"The late medieval world was marked by a culture of refinement and sophistication. The period's media of choice--paintings, manuscripts, prints, tapestries, embroideries, ivory sculpture, metalwork, and enamels--speak volumes about the pleasures of sensory engagement. This sumptuous new book brings together sacred and secular art to reveal the shared intellectual culture that governed perception in Europe in the 13th through the 16th centuries. The essays explore these themes through representations of religious practices, royal rituals, feasts and celebrations, music, and literature"--

This pioneering book elevates the senses to a central role in the study of food history because the traditional focus upon food types, quantities, and nutritional values is incomplete without some recognition of smell, touch, sight, hearing, and taste. Eating is a sensual experience. Every day and at every meal the senses of smell, touch, sight, hearing, and taste are engaged in the acts of preparation and consumption. And yet these bodily acts are ephemeral; their imprint upon the source material of history is vestigial. Hitherto historians have shown little interest in the senses beyond taste, and this book fills that research gap. Four dimensions are treated: • Words, Symbols and Uses: Describing the Senses – an investigation of how specific vocabularies for food are developed. • Industrializing the Senses – an analysis of the fundamental change in the sensory qualities of foods under the pressure of industrialization and economic forces outside the control of the household and the artisan producer. • Nationhood and the Senses – an exploration of how the combination of the senses and food play into how nations saw themselves, and how food was a signature of how political ideologies played out in practical, everyday terms. • Food Senses and Globalization – an examination of links between food, the senses, and the idea of international significance. Putting all of the senses on the agenda of food history for the first time, this is the ideal volume for scholars of food history, food studies and food culture, as well as social and cultural historians. Putting all of the senses on the agenda of food history for the first time, this is the ideal volume for scholars of food history, food studies and food culture, as well as social and cultural historians.

Diane Ackerman's lusciously written grand tour of the realm of the senses includes conversations with an iceberg in Antarctica and a professional nose in New York, along with dissertations on kisses and tattoos, sadistic cuisine and the music played by the planet Earth. “Delightful . . . gives the reader the richest possible feeling of the worlds the senses take in.” —The New York Times

A sudden love affair with fragrance leads to sensual awakening, self-transformation, and an unexpected homecoming At thirty-six—earnest, bookish, terminally shopping averse—Alyssa Harad thinks she knows herself. Then one day she stumbles on a perfume review blog and, surprised by her seduction by such a girly extravagance, she reads in secret. But one trip to the mall and several dozen perfume samples later, she is happily obsessed with the seductive underworld of scent and the brilliant, quirky people she meets there. If only she could put off planning her wedding a little longer. . . . Thus begins a life-changing journey that takes Harad from a private perfume laboratory in Austin, Texas, to the glamorous fragrance showrooms of New York City and a homecoming in Boise, Idaho, with the women who watched her grow up. With warmth and humor, Harad traces the way her unexpected passion helps her open new frontiers and reclaim traditions she had rejected. Full of lush description, this intimate memoir celebrates the many ways there are to come to our senses.

A culinary tour of modern-day China and Tibet from celebrated Australian chef, Kylie Kwong.

Food has been a much-photographed subject throughout the history of photography, across genres, including art and advertising. This is the first book to survey the rich history of food in photography, and the photographers who developed new ways of describing food in pictures. Through key images, Susan Bright explores the important figures and movements of food photography to provide an essential primer, from the earliest photographers to contemporary artists.

Discover the seductive art and ritual of magical cooking with this decadent recipe collection drawing on herbalism, kitchen witchcraft, and the occult The feast is a meeting place between family and friends, between humans and gods This enchanting collection of witchy dishes from Melissa Jayne Madara—witch, herbalist, chef and co-owner of Brooklyn’s popular occult bookstore Catland Books—is an indispensable companion to kitchen witchcraft. With this kitchen grimoire, explore 5 facets of the occult through food: traditional recipes, the wheel of the zodiac, devotional meals to the planets, seasonal feasts to celebrate solstices and equinoxes, and practical spell work. • Recreate a pagan feast of lamb roasted with milk and honey, with cheesecake baked in fig leaves for dessert • Celebrate a Gemini birthday with herbed fondue, followed by lemongrass pavlova • Align with the poetic pleasures of Venus with edible flower dumplings, or commune with Saturn over blackberry pulled pork sandwiches • Enjoy the vibrancy of the spring equinox with herb and allium quiche with a potato crust, radish salad with cherry blossom vinaigrette and jasmine tea shortbread • Share an evening of storytelling over mugwort and catnip divination tea, or embody an otherworldly spirit with ritual bread masks Packed with ancient knowledge, practical advice and witchcraft expertise, this book will help you develop your craft through culinary creativity and the divine indulgence of the senses and the soul.