutionary path." - Kirkus Reviews

"A revolutionary look at the way our appetite for the delicious made us human. Taking readers on an exciting journey into the past, Dunn and Sanchez reveal how and why we love to eat the things we do and the impact this has had on human biology and culture. You will never look at food the same way again." - Vanessa Woods, New York Times bestselling author of Survival of the Friendliest

"Engrossing and novel... [A] fascinating and fact-filled book." - Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today

"An eye-opening and mouth-watering new book." - Bill Thompson, Post and Courier

"An engaging trip through time, science, and food." - Amy Halloran, Times Union

"Dunn and Sanchez are indeed the perfect hosts, guiding readers, with humour and expertise, through a feast of entertaining anecdotes in fields such as ecology, agriculture, psychology, art and chemistry." - Grace Rajendran, Shelf Awareness

"Our hosts at this empirical dinner party envision a new future for the study of flavour, with seats for the curious of every stripe... A persuasive, entertaining argument about how our avid pursuit of deliciousness helped shape our evolutionary path." - Kirkus Reviews

"Fascinating, unusual and truly 'delicious' (in more than one sense)" - Vitali Vitaliev, Engineering and Technology

"Dunn and Sanchez are scrupulous in the way they present their evidence and arguments... a charming book." - Simon Ings, New Scientist

"[Dunn and Sanchez] draw from anthropology, ecology, food science, chemistry, biology, and other fields to create a compelling perspective on how flavour has driven diets and food choices in the past and continues to do so now... An insightful narrative spiced with witty asides and relatable notes." - M. H. Albro, Choice