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79th out of 111 books
—
159 voters
Tastes of Paradise: A Social History of Spices, Stimulants, and Intoxicants
From the extravagant use of pepper in the Middle Ages to the Protestant bourgeoisie's love of coffee to the reason why fashionable Europeans stopped sniffing tobacco and starting smoking it, Schivelbusch looks at how the appetite for pleasure transformed the social structure of the Old World. Illustrations.
Paperback, 237 pages
Published
June 29th 1993
by Vintage
(first published 1980)
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A history of stimulants and intoxicants in Europe and America over the last two thousand years, with especial focus to the impacts of colonialism and the industrial revolution. Full of fascinating details (see my status updates for specifics). There is a great deal of sociological and psychological analysis for such a short book, and some of his conclusions seem more reasonable than others. (For instance, it seems probable that coffee was embraced by the middle class and chocolate by the upper c...more
Spice and stimulants must flow: “the great voyages of exploration, the discovery of the New World, the beginning of the modern age, were all closely linked to the European hunger for pepper.” The “wine of Islam,” coffee, “awakened a drowsing humanity from its alcoholic stupor to middle-class common sense and industry.” Coffeehouses became places of commerce, news and conversation for bourgeois life. While the Protestant Ethic was being lubricated by coffee, fasting monks and the aristocracy of t...more
Tastes of Paradise is a well written and researched look at pleasurable vices such as coffee, tea and tobacco. Schivelbusch's anecdotes are insightful and sometimes truly thought provoking. I enjoyed the book immensely, but it may not be for everyone as the author can sometimes veer towards the academic and the book does lose some steam in the last third. But if the topic interests you, Tastes will either thrill you with it's overwhelming detail or exhaust your intrigue forever.
Very informative. Cleanly written and translated. Useful chapters. Would try other books by author. Just skimmed some chapters but would recommend it as a good starting place for readers not familiar with the topics.
Opening quote:
"Sometimes, when I had drunk a lot of coffee,
and the least little thing would startle me,
I noticed quite clearly that I jumped before
I had heard any noise." --Lichtenberg
sample
" ... the marriage of the Hapsburg princess Anna of Austria to Louis XIII in 1615. With Anna...more
Opening quote:
"Sometimes, when I had drunk a lot of coffee,
and the least little thing would startle me,
I noticed quite clearly that I jumped before
I had heard any noise." --Lichtenberg
sample
" ... the marriage of the Hapsburg princess Anna of Austria to Louis XIII in 1615. With Anna...more
Really interesting to hear about what kinds of addictions people have. I really liked reading about what people thought about cigarettes and coffee when they were first discovered. Seriously! People used cigarettes to treat bronchitis!
A really fascinating book, I read this for college. It is technically a history book, but don't worry it's not anywhere near as boring as most history books.
I love learning about little historical tidbits like how the nobility back in the 1400s used to put pounds and pounds of spices on their food during dinner parties as a way of impressing their guests.
I love learning about little historical tidbits like how the nobility back in the 1400s used to put pounds and pounds of spices on their food during dinner parties as a way of impressing their guests.
Great overview of the history and cultural development of spices, coffee, tea, chocolate, alcohol and opium as they made their way into the (or in beer's case, out of) the daily diet of the European, reflecting changes in society from the Middle Ages through the Reformation and into the Industrial era. The plotline peters out toward the end, but still a very fascinating, quick read.
Jan 30, 2013
Wm
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
socio-poli-religio-cultural
Does what it needs to do and provides some interesting social history insights. But also could have used a bit more meat and research. And a little more coherence in which countries get discussed with which substances.
Fun book, anecdotal for the most part, but very interesting nevertheless. It provided a happy afternoon of reading.
A well-researched and nicely argued account of how the relationship between spices and stimulants and social history.
17th Century class...
This was a pretty good book. Very informative. It did have a lot of reference to the 16th and 18th century, which doesn't match up with my class, but it was still very educational.
This was a pretty good book. Very informative. It did have a lot of reference to the 16th and 18th century, which doesn't match up with my class, but it was still very educational.
Ok, so this is a history book. A social history book no less. For being that, it was a decent read. However, the author makes something as interesting as getting drunk and smoking opium sound bland and kind of un-interesting. I thought this book was going to be really good, but in the end, all I really got from it was a "Look at me, I'm German and still relevant in the academic community too" vibe. Overall, it's an ok read. If you want to learn about why white people raped the planet, this is a...more
This is a social history of the four major stimulants in Western society: alcohol, coffee, chocolate and tobacco. It is an excellent book, with interesting tidbits about our society and our drugs. Did you know that Loyd's of London started as a coffee house? Did you know that that drinking games go all the way back to the Vikings? Do you know the difference between a French bar and an American bar?
Translated works of cultural criticism by European academics will never be as fun to read as their book jackets suggest. I know this from repeated personal experience, yet I always hope the next time will be different.
It wasn't different.
I learned a little about the development and marketing of distilled liquors in European history, though, so it wasn't a total wash.
It wasn't different.
I learned a little about the development and marketing of distilled liquors in European history, though, so it wasn't a total wash.
Jan 30, 2009
louisa
added it
The translated title is quite misleading in terms of spice content (only 13 pages on spice!), but it passes the Father Guido test with visions of medieval aristrocrats snuffing spice by the pound and French nobility consuming chocolate in the morning as the anti-coffee. Lots of blanket statements with little evidence or support argument though.
One in a series. Good for older students.
The history of coffee is outrageous, and did you know that, 1,500 years ago, proto-Germans used to sit around with proto-beer and toast to each other's health until they all passed out at the table? It was considered rude to leave. My kind of drinkers. Also, it's written by Wolfgang Shivelbusch.
This book is WONDERFUL. I had to read it in my plant systematics class. It gives the history behind the spice trade and coffee houses in Europe etc. It's just so interesting to know learn about the politics behind FOOD. Now it's oil.... oh well.
I read this about 10 years ago and had forgotten much of it. A very interesting look at how botanical seasonings, stimulants, and intoxicants have shaped western culture and east-west relations since this middle ages.
Just plain fun, with great historical pictures. My favorite was the "beer barometer," showing an 17th century English view of the stages of drunkenness.
Fun history book! If I were a historian, this would be a fun field.
Did you know that an insurance empire started, quite literally, in a coffee shop? And that beer (my favorite) is its ideological opposite?
read this in a college lecture on Drugs and Society. FASCINATING stuff, wish I would've kept the book after my class . . .
seriously very interesting
Dec 14, 2009
Kimberly
added it
Fascinating!
May 24, 2013
Erin
marked it as to-read
May 11, 2013
Eray
marked it as to-read
May 10, 2013
Hana Lee
added it
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