Series: Edible

Liqueur is a guide to the cultural history of liqueurs from a celebrated spirits journalist. The original recreational spirit, liqueurs travelled the Silk Road, awaited travellers at the Fountain of Youth, and traversed the globe from ancient times through the industrial revolution and beyond. In this thrilling exploration of liqueur's global history, Lesley Jacobs Solmonson describes how a bitter, medicinal...

From curries to creamy pina coladas, enjoy a delectable global history of the many culinary incarnations of the coconut. The flavour and image of the coconut are universally recognisable, conjuring up sweet, exotic pleasures. Often called the "Swiss army knife" of the plant world, the versatile coconut can be an essential ingredient in savoury curries, or a sacred element in...

The story begins with the aromatic juniper berry, originally used by the Dutch to flavour the whisky-like genever. The drink then made its way to Britain, where cheap imitations laced with turpentine and other caustic fillers made it the drink of choice for poor eighteenth-century Londoners. Eventually replaced by the sweetened Old Tom style and then by London Dry, gin...

This is a global history of hummus bi-tahina, the delicious combination of chickpeas, tahini, lemon, and garlic that we know and love as hummus. The story begins in the medieval kitchens of the Near and Middle East and ends with its rise in popularity in the Western world at the end of the twentieth century. This book also addresses the...

Perfumed, sweet, succulent, cooling; a ripe melon can be one of the most delicious of fruits. Sylvia Lovegren untangles the melon's long and complex history and follows the journeys of the varied fruits known as melons from the sandy wastes of the Kalahari Desert, to the ancient kingdom of Ur in Mesopotamia, to the exotic oases of the Silk Road,...

Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum! A favourite of pirates, the molasses-coloured liquid brings to mind clear blue seas and weatherbeaten sailors. But enjoyment of rum spread far beyond the scallywags of the Caribbean. Charles Dickens savoured it in punch, George Washington served it at campaign rallies, Queen Victoria sipped it in the British Navy's grog, and Kamehameha...

The ancient Mayans, Olmecs and Aztecs made pulque from the fermented sap of the agave plant, and later the Mexicans distilled tequila from agaves. Once described as like swallowing a 'yard of barbed wire', tequila has improved beyond recognition and exploded in popularity, and is now consumed in bars and homes worldwide. Featuring recipes for tequila-based cocktails, and offering advice...

Berries are enmeshed with human history. Widely available in nature, they have been part of the human diet for millennia, and today they inspire everything from lip-gloss flavours to amusement parks. However diminutive their size, berries are of such significance to Northern and Eastern Europeans that picking them in the wild is everyman's right, interwoven with their cultural identity -...

Simple, healthy, and comforting, breakfast cereals are a perennially popular way to start the day around the world. They have a long, distinguished, and surprising history—around 10,000 years ago, with the advent of agriculture, people began breaking their fast with porridges made from wheat, rice, corn, and other grains. It was only in the second half of the nineteenth century,...

'This short volume, wittily illustrated and beautifully designed, is a pleasure both to look at and to consume. Which, given the subject matter, seems fitting.' The Spectator 'A sparkling history of the world's greatest wine. Stories, pictures and mouth-watering cocktails.' The Lady Champagne signals celebration, fun and camaraderie, embodying luxury and decadence as the preferred drink for any toast. Now...

This is the first culinary history of a truly remarkable fish. Elisabeth Townsend follows cod around the globe, showing how its pursuit began with the Vikings, and exploring its influence on human affairs ever since. The book looks at the different ways cod has been caught, cooked, and eaten, often by the descendants of explorers, enslaved people, and traders. Cod...

Despite their fearsome reputation, chillies have helped to shape the identities of innumerable world cuisines. Chillies traces the culinary journey of the spice and uncovers cultural and spiritual links between chillies and humans, from their use as an aphrodisiac, to the recent discovery that chilli heat shows promise as a treatment for neuropathic pain, prostate cancer, and leukaemia. It also...

Coffee is a global beverage: it is grown commercially on four continents, and consumed enthusiastically in all seven. There is even an Italian espresso machine on the International Space Station. Coffee's journey has taken it from the forests of Ethiopia to the fincas of Latin America, from Ottoman coffee houses to 'Third Wave' cafes, and from the simple coffee pot...

Few things in life have as much universal appeal as flowers. But why in the world would anyone eat them? Greek, Roman, Persian, Ottoman, Mayan, Chinese, and Indian cooks have all recognised the feast for the senses that flowers brought to their dishes. Today, chefs and adventurous cooks are increasingly using flowers in innovative ways. Edible Flowers is the fascinating...

Jam, Jelly and Marmalade by Sarah B. Hood explores the passion people have for their favourite jam, jelly, or marmalade, whether they make it themselves or simply enjoy it with breakfast. Award-winning jam-maker Sarah B. Hood delves into the history of these sweet treats, from simple fruit preserves to staple commodities, gifts for royalty, global brands, wartime comforts, and valued...

This beautifully illustrated book takes us on a tour through the rich world of mangoes, which inspire fervent devotion across the world. In South Asia, mangoes boast a history steeped in Hindu and Buddhist mythology, even earning a mention in the Kama Sutra. Beyond myth, the authors show us that mangoes hold literary significance as a potent metaphor. While mango-flavoured...

Explore the dramatic history of the world's most expensive spice in Saffron: A Global History. Literally worth their weight in gold, sunset-red saffron threads are prized internationally. Saffron can be found in cave art in Mesopotamia, in the frescoes of ancient Santorini, in the dyed wrappings of Egyptian mummies, in the saffron-hued robes of Buddhist monks, and in unmistakable dishes...

In Tea: A Global History, Helen Saberi explores the rich and fascinating history of tea. She looks at the economic and social uses of tea, which was used as currency during the Tang Dynasty, and combined with Tango dancing in 1913 to create a tea dance called The Dansant. Tea also explores how customs and traditions surrounding the beverage have...

The rich, highly illustrated history of the intoxicating and evocative spice, vanilla Intoxicating and evocative, vanilla is so much more than a spice rack staple. It is a flavour that has defined the entire world - and its roots reach deep into the past. With its earliest origins dating back seventy million years, the history of vanilla begins in ancient...

Vodka is the most versatile of spirits. While people in Eastern Europe and the Baltic often drink it neat, swallowing it in one gulp, others use it in cocktails ranging from the Bloody Mary to the vodka Martini, or mix it with tonic water or ginger beer to create a refreshing drink. Vodka manufacturers even infuse it with flavours ranging...

Dates have an important role in their arid homeland of the Middle East, where they are a dietary staple. The fruit can be consumed fresh or dried, as a snack or a dessert, and is even thought to have aphrodisiac qualities. In Dates: A Global History, Nawal Nasrallah draws on her experiences growing up in the lands of ancient Mesopotamia,...

We know from murals that the ancient Egyptians made sausages from the blood of sacrificial cattle. The word ‘sausage’ is derived from the Latin salsus, meaning ‘salted’. The German Currywurst is so beloved that there is a museum dedicated to it in Berlin. The popular pizza topping pepperoni is not Italian at all, but an American invention. Mexican green chorizo...

In the history of food, the tomato is a relative newcomer, but it would now be impossible to imagine the food cultures of many nations without it. The journey taken by the tomato from its ancestral home in the southern Americas to Europe and back is a riveting story full of discovery, innovation, drama, and dispute. Today, the tomato is...

Pickles are a global food: from the fiery kimchi of Korea and America's dill pickles to the spicy achar of India, the ceviche of Latin America and Europe's sauerkraut, brined herrings and chutneys. Across continents and throughout history, pickling has been relied upon to preserve foods and add to their flavour. They are a cherished food of the elite as...

This is a detailed history of rice, from its origin as a staple food in Asian and West African countries to its ubiquitous place in meals across the world today. It explores rice in society, literature, music, painting and poetry. Containing an array of delicious recipes from around the world, Rice is an engaging look at one of our most...

For over a century, the banana has been rumoured to be everybody's favourite fruit. Quick and easy to eat, tasty, and versatile in its culinary uses, the banana is a staple of many diets around the world. The banana's history, however, is more than simply a succession of happy family scenes and the appeal of exotic locations. The growth and...

An estimated two billion people worldwide regularly consume insects, yet bugs are rarely eaten in the West. Why are some disgusted at the thought of eating insects while others find them delicious? Edible Insects: A Global History provides a broad introduction to the role of insects as human food, from our prehistoric past to current food trends. On the menu...

More than 80 years before the invention of Coca-Cola, sweet carbonated drinks became popular around the world, provoking remarkably similar arguments that they do today. Are they medicinally, morally, culturally or nutritionally good or bad? They have been loved and hated for being cold, sweet, fizzy, or stimulating. Many of their flavours are international — lemon and ginger were more...