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Chocolate

History, Culture, and Heritage
3.69 goodreads logo

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( 16 ratings, 3 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Chocolate presents a comprehensive scholarly exploration of chocolate's rich history and cultural significance, featuring fifty-seven essays from over 100 experts.

The book traces chocolate's journey from ancient pre-Columbian civilisations through its roles in religion, medicine, and trade across continents including the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

Topics include chocolate's religious importance, its use during historical events like the Boston smallpox epidemic, and its evolution as a luxury product in France.

Produced by the Chocolate History Group at University of California, Davis, in collaboration with Mars, Incorporated, this volume is an authoritative resource with new, previously unpublished interpretations alongside folklore and intriguing facts.
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Format: Hardback
$24199
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Chocolate is ideal for scholars, food historians, researchers, and serious students interested in the cultural, historical, and scientific aspects of chocolate. It suits academic libraries and readers looking for a thorough, research-based study rather than popular or light reading.

Book Hero thinking about your next read

Written by a cross-disciplinary team of more than sixty scholars with professional credentials in anthropology, crop science, ecology, economics, geography, history, and linguistics, Chocolate: History, Culture, and Heritage covers the role and aspects of cacao and chocolate in history.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

International Association of Culinary Professionals (IACP) 2010 Award Finalists in the Culinary History category.

Chocolate. We all love it, but how much do we really know about it? In addition to pleasing palates since ancient times, chocolate has played an integral role in culture, society, religion, medicine, and economic development across the Americas, Africa, Asia, and Europe.

In 1998, the Chocolate History Group was formed by the University of California, Davis, and Mars, Incorporated to document the fascinating story and history of chocolate. This book features fifty-seven essays representing research activities and contributions from more than 100 members of the group. These contributors draw from their backgrounds in diverse fields such as anthropology, archaeology, biochemistry, culinary arts, gender studies, engineering, history, linguistics, nutrition, and paleography. The result is an unparalleled, scholarly examination of chocolate, beginning with ancient pre-Columbian civilizations and ending with twenty-first-century reports.

Here is a sampling of some of the fascinating topics explored inside the book:

  • Ancient gods and Christian celebrations: chocolate and religion
  • Chocolate and the Boston smallpox epidemic of 1764
  • Chocolate pots: reflections of cultures, values, and times
  • Pirates, prizes, and profits: cocoa and early American east coast trade
  • Blood, conflict, and faith: chocolate in the southeast and southwest borderlands of North America
  • Chocolate in France: evolution of a luxury product
  • Development of concept maps and the chocolate research portal

Not only does this book offer careful documentation, it also features new and previously unpublished information and interpretations of chocolate history. Moreover, it offers a wealth of unusual and interesting facts and folklore about one of the world's favourite foods.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Reviewers praise Chocolate for its depth, scholarly approach, and rich content, noting it is best savoured slowly. The book offers detailed historical information, various unusual facts, and strong academic references, making it a valuable resource for food studies scholars and academic libraries.

Noted for including appendices on chocolate timelines and research guides, it is recommended for those seeking an in-depth understanding rather than casual reading.

Book Hero reading reviews

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780470121658

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Inc

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 27 March 2009

Country: United States

Imprint: Wiley-Interscience

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 53.0mm

Width: 224.0mm

Height: 282.0mm

Weight: 2767g

Pages: 1008

About the Author

Louis Evan Grivetti, PHD, is Professor Emeritus, Department of Nutrition, at the University of California, Davis. His honors include the Nutrition Foundation's Book Award for the best nutrition book published in 1977, Food: The Gift of Osiris. From 1987 to 1990, he was the Institute of Food Technologists Scientific Lecturer for the United States. Dr. Grivetti is a member of the editorial boards of Ecology of Food and Nutrition, The International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, Nutrition Today, and The Journal of Ethnobiology and Ethnomedicine.

Ooward-Yana Shapirh, PhD, is Global Director of Plant Science and External Research at Mars, Incorporated, the largest chocolate company in the world. Dr. Shapiro serves as Chairman of the Board of the Agricultural Sustainability Institute at the University of California, Davis, and is an Adjunct Professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He is a Fellow of the World Agroforestry Centre and a contributing author of the World Bank IAASTD Report, has presented at more than 150 international conferences and meetings, is a frequent contributor to media outlets worldwide as a writer and speaker, and has published three books on sustainable agriculture.

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