Oxford Companion to Food, The

Submitted by portlandpiper on Sat, 2007-01-20 10:37.
Synopsis: 

So it is not a recipe book - but it is a great encyclopedic book on food. If you want to know a bit about a food item, technique, or country where a food is from this book will get you started. One of those great Christmas/birthday present books that your hard to buy for foodie might not have.

Author: 
Alan Davidson
Rating: 
10
Pages: 
892
Price: 
US$65
Publisher: 
Oxford University Press
ISBN: 
0192115790
Copyright: 
1999
Table of Contents: 

Introduction
Contributors
Listing of Entries by Subject
Notes on Using this Book
Text
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgements

That one item simply labeled "Text" in the table of contents is 866 pages of a fun food encyclopedia. While I occasionally look up a specific ingredient, especially when I am working with north African, middle eastern, or Asian cuisines, I mostly enjoy taking a few pages a week and just enjoying the read.

I have purchased and received several detailed knowledge books on things like bread, chiles, and chocolate; and have enjoyed reading them all, but this book is the one that I like to savor.