An undertaking without parallel or precedent, this monumental two-volume work encapsulates much of what is known of the history of food and nutrition. It constitutes a vast and essential chapter in the history of human health and culture. Ranging from the eating habits of our prehistoric ancestors to food-related policy issues we face today, this work covers the full spectrum of foods that have been hunted, gathered, cultivated, and domesticated; their nutritional makeup and uses; and their impact on cultures and demography.
It offers a geographical perspective on the history and culture of food and drink and takes up subjects from food fads, prejudices, and taboos to questions of food toxins, additives, labeling, and entitlements. It culminates in a dictionary that identifies and sketches out brief histories of plant foods mentioned in the text - more than 1,000 in all - and additionally supplies thousands of common names and synonyms for those foods.
Part I. Determining What Our Ancestors Ate
Part II. Staple Foods
Part III. Dietary Liquids
Part IV. The Nutrients - Deficiencies and Surfeits
Part V. Food and drink around the world
Part VI. History, Nutrition, and Health
Part VII. Contemporary Food-Related Policy Issues
Part VIII. A Dictionary of the World's Plant Foods
Originally published in print in 2000.