The Taste of Empire: How Britain's Quest for Food Shaped the Modern World

This historical study of how Britain charged its way across the globe is told through a culinary lens that zooms in closely at the onset of each chapter then pulls back for factual context. We are invited to 20 meals, beginning with a serving of salt cod in 1545, and ending with a curry buffet in 1996. Collingham's (Taste of War: World War II and the Battle for Food) scholarship is evident; the book is weighted with facts. At times, this academic approach feels overly formal, particularly after reading the chapter that starts with a sensory anecdote of what it was like to break bread—literally—in specific time periods. Readers are treated to a meal of salt cod, sugar, rice, and beef, and then sift patiently through the narrative context. There are moments when the plate feels a little too clean, particularly as it relates to how the empire exploited the enslaved, though Collingham does nod toward these atrocities.