Holy Food by Christina Ward

Holy Food by Christina Ward

Does God have a recipe?

"Holy Food is a titanic feat of research and a fascinating exploration of American faith and culinary rites. Christina Ward is the perfect guide - generous, wise, and ecumenical." -- Adam Chandler, author of Drive-Thru Dreams

"Holy Food doesn''t just trace the influence that preachers, gurus, and cult leaders have had on American cuisine. It offers a unique look at the ways spirituality--whether in the form of fringe cults or major religions--has shaped our culture. Christina Ward has gone spelunking into some very odd corners of American history to unearth this fascinating collection of stories and recipes." -- Jonathan Kauffman, author of Hippie Food: How Back-to-the-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat

"An engaging book that shares everything from little-known facts to illuminating profiles of historical figures. Best of all, Ward shares recipes from historic religious communities, updated to reflect modern cooking technology. A must-have for food historians, religious historians, or just the curious and hungry folks in your life. " -- Dr. Julia Skinner, author of Our Fermented Lives

Independent food historian Christina Ward''s Holy Food explores the influence of mainstream to fringe religious beliefs on modern American food culture. Author Christina Ward unravels the numerous ways religious beliefs intersect with politics and economics and, of course, food to tell a different story of America. It''s the story of true believers and charlatans, of idealists and visionaries, and of the everyday people who followed them--often at their peril. Holy Food explains how faith pioneers used societal woes and cultural trends to create new pathways of belief and reveals the interconnectivity between sects and their leaders.

Religious beliefs have been the source of food "rules" since Pythagoras told his followers not to eat beans (they contain souls), Kosher and Halal rules forbade the shrimp cocktail (shellfish are scavengers, or maybe G-d just said "no"). A long-ago Pope forbade Catholics from eating meat on Fridays (fasting to atone for committed sins). Rules about eating are present in nearly every American belief, from high-control groups that ban everything except air to the infamous strawberry shortcake that sated visitors to the Oneida Community in the late 1800s. Only in the United States--where the freedom to worship the God of your choice and sometimes of your own making--could people embrace new ideas about religion. It is in this over-stirred pot of liberation, revolution, and mysticism that we discover God cares about what you put in your mouth.

Holy Food looks at how the explosion of religious movements since the Great Awakenings (the nationwide religious revivals in the 1730s-40s and 1795-1835) birthed a cottage industry of food fads that gained mainstream acceptance. And at the obscure sects and communities of the 20th Century who dabbled in vague spirituality that used food to both entice and control followers. Ward skillfully navigates between academic studies, interviews, cookbooks, and religious texts to make sharp observations with new insights into American history in this highly readable journey through the American kitchen.

Holy Food features over 75 recipes from religious and communal groups tested and updated for modern cooks. Also includes over 100 historic black-and-white images.

"Ward uses deep-dive research on religious history, and an equally deep knowledge of food, to show us how the two are intimately connected. Not only do we eat and drink within our religious rituals, but religion informs what and how we eat as well (and what and how we eat informs religion, too).  An engaging book that shares everything from little-known facts to illuminating profiles of historical figures. Best of all, Ward shares recipes from historic religious communities, updated to reflect modern cooking technology. A must-have for food historians, religious historians, or just the curious and hungry folks in your life. " --Dr. Julia Skinner, author of Our Fermented Lives

Ward, Christina: - Christina Ward is a food historian and writer. She was recently featured in Padma Lakshmi's new television series exploring immigrant foodways, Taste the Nation. Her second book released in January of 2019, American Advertising Cookbooks-How Corporations Taught Us To Love, Spam, Bananas, and Jell-O earned positive notice from Florence Fabricant in the New York Times, Christopher Kimball of Milk Street Radio, and numerous other journalists and readers. Her 2017 publication, Preservation-The Art and Science of Canning, Fermentation, and Dehydration, explores the history and science of food preservation while sharing 100 fool-proof recipes that make the science real. She has contributed to Serious Eats, Edible Milwaukee, The Wall Street Journal, and The Milwaukee Journal/Sentinel.
Christina, despite klutziness, is often found in classrooms and community kitchens with sharp knives and spilling vinegar into unsuspecting handbags while wildly gesticulating as she teaches folks how to make perfect pickles. She makes regular guest food expert on Fox6 News Real Milwaukee television program and on public radio stations across the United States.
Christina can trace her Milwaukee and Wisconsin roots to the early 1800s. Her love of history comes from her father, who instilled the idea that we are all manifestations of our ancestors. She prides herself on having a hungry mind interested in learning about people, the foods they eat, and the stories that arise from that convergence.

SKU	Nicht verfügbar
ISBN 13	9781934170946
ISBN 10	1934170941
Titel	Holy Food
Autor	Christina Ward
Buchzustand	Nicht verfügbar
Bindungsart	Paperback
Verlag	Process Media
Erscheinungsjahr	2023-11-09
Seitenanzahl	312
Hinweis auf dem Einband	Die Abbildung des Buches dient nur Illustrationszwecken, die tatsächliche Bindung, das Cover und die Auflage können sich davon unterscheiden.