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Food: A Cultural Culinary History cover art

Food: A Cultural Culinary History

By: Ken Albala,The Great Courses
Narrated by: Ken Albala
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Editor reviews

Food has never been more interesting than in Food: A Cultural Culinary History by The Great Courses as part of their Better Living series. Narrator and award-winning Professor Ken Albala takes listeners of this historical audiobook on a delectable journey into the history of agriculture, cooking, food culture and beliefs. Listeners will gain fascinating insights into food practices throughout history. From the first hunter-gatherer humans of the past to the coveted Michelin stars in the present. Listeners will gain a detailed understanding of just how important food is to the human identity. Available now from Audible.

Summary

Eating is an indispensable human activity. As a result, whether we realize it or not, the drive to obtain food has been a major catalyst across all of history, from prehistoric times to the present. Epicure Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin said it best: "Gastronomy governs the whole life of man."

In fact, civilization itself began in the quest for food. Humanity's transition to agriculture was not only the greatest social revolution in history, but it directly produced the structures and institutions we call "civilization."

In 36 fascinating lectures, award-winning Professor Albala puts this extraordinary subject on the table, taking you on an enthralling journey into the human relationship to food. With this innovative course, you'll travel the world discovering fascinating food lore and culture of all regions and eras - as an eye-opening lesson in history as well as a unique window on what we eat today.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your My Library section along with the audio.

©2013 The Teaching Company, LLC (P)2013 The Great Courses

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What listeners say about Food: A Cultural Culinary History

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    3 out of 5 stars

Oh, dear, poor America!

I find the last chapter particularly afflicting, the author's predictions, mainly for America, will no doubt cause a complete breakdown of society...

The course (as most great courses) is mainly US oriented, and as an Anglo-French European, I pick up so many inconsistencies, inaccuracies and downright errors (sometimes really funny: "Bresse bleu chicken" (doubtless he means poulet de Bresse, when speaking of AOC, or the fact that goat's cheese is always consumed fresh - he should try some of the hard, pungent, aged goat's cheeses in the Touraine...), the inaccuracies are too numerous to mention. The number of times he uses the expression "a whole slew of..." really gets on one's nerves. Well as you can see, I didn't like it, although I did learn a little.

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46 people found this helpful

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    3 out of 5 stars

Informative, interesting and entertaining.

I very much enjoyed this book, a good mix of facts with narrative context. Easy to listen to, informative and full of interesting information. I listened to this book for the most part with my 13 year old son. We listened to chunks at a time and both looked forward to the next section.

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10 people found this helpful

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Excellent

Really interesting lectures. A bit American orientated towards the end but still relevant. Good lecture style, made them very accessible. Well worth listening too. Changed my eating habits!

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4 people found this helpful

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    2 out of 5 stars

Very lightweight but quite fun

Possibly the most lightweight of all The Great Courses I have listened to. It would have been nicer if it had been more focused. Still, friendly and somewhat fun.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

History through the lens of gastronomy

This erudite and detailed history of culture and food both inspired and enlightened me! I cannot recommend this highly enough. I chpse this book (or lecture series as it turned out) on a whim but I have savoured the content at my leisure. It is a perfect journey companion, relax or even whilst you cook. I was delighted by the untelligent tone and range of topics. It is anthropology, science, psychology, sociology, creativity and more. Take the chance and try it...

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2 people found this helpful

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The history of food.

A good set of lectures, for which I'm great-full as previous ones were less than engaging, which were brought alive by professor Ken Albala. All round enjoyable and reread-able.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable and informative

Ken Alba, the lecturer, clearly loves the subject. Every now and then he chuckles at what he's saying and, annoying as that may sound, it's actually quite infectious and you wind up chuckling with him. Recommended.

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1 person found this helpful

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I loved this

I want to go east my way through history right now! An excellent listen. It will make you hungry!

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1 person found this helpful

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  • 12-04-16

Excellent summary course, knowledgeable lecturer

Covers all aspects of the history of food, including the myriad religious aspects which I had not previously considered. Runs roughly up to 2013 and the decline of molecular gastronomy.

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1 person found this helpful

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Very informative

I really enjoyed the delivery and enthusiasm.

Well worth listening to and highly recommended as a source of both education and entertainment

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1 person found this helpful