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The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat
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52/99
Critics
46/99
Readers
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Scholars
70/99
Rating
34/99
Volume
12/99
Rating
80/99
Volume
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About This Book
An entertaining look at the little-known history surrounding the foods we know and love. Is Italian olive oil really Italian, or are we dipping our bread in lamp oil? Why are we masochistically drawn to foods that can hurt us, like hot peppers? Far from being a classic American dish, is apple pie actually . . . English? "As a species, we're hardwired to obsess over food," Matt Siegel explains as he sets out "to uncover the hidden side of everything we put in our mouths." Siegel also probes subjects ranging from the myths—and realities—of food as aphrodisiac, to how one of the rarest and most exotic spices in all the world (vanilla) became a synonym for uninspired sexual proclivities, to the role of food in fairy- and morality tales.
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Reviews
"Written in a style that is accessible yet scholarly, The Secret History of Food will delight and enlighten anyone looking to find out more about food's rich backstory."
"Supreme Court and its long suspected poisonous attributes thanks to its connection to its cousin, the lethal nightshade."
"He makes a compelling case for the centrality of pie."
"Idiosyncratic essays that will give foodies much to digest."
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