Synopses & Reviews
From almonds and pecans to pistachios, cashews, and macadamias, nuts are as basic as food getsand#151;just pop them out of the shell and into your mouth. The original health food, the vitamin-packed nut is now used industrially, in confectionary, and in all sorts of cooking. The first book to tell the full story of how nuts came to be in almost everything,and#160;
Nutsand#160;takes readers on a gastronomic, botanical, and cultural tour of the world.
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Tracking these fruits and seeds through cultivation, harvesting, processing, and consumptionand#151;or non-consumption, in the case of those with nut allergiesand#151;award-winning food writer Ken Albala provides a fascinating account on how they have been cooked, prepared, and exploited. He reveals the social and cultural meaning of nuts during various periods in history, while also immersing us in their modern uses. Packing scrumptious recipes, surprising facts, and fascinating nuggets inside its hardcover shell, this entertaining and informative book will delight lovers of almonds, hazelnuts, chestnuts, and more.
Synopsis
Nuts are perhaps the original health food, the main source of nutrition for many animals, and as apparently basic as food gets. Taking us on a gastronomic, botanical, and cultural tour of nuts around the world,
Nuts is the first book of its kind about this foodstuff, crammed with surprising and little-known facts. As allergy sufferers will know, nuts get almost everywhere, being used industrially, in confectionary and in all sorts of cookingand#151;
Nuts gives us the full story, through cultivation, harvesting, processing, and consumption.
Ken Albala, author of many books on food, immerses us in the modern-day uses of the nut, providing a comprehensive account of how it has been cooked, prepared, and exploited around the globe, while simultaneously discussing the social and cultural meaning of nuts during various periods in history. No stone is left unturned in this spirited account of the oldest and most natural food on earth.
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About the Author
Ken Albala is professor of history at the University of the Pacific in California. He is the author or editor of many books on food, including
Pancake: A Global History, also published by Reaktion Books.
Table of Contents
Introduction
1. What is a Nut?
2. Nuts to Chew
3. Nuts in Cooking
4. Nuts Familiar and Exotic
5. Nuts in Sweets, Snacks and Junk Food
6. The Modern Industry
Recipes
References
Select Bibliography
Websites and Associations
Photo Acknowledgements
Index
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