Synopses & Reviews
A riveting narrative history of food as seen through 100 recipes, from ancient Egyptian bread to modernist cuisine.
We all love to eat, and most people have a favorite ingredient or dish. But how many of us know where our much-loved recipes come from, who invented them, and how they were originally cooked? In A History of Food in 100 Recipes, culinary expert and BBC television personality William Sitwell explores the fascinating history of cuisine from the first cookbook to the first cupcake, from the invention of the sandwich to the rise of food television. A book you can read straight through and also use in the kitchen, A History of Food in 100 Recipes is a perfect gift for any food lover who has ever wondered about the origins of the methods and recipes we now take for granted.
Review
"What a splendid book: it manages to be a recipe collection, a history of cooking and, in passing, a history of the world all at once." Tom Standage, author of A History of the World in 6 Glasses and An Edible History of Humanity
Review
"Sitwell is without doubt one of the great food writers of our day. Every serious cook should read this book at least once." Marco Pierre White
Review
"Almost every sentence of his scrupulously researched and breezily confident book oozes with a passion for eating...what it has over all its predecessors is structural as well as stylish: a pick-up-and-smile quality." The Times
Review
"William Sitwell has pulled off something clever: a thoroughly researched and witty history that is both compelling and teeming with scholarly facts...you don't even need to be a raging foodie to enjoy this." The Observer
Synopsis
William Sitwell is the editor of Waitrose Kitchen magazine, can regularly be seen on TV programs such as BBC2's Food & Drink and Masterchef: The Professionals, and writes about food for a variety of newspapers and magazines. Following an early career in newspapers, he came to prominence in the food world after 1999 when he joined the then titled Waitrose Food Illustrated, of which he became editor in 2002. He subsequently won a string of awards, including "Editor of the Year" in 2005, for the magazine's writing, stories, design and photography. He spends his spare time growing vegetables, cooking, and making cider at his home in Northamptonshire, England, where he lives with his wife, Laura, and their children, Alice and Albert. This is his first book.