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

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 265 ratings

A history of the British Empire told through twenty meals eaten around the world

In
The Taste of Empire, acclaimed historian Lizzie Collingham tells the story of how the British Empire's quest for food shaped the modern world. Told through twenty meals over the course of 450 years, from the Far East to the New World, Collingham explains how Africans taught Americans how to grow rice, how the East India Company turned opium into tea, and how Americans became the best-fed people in the world. In The Taste of Empire, Collingham masterfully shows that only by examining the history of Great Britain's global food system, from sixteenth-century Newfoundland fisheries to our present-day eating habits, can we fully understand our capitalist economy and its role in making our modern diets.
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"This is a wholly pleasing book, which offers a tasty side dish to anyone exploring the narrative history of the British Empire." ---Max Hastings, Sunday Times (UK)

About the Author

As a retired board-certified music therapist, licensed counselor, and veteran of the Michigan Opera and several community theaters, Jennifer Dixon has explored the power of words and music to motivate, inspire, provoke, soothe, and heal. She brings this unique perspective to her work as an audiobook narrator.

Lizzie Collingham is an associate fellow at the University of Warwick. The author of three books, including The Taste of War and Curry, she lives in Cambridge, England.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01N9ZKQTR
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Basic Books; 1st edition (October 3, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 3, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 74806 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 324 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 265 ratings

About the author

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Lizzie Collingham
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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
265 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book informative and interesting. They recommend it for history and food enthusiasts, as it provides useful introductions to larger topics. The author selects historically documented meals and places them in historical context.

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6 customers mention "Readability"6 positive0 negative

Customers find the book informative and interesting. They say it provides useful introductions to larger topics. The book is described as a collection of chapter-length case studies, with more history than previous books.

"I love history and food so naturally I found this a lovely read!" Read more

"...Fascinating and informative read. Recommend it for history and food buffs." Read more

"One of those books that is chocked-block full of information. I highly recommend it." Read more

"full of more history than earlier books I have read" Read more

3 customers mention "Food history"3 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's food history. They find the selection of meals interesting and place them in historical context. However, some readers feel the book lacks a clear narrative direction.

"...Fascinating and informative read. Recommend it for history and food buffs." Read more

"...The selection of meals themselves is interesting, but what the book lacks is an overall driving narrative/argument/framework...." Read more

"Good for a Foodie and Anglophile..." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

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  • Canadian Gal
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating and readable
    Reviewed in Canada on December 30, 2022
    This is a wonderful book -- very cleverly conceived, based on deep learning, but very accessible and enjoyable to read. Highly recommended!
  • markb
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unsweetened culinary history
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on July 2, 2020
    In this book Collingham covers five centuries and takes readers around the globe. She describes how, England, later Britain, from at least the Tudor period, forged trade links to feed its population.
    Governments and merchants introduced new crops and cultivation methods throughout the Empire's colonies. Whilst presenting themselves as pioneering agricultural reformers, they were in reality indifferent to the needs of colonised peoples. Instead they were intent on exporting raw food commodities to the homeland whilst, at the same time, developing the colonies as markets for goods manufactured in Britain.
    Collingham shows how the British diet changed as Empire grew. For example, there was barely anything British about the traditional cup of tea which quenched the thirsts of countless workers. This necessary refreshment was a concoction of leaves picked in Asia and sugar produced on Caribbean slave plantations. Similarly as Empire expanded more and more produce from overseas became associated with home cooking. As a result the development of the British diet meant an ever-increasing proportion of the world’s population was tied into the trading system of Empire. By the twentieth century Britain was heavily dependent on food imported from the colonies and dominions. This in turn had economic and social implications for the Empire's exporting nations. After independence they were left trapped in the role of primary producers with precarious economies at the mercy of world prices.
    Collingham's rich, detailed, argument illustrates how Britain's reliance on faraway places to supply its people with food was a real hallmark of Empire, explaining how colonialism and Empire contributed to the creation of the modern capitalist consumer in a globalised world.
    This is a satisfying, informative and convincing study offering readers food for thought in every sense.
  • David Wood
    5.0 out of 5 stars Evaluation d'envoi
    Reviewed in France on January 27, 2020
    Le livre est arrivé en bon état un peu avant la date prévue. Je suis donc entièrement satisfait.
  • Sayan SenGupta
    5.0 out of 5 stars Highly recommended.
    Reviewed in India on September 26, 2018
    Terrific!The first thing that comes to the fore is the meticulous research that seems to have gone into the book.The second big winner is the language.Even though the book is essentially a historical account there isn't a single dull moment.The facts the book present are so wonderful, sometimes hugely startling, that one is simply glued to the pages.A must read for all interested in colonial history.A special shout out to those interesting pictures and plates.
  • Janet Wawrzyniak
    4.0 out of 5 stars Knowledge is a wonderful thing.
    Reviewed in Canada on January 7, 2021
    Well researched and fascinating. It is heavy going at times, but worth the effort .

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