Sensual yet pre-eminently functional, food is of intrinsic interest to us all. This exciting new work by a leading authority explores food and related concepts in the Greek and Roman worlds. In entries ranging from a few lines to a couple of pages, Andrew Dalby describes individual foodstuffs (such as catfish, gazelle, peaches and parsley), utensils, ancient writers on food, and a vast range of other topics, drawn from classical literature, history and archaeology, as well as looking at the approaches of modern scholars. Approachable, reliable and fun, this A-to-Z explains and clarifies a subject that crops up in numerous classical sources, from plays to histories and beyond. It also gives references to useful primary and secondary reading. It will be an invaluable companion for students, academics and gastronomes alike.

"Sensual, yet pre-eminently functional, food is of intrinsic interest to us all, and was a necessity and pleasure in ancient times as well. In this informative and entertaining work of reference, Andrew Dalby explores an encyclopaedic range of foods and drinks known to us from the Greek and Roman worlds. Food in the Ancient World from A to Z will be an invaluable companion for classicists and gastronomes alike." --Book Jacket.

In Food in the Ancient World, a respected classicist and apractising world-class chef explore a millennium of eating anddrinking. Explores a millennium of food consumption, from c.750 BC to 200AD. Shows the pivotal role food had in a world where it was linkedwith morality and the social order. Concerns people from all walks of life – impoverishedcitizens subsisting on cereals to the meat-eating elites. Describes religious sacrifices, ancient dinner parties anddrinking bouts, as well as exotic foods and recipes. Considers the role of food in ancient literature from Homer toJuvenal and Petronius.

A Companion to Food in the Ancient World presents a comprehensive overview of the cultural aspects relating to the production, preparation, and consumption of food and drink in antiquity. • Provides an up-to-date overview of the study of food in the ancient world • Addresses all aspects of food production, distribution, preparation, and consumption during antiquity • Features original scholarship from some of the most influential North American and European specialists in Classical history, ancient history, and archaeology • Covers a wide geographical range from Britain to ancient Asia, including Egypt and Mesopotamia, Asia Minor, regions surrounding the Black Sea, and China • Considers the relationships of food in relation to ancient diet, nutrition, philosophy, gender, class, religion, and more

The ways of life of four great ancient civilizations— Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Celtic—are illuminated here through their foodways. As these cultures moved toward settled agriculture, a time of experimentation and learning began. Cities emerged, and with them consumer societies that needed to be supplied. Food Culture in the Ancient World draws on writings of classical authors such as Petronius, Galen, and Cato, as well as on archeological findings, to present intimate insight into ancient peoples. This volume will be indispensable as it complements classical history, cultural, and literature studies at the high school and college levels and will also inform the general reader. The book begins with an overview of the civilizations and their agricultural practices and trade. A full discussion of available foodstuffs describes the discovery, emergence, usage, and appraisals of a host of ingredients. A subsequent chapter covers food by civilization. Chapters on food preparation, the food professions, and eating habits provide a fascinating look at the social structure, with slaves and women preparing and serving food. Accounts of the gatherings of slaves and freedmen in taverns, inns, and bars and the notorious banquet, symposium, feast, and convivium of the elite are particularly intriguing and crucial to understanding male society. Other aspects of ancient life brought to life for the reader include food for soldiers, food in religious and funerary practices, and concepts of diet and nutrition. Many Classical recipes are interspersed with the text, along with illustrations.

Amid growing interest in food and drink as an academic discipline in recent years, this volume is the first to provide insight into eating and drinking by focusing on what the ancients themselves actually had to say about this important topic. A thorough and varied sourcebook, it is structured thematically and is a unique asset to any course on food and foodways. The chronological scope of the material extends from Greece of the 8th century BCE to the Late Roman Empire of the 4th century CE. Each chapter consists of an introduction along with a concluding bibliography of suggested readings. The excerpts themselves, rendered in clear and readable English that remains faithful to the original Latin or Greek, are set in their proper social and historical context, with the author of each passage fully identified. An unparalleled compilation of essential source material for Classics courses and with a wide range of evidence, drawing upon literary, inscriptional, legal and religious testimony, Food and Drink in Antiquity will also be particularly well suited to the interdisciplinary focus of modern food studies.

The vibrant interest in food studies among both academics and amateurs has made food history an exciting field of investigation. Taking stock of three decades of groundbreaking multidisciplinary research, the book examines two broad questions: What has history contributed to the development of food studies? How have other disciplines - sociology, anthropology, literary criticism, science, art history - influenced writing on food history in terms of approach, methodology, controversies, and knowledge of past foodways? Essays by twelve prominent scholars provide a compendium of global and multicultural answers to these questions. The contributors critically assess food history writing in the United States, Africa, Mexico and the Spanish Diaspora, India, the Ottoman Empire, the Far East - China, Japan and Korea - Europe, Jewish communities and the Middle East. Several historical eras are covered: the Ancient World, the Middle Ages, Early Modern Europe and the Modern day. The book is a unique addition to the growing literature on food history. It is required reading for anyone seeking a detailed discussion of food history research in diverse times and places.