About the Book

Any curious "foodie" or student of culinary art should have a copy of this landmark book, now completely updated for the first time in a decade!

"I get asked all the time to define Food Studies, and now I have the answer. Read this book. This is a brilliantly selected compilation of the most riveting and entertaining writing on food and culture, ranging from the classic to the post-modern. The range of topics is astounding, and the writing is terrific. Read any of these pieces and you will want to read everything else that author wrote. Anyone reading this book will understand immediately why the study of food teaches us so much about our society, now and in the past." -Marion Nestle, Department of Nutrition, Food Studies and Public Health, New York University

"The original edition was the best reader on the market, and this one is even better. Counihan and Van Esterik have carefully selected a dazzling array of essential essays, some classic, some so up-to-the-minute that they sizzle. Ranging widely over the exciting field of food studies, this book is definitely the one collection I'd want to have with me on a desert island." -Warren Belasco, Editor, Food, Culture and Society

"The study of food starts right here. Anyone who just can't stop wondering about what people eat and why they eat it will treasure this collection of essential reading." -Laura Shapiro, author of Perfection Salad, Something from the Oven, and Julia Child

"With courses in food studies regularly being developed, this new edition of Food and Culture: A Reader is an indispensable resource for faculty looking for the best academic writing on the subject. The editors have astutely selected articles that are by now classics in their fields, and at the same time present work by newer voices that reflect recent academic trends. The broad scope of this collection is an education in what is best and new about a growing and exciting field of study." -Barbara Haber, Co-editor of From Betty Crocker to Feminist Food Studies: Critical Perspectives on Women and Food

"This is an outstanding and thoughtfully organized collection that addresses many core issues and debates in the area of food and culture. It is an important resource for any student or professional scholar interested in the world of food." -- Jon Holtzman, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Western Michigan University