An updated edition (first, 1984) of the scholarly reference on peppers includes information on their history and dispersion, biology, taxonomy, cultivation, and medicinal, economic, and gastronomic uses.

First systematic, inclusive study of the impact of the high civilizations of Asia on the development of modern Western civilization.

A guide aimed at introducing students to the history of Asia in conjunction with Western and world history.

This monograph is a review of the present state of knowledge of the relationships and consequences of over 25 centuries of interactions between the Amerindian and Asean Circum-Pacific regions. A fascinating, special case of previous work by two Asianists on similar themes of the Euro-Asian Continental land mass, providing the theoretical framework within which the complexities of cultural cross-pattern are studied.The subjects dicussed individually begin with the elements of recording and writing, continuing through the arts, religion, folklore and an eventual examination of the natural sciences and technology. There is also a discussion in this context of evidence from and the relevance of ethno-botany, ethno-zoology and ethno-helminthology.The underlying thesis of this volume is the relative independence and powerfully original development and evolution of Amerindian cultures and societies in Central and South America.

A lighthearted chronicle of how foods have transformed human culture throughout the ages traces the barley- and wheat-driven early civilizations of the near East through the corn and potato industries in America.

From the long-stemmed pipe to snuff, the water pipe, hand-rolled cigarettes, and finally, manufactured cigarettes, the history of tobacco in China is the fascinating story of a commodity that became a hallmark of modern mass consumerism. Carol Benedict follows the spread of Chinese tobacco use from the sixteenth century, when it was introduced to China from the New World, through the development of commercialized tobacco cultivation, and to the present day. Along the way, she analyzes the factors that have shaped China’s highly gendered tobacco cultures, and shows how they have evolved within a broad, comparative world-historical framework. Drawing from a wealth of historical sources—gazetteers, literati jottings (biji), Chinese materia medica, Qing poetry, modern short stories, late Qing and early Republican newspapers, travel memoirs, social surveys, advertisements, and more—Golden-Silk Smoke not only uncovers the long and dynamic history of tobacco in China but also sheds new light on global histories of fashion and consumption.

Renowned sinologist Thomas O. Höllmann tracks the growth of food culture in China from its earliest burial rituals to today's Western fast food restaurants, mapping Chinese cuisine's geographical variations and local customs, indigenous factors and foreign influences, trade routes, and ethnic associations. Höllmann details the food practices of major Chinese religions and the significance of eating and drinking in rites of passage and popular culture. He enriches his narrative with thirty of his favorite recipes and a selection of photographs, posters, paintings, sketches, and images of clay figurines and other objects excavated from tombs. Höllmann's award-winning history revisits the invention of noodles, the role of butchers and cooks in Chinese politics, debates over the origin of grape wines, and the causes of modern-day food contamination. He discusses local crop production, the use of herbs and spices, the relationship between Chinese food and economics, the influence of Chinese philosophy, and traditional dietary concepts and superstitions. Citing original Chinese sources, Höllmann uncovers fascinating aspects of daily Chinese life, constructing a multifaceted compendium that inspires a rich appreciation of Chinese arts and culture.