The Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink

by Andrew F. Smith (Editor)

Offering a panoramic view of the history and culture of food and drink in America with fascinating entries on everything from the smell of asparagus to the history of White Castle, and the origin of Bloody Marys to jambalaya, the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink provides a concise, authoritative, and exuberant look at this modern American obsession. Ideal for the food scholar and food enthusiast alike, it is equally appetizing for anyone fascinated by Americana, capturing our culture and history through what we love most--food!

Building on the highly praised and deliciously browseable two-volume compendium the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America, this new work serves up everything you could ever want to know about American consumables and their impact on popular culture and the culinary world. Within its pages for example, we learn that Lifesavers candy owes its success to the canny marketing idea of placing the original flavor, mint, next to cash registers at bars. Patrons who bought them to mask the smell of alcohol on their breath before heading home soon found they were just as tasty sober and the company began producing other flavors.

Edited by Andrew Smith, a writer and lecturer on culinary history, the Companion serves up more than just trivia however, including hundreds of entries on fast food, celebrity chefs, fish, sandwiches, regional and ethnic cuisine, food science, and historical food traditions. It also dispels a few commonly held myths. Veganism, isn't simply the practice of a few "hippies," but is in fact wide-spread among elite athletic circles. Many of the top competitors in the Ironman and Ultramarathon events go even further, avoiding all animal products by following a strictly vegan diet. Anyone hungering to know what our nation has been cooking and eating for the last three centuries should own the Oxford Companion to American Food and Drink .

Genres: Food, Reference, Cookbooks, Food History, Food and Drink, Cooking, History

736 pages, Hardcover

First published March 9, 2007

About the author

Andrew Francis Smith teaches food studies at the New School University in Manhattan. He has written more than three hundred articles in academic journals and popular magazines and has authored or edited seventeen books, including The Oxford Encyclopedia on Food and Drink in America, a James Beard finalist in 2005. He has been frequently appeared on several television series, including the History Channel's American Eats, and the Food Network's Heavy Weights.

Reviews

[Julie Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently discovered the existence of this book and given my new project of leisurely reading through The Oxford Companion to Food it seemed a natural addition to that slow survey of food. Luckily, our library had it and I'll be interested to see if I can push the renewals to the 99 times that they say are available (that is, unless someone else requests it before then).

Flipping open to "A" I was interested to read about Aunt Jemima. Already knowing much of the Aunt Jemima brand history (I am in advertising, after all), it was a good test of how neutrally the author could convey the facts of the matter ... and they did a very good job. I also was happy to see the advertising information included and my flip to "B" landed me on a page where Elsie the Cow smiles out at me from the Borden entry.

What a great find this book is!

UPDATE
This is going back on my "to read" list simply because I am working my way through too many books (yes, again). I will be picking it up again, rest assured.

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this reference book. It's fun just to open it at random and start reading.

[Jhawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Basic information but good.