Revolting Recipes From History

by Seren Charrington-Hollins

Nothing causes a stir on social media platforms like a topical discussion on the latest food trend. Modern-day chefs like to think that they are creative and often claim to push boundaries of food creation, but if we want to explore real culinary creativity then we need to look to our ancestors.

Writer and food historian, Seren Charrington-Hollins delves into the history of culinary experimentation to bring us some of the weirdest and most stomach-churning food delicacies to ever grace a dining table. She uncovers the rather gruesome history behind some everyday staples, uncovers bizarre and curious recipes, whilst casting light on foods that have fallen from culinary grace, such as cows udders and tripe; showing that revulsion is just a matter of taste, times and perhaps knowledge.

From pickled brains to headcheese, through to songbirds and nymphs' thighs, this book explores foods that have evoked disgust and delight in diners depending on culinary perspective.

So pull up a chair, unfold your napkin and get ready for a highly entertaining and enlightening journey to explore what makes a recipe revolting? Be warned; you’ll need a strong stomach and an open mind.

Genres: Nonfiction

216 pages, Hardcover

First published June 16, 2022

Reviews

[The Sassy Bookworm · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐⭐⭐⭐ -- Love the cover!

I found this one to be super fascinating, humorous, and honestly, a bit gross,

[Christine LaBatt · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book goes through food that today we might find gross but historically was very popular. It was really interesting to see what used to be considered delicious and often why it fell out of favor. There weren’t as many recipes as I was expecting based on the title but it was still very interesting.

[Helen Frost · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating, gruesome and seriously compelling. This book combines a number of elements which are all of deep interest to me, food, science, history and gross to amazing effect. The book is absolutely packed full of amazing detail and covers a vast reach of history and array of odd eating habits, or rather odd to us as the modern reader, I guess whatever is your normal is normal right? The anecdotes and food poisoning disasters are fascinating and cautionary tales and the resilience of humans in hard times to make use of all food parts is humbling and impressive. Glad to say it hasn’t put me off and I’m actually intrigued enough to (maybe) try some of the (tamer) oddities, maybe tripe might be on my bucket list as I feel I might be missing out. Wish me luck and enjoy this book, heartily recommended.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

In our modern era, most people in developed countries can take a trip to the grocery store with a reasonable amount of comfort in knowing that they will likely not be made sick by whatever they purchase. Even with the advent of processed foods and manufactured snacks, it is very rare that a food safety recall happens at any given time. This peace of mind was not always a given, however, because even as recently as the Victorian Era, a similar trip to a grocer or a butcher shop could result in unbearable sickness or even death. In Revolting Recipes From History, a new book by Seren Charrington-Hollins and published by Pen and Sword Publishing, the author lays out the numerous foodstuffs that, by virtue of being poorly produced or atypical to a modern diet, may result in us thinking of them as revolting, disgusting, or unsafe.

I think one of the more interesting things towards the beginning of the book that I enjoyed was the overall history of processed food manufacturing and the advent of tinned goods (canned goods). With our modern food safety regulations not in any place whatsoever, eating such products was roughly about as safe as eating lead paint chips. A lot of government contracts, in a manner that's typical even today, would contract out to the lowest bidder resulting in catastrophes such as entire expeditions being killed off or rampant military sickness from tainted canned rations. The entire canned food industry was almost entirely banned at various times before this was regulated.

I also enjoyed this books somewhat thorough analysis of organ meats that previously were a staple of many kitchens and even the fast-food industries of the time. However, they have become almost unseen in our modern era. Yes, you can go out of your way and try to find things such as chitterlings or calf brains. However, in terms of where I live, these types of foods are generally reserved for people of different cultures that have immigrated into American Society and so-called foodies that have been dipping their toes into bringing back antiquated recipes through the coaching of celebrity chefs. Other topics in the book include seemingly "out-of-bounds foods" such as frogs, insects, blood, and other items that even most celebrity chefs will forego entirely.

This book was well-researched and, despite covering such a broad topic, it was very entertaining to read and well-written. Like I said, I went into this book not realizing what I was getting myself into and managed to plow through in just a couple of days. It's a great book to just sit down before bed or after work and read a chapter or two, and overall it is not very long. That's kind of the style with a lot of books by Pen and Sword Publishing as they, for better or worse, try to stay around 200 pages or so. If you are a fan of historical documentaries that talk about the precarious lifestyles of people in the past or want to read about disgusting facts that you can pass along to your friends, this is the book for you.

Overall, this book was a pleasant read and a great palate cleanser after reading somewhat depressing history books that I have read in the past couple of months. Even though what it covers could be seen as a dark topic, it is not a book that dwells on the macabre facts of people dying or anything of the sort, and it's purely informative for the most part. Pen and Sword Publishing always produce pretty good high-quality books at a low cost, and I appreciate them quite a bit for filling the niche in pop history books that you really don't see too often.

[Theediscerning · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ideal for chowing down on with some nice pulled horse meat, a bottle of Chianti and some fava beans, this book about unusual and unsavoury culinary practices seems to start in a much nicer place – the birth of canned food. Yes, here are ways to preserve foodstuffs – safe, industrial processes, and ways to guarantee we can eat whenever we want just by cracking a metal lid and getting at what's inside. Until, that is, you read what kind of gunk was canned on behalf of the Royal Navy, and until the narrative turns into an investigation of how Franklin's expedition ships that so relied on tinned meat etc ended up resorting to cannibalism and still failed.

I think we certainly are more on an expected path with the second chapter, asking as it does why we have fallen out of favour with offal. But it still shows a perhaps unexpected aspect of the book, with nicely-judged newspaper quotes concerning "misadventure by tripe" and more. And we get even more unexpected with the true story of a Japanese bloke who decided to lob his willy off and cook it at a dinner party – oddly, five people paid grandly to have their appetite assuaged, but nothing is said about him sampling himself. If there is a way to get a whole book out of autophagy, the mind boggles.

Still, this isn't such a book, although we do get chapters we were sure to find here, concerning the consumption of the irregular – cat and rat and zoo elephant in a Parisian siege, that there fermented Swedish fish that seems a prerequisite for many a utube channel, and fresh blood, for alleged restorative health benefits. This last is further proof that our author is fully genned up all around her topic, and more than that knows how to write about it and write about it well, although I did find this a bit circular and repetitive. Fewer newspaper quotes saying the same thing would have worked just as well; that chapter though is the biggest offender.

Overall this is a very pleasurable gallimaufry of catering curios, with everything from soft-boiled duck embryo, still in ovum, to reproductive fish parts to – well, see above. It's a very British book, happily, which brings so much of this almost to our kitchen door, and not at the rarefied remove of those fugu fish that are noticeable by their absence. I hope the proof-reading gets done before publication, with details such as 39kg increasing to 58lb one such dodgy detail. Bear in mind, though, it takes a lot of typos before I bother mentioning them, so early do I see these review files – and yet also bear in mind a thousand books a year that get it perfect before us humble umble-eaters get to see them. Given the care in the finish that the manuscript had in its creation this will be one of those enjoyably esoteric, "how did I find myself reading about this?!" volumes that make non-fiction books such a pleasure at times. A strong four stars.

Oh, and if you came here for the recipes, there are some – a 1615 example for cow mammaries perhaps to your taste. You can decide not to partake – it's one choice or the udder.

[Sandra Vdplaats · Rating 5 out of 5]

This rather daring read is certainly not for the faint-hearted, but I devoured this book from the first page.

I have always been fascinated by culinary history, and have alway enjoyed watching series about culinary history, such as ‘A House Through Time’ (BBC) and ‘Food Through the Ages’ (BBC, with Sue Perkins and Giles Coren) immensely, so that is why I picked up this book.

Nowadays, we simply open the fridge and grab whatever is available to make a quick sandwich or an easy dinner; however, things were really different in the past.
I am not at all afraid to eat strange things, and can boast of having eaten fried crickets, grasshoppers, crocodile, kangaroo, snake, frogs, and much more; I love my black pudding (pig’s blood with oatmeal) and haggis (sheep liver, heart and lungs), so I guess you could call me an adventurous eater, there are very few things that I won’t eat…

This book tells a fascinating story about the culinary things that used to be standard cuisine, such as faggots, drippings, brains, tripe, chitterlings (washed intestines that have been prepared and cooked), and cow’s heel, in a world in which butchers proudly displayed their wares.
Food, and what we eat, turns out to be a cultural thing, - and some things can or cannot be eaten due to religious food rules. From Medieval times to the Victorian Age food was more or less preserved in the same way, but the way we eat, and shopped changed drastically when food was stored in tins, albeit not yet appreciated during that time.
The book further elaborates on the many food scandals surrounding tinned foods.
Meat has always been reserved for the rich, yet poor Victorians were forced to eat offals, like slink (prematurely born calf), broxy (diseased sheep) or tainted meat.
Some recipes have been added from Mrs Beeton’s Book of Household Management (1861), so for readers who’d love to try to eat something different for tonight’s dinner, this is a wonderful book to start with. It contains a number of recipes, but other than that, it is mainly about a lot of fun facts about how our diet has changed since times past. A culinary historical book about what people had for dinner, interspersed with funny facts, I loved it!! For lovers of culinary history a must-read!!

Thank you Netgalley and Pen & Swords Books for giving me the oppurtunity to read this. It comes highly recommended, well-researched, and a five stars read for me.

[Brenda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Food and recipes evoke strong emotions and reflexes, especially when it comes to animals. In this gruesome yet riveting book, the author describes what causes our revolting responses such as culture, physiology, religion practices and protection from unsafe foods. Some cultures and roadkill folks relish decay and their bacterial benefits. Others prize foods writhing with maggots and yet others splash their culinary forays on social media. Sometimes the genuine article such as turtle is prepared with imposters (calf head) due to restrictions. It is important to remember what we may find hideous may be a delicacy elsewhere for important cultural/traditional/environmental reasons such as during war.

The author describes the body parts (and bodies) eaten and when and where recipes and experiences were first recorded throughout history. Not only that but she includes recipes for dishes such as Elder seasoned with salt and vinegar, Calves' Brain Cakes, Cow Heels and Nymphs' Thighs (these are amongst the mild recipes) and preparation techniques including putrefaction, pickling, boiling, drying, moulding and salting. She discusses scandals, animal welfare, food quality and spoilage, colourants, the allowable amount of insect parts in foods and health concerns (also death, including murder) as well as human blood plasma use. Another intriguing topic is called Debauched Dining which is vulgar opulent dining to the extreme, aka Caligula. But this is just the beginning!

People who enjoy culinary history and learning about cultures through food, do add this to your to be read pile. Descriptions are grotesque and disturbing at times therefore not for everyone. For readers with adventurous palates like me who are smitten with food curiosities and history, there is much to chew on and remember. Books with food descriptions endear me immediately! My Larousse Gastronomique is one of my treasured possessions.

My sincere thank you to Pen & Sword and NetGalley for the privilege of reading this brilliantly compelling book!

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally posted on my blog: Nonstop Reader.

Revolting Recipes From History is a humorous, honest, and well curated choice of culinary oddities, weird combinations, and potentially dangerous foods by food historian Seren Charrington-Hollins. Due out 30th April 2022 from Pen & Sword, it's 216 pages and will be available in hardcover format.

The author does a very good job of exploring the real cultural and biological background behind some people's visceral reaction to different widely divergent foodstuffs. Why do we react with revulsion when faced with fermented shark and/or lye treated - saponified whitefish when people in some places consider them a delicacy? It should be noted that the book does not contain actual recipes (and most of the subjects are for things I can't imagine actually eating; certainly not willingly).

Although admittedly a niche book, it's well annotated throughout and the author writes knowledgeably on the subject, The bibliography is comprehensive and will provide many hours of further reading and information. The book is largely without illustrations, but there are a number of facsimile adverts and period photographs and documents contained at the back. I especially enjoyed seeing the period ads for frog farming (for fun & profit), and the very early tinned and preserved foods.

As a historical insight, I found it fascinating and devoured it (haha) cover to cover. This was well worth the read, and for recreators and SCAdians (and the like) this would make really great source material.

Five stars. Weirdly fascinating.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

[Karen Hancock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revolting Recipes From History researched and written by Seren Charrington-Hollins, consists of several essays about food throughout history. The chapters cover foods such as canned fish (some poisoned because in the past they didn’t have the canning techniques quite perfect, so people died), offal (including tongues, kidneys, cow’s udders, tripe, feet, trotters, pig’s ears, and other tempting treats), Blood, frogs, insects, poison seafood, and other delicacies. Expecting recipes that could be used at Halloween, it was surprising to find that this was essentially a history book on foods served through the ages, especially in Britain. That doesn’t make this a bad book; rather it is actually quite fascinating. The essays are well-written and well-researched. However, for anyone expecting a cookbook, there may be some disappointment, since there are few recipes. Unlike most cookbooks, dieters will not be tempted to eat anything described in the text.

There are no photographs, which, I suppose is good because none of the dishes mentioned would be mouthwatering or even palatable. There are no recipes that anyone would actually want to prepare (unless you want to eat P*nis stew or Entrecote à la Bordelaise – a fancy French name for rat with a fancy sauce).

Those of us who love food and consider ourselves foodies, will enjoy reading the essays and learning everything we can about food from the past. We will be very thankful that we don’t have to eat any of the dishes described in the essays. It’s fun, though, to learn so much (the one with the most knowledge wins, of course). If you are interested in food, you’ll want to pick up this interesting history book.

Special thanks to NetGalley for supplying a review copy of this book.

[J Earl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Revolting Recipes From History by Seren Charrington-Hollins is a delightful trip through the less delightful side of food history. From dangerous to disgusting, it is covered here.

First, no, this is not full of recipes, and I have no problem with that. I have no intention of trying any of the ones that are included and I prefer to read about the ingredients that my contemporary mind finds disgusting rather than see a recipe that illustrates how that item was used. The description of a dish is sufficient for the purpose of this book.

A fair part of the book discusses canning, which might at first seem off topic. But some of the examples of what was canned and how they were used was, wait for it, revolting. To know that military members almost received canned goods that were disgusting and putrid qualifies, as far as I'm concerned, for revolting food. It actually highlights how we can sometimes forget that ways of preserving food have their limitations. My personal mistakes usually fall into thinking that because I froze something it will be good when I decide to use it. Well, there is such a thing as too long.

I would recommend this to readers who enjoy looking back at how things were and how things are. I know that when teaching medieval history courses my students were always fascinated by the culinary differences and on several occasions we had a potluck with medieval dishes (though the ingredients were fresh). Food historians will enjoy this as well even if there is not much new in it for them, sometimes looking at a topic as a whole is refreshing.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley.

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.

Food history is one of my favorite genres. So taking a look at some horrific recipes from history seemed like a good way to immerse in that genre; complete with the oddball recipes that might have arisen from them.

So imagine my surprise when the first chapter was all about canning. Not that there weren't some gross examples in there, but it's not so much the food itself that was gross or the type of food that was being canned, but moreso the problematic ways such foods were canned (hello botulism). And that's kind of how the chapters went for me, back and forth on being foods I would consider revolting, versus foods that were made revolting by their preparation (or lack thereof).

I just had a hard time getting engrossed in this book. While there are plenty of facts for anyone reading for that view, it just seemed like we spent half the book on canning, and then each subsequent chapter was a bit shorter and contained the actual 'revolting' foods that I came to read about.

Ok, but this one just didn't do it for me.

Review by M. Reynard 2022

[Maddy (maddys_needful_reads) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've done a lot of research in food history, particularly medieval food, and was therefore excited to read about these "disgusting" foods and check out some of the revolting recipes. Unfortunately, while this book is interesting, it doesn't quite deliver what the title and synopsis promise.

A lot of care and research has clearly been put into this book, but I don't think it knows what it wants to be. It is a list of facts, foods, and preparations of food that the author has determined most modern people would find to be disgusting. There is no clear thesis, the introduction doesn't tell us what we can expect to find or what the purpose of the book is, and there are very few recipes (while I'm sure most people would not want to prepare disgusting recipes, it is promised in the title and it is what I was expecting).

I'd recommend this to someone who wants a list of facts or snippets of history. This book is not for a food historian or someone looking for revolting recipes.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fantastic book explores food in a way I have not seen before. I have learned a lot from these pages. While it is true that there are a lot of gross, gruesome, food and the recipes, in here, There is a ton of learning.
For example, do you know when canning was invented? Did you know that carrier pigeons were a popular dish?
Did you know that your ancestors very possibly dined on things like rat? Or cat? Or dog? How about sheep uterus?
Do you enjoy Stilton cheese? Foie gras ? You really need to read this book. It is fascinating and revolting and thoroughly wonderful.
Warning, I do not recommend reading while eating.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me access to this ARC, enjoyed every single minute of this one.

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating 3.5 stars

This book is history about foodstuffs, such as problems with tinned food causing people to be ill in hospital, filthy conditions of tripe dressers and more disgusting things like that. Puts you right off your dinner!

It also has excerpts from old recipe books and newspaper articles about illness, poor conditions, and old photographs and illustrations of displays and adverts (these are at the back of my ARC copy - I hope they are in the chapters in the proper copy as I'd rather see them there).

Overall not for the faint-hearted, but interesting history of food, some of it modern history too such as CJD in the 90s.

I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.

[Zandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fortunate to be sent an arc of this book from NetGalley. The book was informative, describing various fads in food through the ages. From Russian diets to those of the Inuit, from Dickens to modern day food trends. Some recipes were revolting. A Champagne cocktail with a body part added!
For me, the book gave very few actual recipes, although “recipes” was in the title, I was expecting more than just the few given. I also found the chapter on how canning started, to be a bit long winded and boring. It would have been better if it had been shorter.
However the book does have amusing parts, and is worth a quick read.

[Hazel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this would be an ok book, but I was wrong. Its AMAZING!! What a fascinating although at times stomach churning read!!!

Its well-researched and written. Looking at all sorts of different foods and meals over the centuries.

I think one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much was that I was sharing in my disgust with my teenage son and then went out to my very elderly Grandmothers and said about it and she remembered during the war eating some of the culinary delights!! She worked in a butchers and recalls cleaning the tripe!!! So the book really does have something for everyone.

Thanks to Netgalley and Pen and Sword for the ARC. This review is my own opinion.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is exactly what I thought Andrew Zimmern’s show was supposed to be about – dishes that we may find strange but are considered the norm in other cultures (rather than the pursuit of testicles in every country). I was fascinated by the different items showcased, particularly sea gull eggs and badger, and the history behind their use. As mentioned in another review, there are not nearly enough recipes in this book but I still found it an interesting read.

I received a copy from #NetGalley for an honest review.

[Elizabeth]

I read this as an ARC from Netgalley.com.

Food is a topic almost everyone can get behind, unless you're eating delicacies from this book!

Revolting Recipes From History covers the history of food items that were once (or still are) considered delicacies in parts of the world that are no longer considered widely palatable. The book is well-researched and well-written; I found it disgustingly delightful.

I'd highly recommend this book to anyone who likes history, food, or getting a look into how the sausage gets made.

[Haley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book an interesting read even though I wouldn't say it was solely about revolting recipes. As many have noted in the reviews there was a great deal put into canning, but that seemed to me to more about improper canning. Still I think this will be a good read for those really into food history.

I received this book for free from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Mags · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this loom at the ways in which food preparation, storage, and cooking was presented. Where would we be without the ingenuity creations of the past? A curious subject after that was highly entertaining.

[Kara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy.

Writer and food historian, Seren Charrington-Hollins examines the history of food through the lens of dishes people would refuse today.

It shows how plentiful our current food supply is, in that we can turn up our noses at some of the parts of animal, or insist on only fresh fruits and vegetables in deep winter, rather than eating them after being pickled and brined.

An interesting look at the history both of what we eat now and what we longer eat, showing that what we now take for granted is not how it always was.

[Mrs Karen Bull · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book
Very well worth reading
Well written and fascinating
Definitely worth reading
Thank you for good book

[Patty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this kind of book.

[Jess]

I received this ARC in exchange for my honest review.