In Near a Thousand Tables, acclaimed food historian Felipe Fernández-Armesto tells the fascinating story of food as cultural as well as culinary history — a window on the history of mankind.

In this "appetizingly provocative" (Los Angeles Times) book, he guides readers through the eight great revolutions in the world history of food: the origins of cooking, which set humankind on a course apart from other species; the ritualization of eating, which brought magic and meaning into people's relationship with what they ate; the inception of herding and the invention of agriculture, perhaps the two greatest revolutions of all; the rise of inequality, which led to the development of haute cuisine; the long-range trade in food which, practically alone, broke down cultural barriers; the ecological exchanges, which revolutionized the global distribution of plants and livestock; and, finally, the industrialization and globalization of mass-produced food.

From prehistoric snail "herding" to Roman banquets to Big Macs to genetically modified tomatoes, Near a Thousand Tables is a full-course meal of extraordinary narrative, brilliant insight, and fascinating explorations that willsatisfy the hungriest of readers.

Rob MorseSan Francisco ChronicleFernández-Armesto picks apart the myths of food history with the delectation of a connoisseur picking apart a lobster.

Betty FussellThe New York Times Book ReviewFernández-Armesto brings a humanity, civility, and excitement to serious food writing that may not have been seen since Brillat-Savarin.

The New York TimesHighly provocative and entertaining...an erudite and surprising book with many eye-opening pleasures.

Critically acclaimed as a landmark in culinary writing, this savory and engrossing account by a "New York Times" Notable author leaves no placemat unturned as it chronicles the fascinating story of food across the centuries.

Contents

Prefaceÿ
One
The Invention of Cooking
The First Revolutionÿ

Two
The Meaning of Eating
Food as Rite and Magicÿ

Three
Breeding to Eat
The Herding Revolution: From "Collecting" Food to "Producing" Itÿ

Four
The Edible Earth
Managing Plant Life for Foodÿ

Five
Food and Rank
Inequality and the Rise of Haute Cuisineÿ

Six
The Edible Horizon
Food and the Long-Range Exchange of Cultureÿ

Seven
Challenging Evolution
Food and Ecological Exchangeÿ

Eight
Feeding the Giants
Food and Industrialization in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuriesÿÿ

Notesÿ
Index