Culture of the Fork

A Brief History of Everyday Food and Haute Cuisine in Europe

Author: Rebora, Giovanni; Sonnenfeld, Albert
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Serie: Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History
ISBN: 9780231121507
eISBN Pdf: 9780231518451
Place of publication: New York , United States
Year of digital publication: 2001
Month: October
Language: English

Caption

We know where he went, what he wrote, and even what he wore, but what in the world did Christopher Columbus eat? The Renaissance and the age of discovery introduced Europeans to exotic cultures, mores, manners, and ideas. Along with the cross-cultural exchange of Old and New World, East and West, came new foodstuffs, preparations, and flavors. That kitchen revolution led to the development of new utensils and table manners. Some of the impact is still felt—and tasted—today.

Giovanni Rebora has crafted an elegant and accessible history filled with fascinating information and illustrations. He discusses the availability of resources, how people kept from starving in the winter, how they farmed, how tastes developed and changed, what the lower classes ate, and what the aristocracy enjoyed.

The book is divided into brief chapters covering the history of bread, soups, stuffed pastas, the use of salt, cheese, meat, fish, fruits and vegetables, the arrival of butter, the quest for sugar, new world foods, setting the table, and beverages, including wine and tea. A special appendix, "A Meal with Columbus," includes a mini-anthology of recipes from the countries where he lived: Italy, Portugal, Spain, and England.

Entertaining and enlightening, Culture of the Fork will interest scholars of history and gastronomy—and everyone who eats.

Contents
Series' Editor Preface
Introduction
Chapter One: Grain and Bread
Chapter Two: Soup with Bread, Polenta,Vegetable Stew, and Pasta
Chapter Three: Stuffed Pasta
Chapter Four: Water and Salt
Chapter Five: Cheese
Chapter Six: Meat
Chapter Seven: The Farmyard
Chapter Eight: Fish
Chapter Nine: Salt-cured Products and Sausages
Chapter Ten: Vegetables and Fruits
Chapter Eleven: Fat Was Good
Chapter Twelve: Spices
Chapter Thirteen: The Atlantic, the East Indies, and a Few West Indies
Chapter Fourteen: From the Iberian Peninsula to the Distant Americas: The Sugar Route
Chapter Fifteen: From Europe to America
Chapter Sixteen: To Eat at the Same Mensa
Chapter Seventeen: Eating and Drinking
Chapter Eighteen: Dining with Discernment
Appendix: Dining with Christopher Columbus
Bibliography
Index