The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories about the Origins of Everything We Eat

From the eating habits of early humans around the globe, to the pragmatic purpose of pie crust, to the revolutionary fire that drove colonial Americans to take pie to another level, food writer Siegel takes readers on an entertaining, tongue-in-cheek journey through the often-absurd history of everyday foods. With chapters on subjects such as swallowing (the physiological process), pie, breakfast foods (e.g., cereal), corn, honey, vanilla, the feasts of Decembers past, ice cream (not just a dessert but a human right), chili peppers, and tomatoes, Siegel weaves historical and primary source texts with laugh-out-loud commentary to make this account anything but ordinary. Sharing insight on everything from the evolution of home cooking to the scientific history behind chewing, this winning book is as educational as it is entertaining.