In the Devil's Garden by Stewart Lee Allen

In the Devil's Garden by Stewart Lee Allen

Deliciously organized by the Seven Deadly Sins, here is a scintillating history of forbidden foods through the ages--and how these mouth-watering taboos have defined cultures around the world.

From the lusciously tempting fruit in the Garden of Eden to the divine foie gras, Stewart Lee Allen engagingly illustrates that when a pleasure as primal as eating is criminalized, there is often an astonishing tale to tell. Among the foods thought to encourage Lust, the love apple (now known as the tomato) was thought to possess demonic spirits until the nineteenth century. The Gluttony course invites the reader to an ancient Roman dinner party where nearly every dish served--from poppy-crusted rodents to Trojan Pork--was considered a crime against the state. While the vice known as Sloth introduces the sad story of The Lazy Root (the potato), whose popularity in Ireland led British moralists to claim that the Great Famine was God's way of punishing the Irish for eating a food that bred degeneracy and idleness.

Filled with incredible food history and the author's travels to many of these exotic locales, In the Devil's Garden also features recipes like the matzo-ball stews outlawed by the Spanish Inquisition and the forbidden chocolate champagnes of the Aztecs. This is truly a delectable book that will be consumed by food lovers, culinary historians, amateur anthropologists, and armchair travelers alike. Bon app tit

Stewart Lee Allen's writings on the impact of food and drink on human culture have been translated into fifteen different languages. He now resides in Manhattan.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780345440167
ISBN 10	0345440161
Title	In the Devil's Garden
Author	Stewart Lee Allen
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Random House USA Inc
Year published	2003-03-04
Number of pages	352
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.