How Would You Like Your Mammoth?
12,000 Years of Culinary History in 50 Bite-Size Essays
Ratings1
Average rating3
Did you know that Egyptians mummified beef ribs for their dearly departed to enjoy in the afterlife? That Roman gladiators were relegated to a vegan diet of grains and beans? That the fast-food hamburger was a result of a postwar, high-efficiency work ethic? This is not a cookbook. Instead, How Would You Like Your Mammoth? is a chronological journey through the culinary history of humankind, with fifty short, snackable essays packed to the brim with juicy tidbits and cultural insights. With author Uta Seeburg as your guide, you'll learn not only which dishes are linked to key cultural moments, but also how each represents the social hierarchy and values of the civilization that invented it.
Discover how and why: the Columbian exchange gave Indian curry its spicy kick; roasted swan became the centerpiece of choice in spectacle-loving 1650s high society; a Portuguese princess helped popularize tea in England; the first dish ever to be prepared live on television was an omelet; and much more.
Foodies and history buffs alike will savor every amusing yet educational historical snapshot, from one of the oldest recorded recipes (lamb stew with barley and onions) to out-of-this-world food fit for astronauts (dehydrated chicken soup just like mom used to make).
Tags
Genre
Reviews
Popular Reviews
Reviews with the most likes.
When you have 50 essays on a wide variety of food-related topics in a book less than 300 pages, you get a lot of breadth but not a lot of depth. At roughly 5 pages a topic, be prepared for the interesting bits you dig out of here to be glossed over and forgotten about. There's a lot of interesting food trivia here, but in digestible factoid form. The essays start in prehistory and work their way forwards in time which was nice, but aside from that have little to do with one another, lending the whole book kind of a fragmented feel. I found a few chapters interesting, but because I couldn't tell you what they are now that I've finished the book, I can say that the whole experience was a little forgettable.
Also, the author has a clear idea of what she thinks food consumption looks like in an ideal world, so you'll see a lot of that as well. I have zero problems with veganism even if I'm not part of that group, but I got a bit bored of seeing it come up so often.
An acceptable book with interesting factoids, but also not interesting enough to really stick with me.