A wonderfully rich celebration of our love of food through the ages.

PD Smith, The Guardian

The real strength of this book is the richness and variety of the sources presented, for which Albala must be highly commended. [...] The Food History Reader is a very welcome addition to the field of food history and will serve as a most valuable text to students and researchers alike . . . It will be essential reading for any university course on the subject and will also appeal to a wider audience interested in how what we eat today has been shaped by food practices of the past.

Josie Freear, University of Leeds, UK, LSE Review of Books

An indispensable collection of historical documents, with rich treasures and surprises on every page!

Warren Belasco, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, USA

A very useful compendium for anyone interested in food history. There a lots of general histories out there, but nothing to compare with this book for its depth and inclusiveness. Rather than concentrating on the usual well-known European and American musings about food, the present volume has an extraordinary range of cultures and time periods. The writings deal with health, pleasure, fasting, danger and equilibrium. Few of them are widely known, anthologized or even translated. Ken Albala has done a heroic job of putting together a fascinating handbook of food through the ages.

Paul Freedman, Yale University, USA

A unique and valuable resource for all who are interested in the history of food.

Jeffrey M. Pilcher, University of Minnesota, USA

Ken Albala takes the reader on a turbulent, delightful journey into the history of food by selecting ninety-four texts, ranging from enigmatic marvels as 'Papyri on Food in Daily Life' to Atwater's classic 'Food as Building Material and Fuel'. This book cuts to the core of human life: amazing and essential reading!

Peter Scholliers, Institute for European Studies, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium