Food History

The purpose of this guide is to give students a starting point when searching for information on the history of food and drink. Always ask for assistance if you cannot find the information you are seeking.

Subject Headings
General Works
The Americas
The West
The East
Beverages
Websites

Subject Headings

Examples of Library of Congress Subject Headings used in the online library catalog:

Cookery -- History

Diets -- History

Food -- History

Food Habits -- History

Gastronomy -- History

Kitchens --History

Each of these subject headings can be subdivided geographically.

General Works

The Cambridge World History of Food		Ref. TX 353 C255 2000
The Fine Art of Food		Ref. GT 2860 .T35
The Food Chronology: A Food Lover's Compendium of Events and Anecdotes, from Prehistory to the Present		Ref. TX 355 .T72 1995
Food: Feasts, Cooks & Kitchens		Ref. TX 355 .T36 1994
Food in History		Ref. GT 2850 .T34 1989
A History of Food		Ref. TX 353 .T6413 1992
Modern Cooking		Ref. TX 353 .S656 1990
On Food and Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen		Ref. TX 651 M27 1988
The Pantropheon or A History of Food and its Preparation in Ancient Times		Ref. TX 353 .S73 1977
The Secret Life of Food: A Feast of Food and Drink History		Ref. TX 355 .E45 1991
Much Depends on Dinner		GT 2869 .V57 1987
Cookbook of Foods from Bible Days		TX 715 .M1399 1972
Food and Drink in History: Selections from the Annales, Economics, Societes, Civilisations, Volume 5		TX 353 .F59
Loaves & Fishes: Foods from Bible Times		TX 715 .K4993

The Americas

American Indian Food and Lore		E78 S7 N53
The American Kitchen, 1700 to the Present: from Hearth to Highrise		TX653 P56 1995
America's First Cuisines		F 1219 .76 F67 C64 1994
Celebration of American Food: Four Centuries in the Melting Pot		Ref. TX 360 .U6 S37 1996
Eating in America: A History		Ref. TX 353 .R64
Paradox of Plenty: A Social History of Eating in Modern America		Ref. GT 2853 U5 L47 1993
Perfection Salad: Women and Cooking at the Turn of the Century		TX 173 S44 1986
Revolution at the Table: The Transformation of the American Diet		Ref. GT 2853 U5 L48 1988
Savory Suppers and Fashionable Feasts: Dining in Victorian America		TX 715 W7293 1985
Southern Food: At Home, on the Road, in History.		TX 715.2 .S68 E343 1993
TheTaste of America		TX 353 H47 1977

The West

Acquired Taste: the French Origins of Modern Cooking		TX 637 .P48 1994
The Dutch Table: Gastronomy in the Golden Age of the Netherlands		TX 723.5 N4 R55 1994
Early French Cookery: Sources, History, Original Recipes and Modern Adaptations		TX 719. S3895 1995
European Gastronomy: The Story of Man's Food and Eating Habits		TX 641 B63
Fast and Feast: Food in Medieval Society		GT 2853 .E8 H46
Savouring the Past: The French Kitchen & Table from 1300-1789		Ref. TX 719 .W47 1983

The East

Food in Chinese Culture: Anthropological and Historical Perspectives		Ref. GT 2853 C6 F66
Culinary Cultures of the Middle East		Ref. TX 645 C837 1994
The Art of Persian Cooking		TX 725 H427

Beverages

Brewed in America: A History of Beer and Ale in the United States		HD 9397 U52 B3
The Classic of Tea		TX 415 L813
Dictionary of the History of the American Brewing and Distilling Industries		Ref.HD 9397 U52 D68
Dionysus: A Social History of the Wine Vine		SB 388 .H9
Domesticating Drink: Women, Men and Alcohol in America: 1870-1940		HV 5292 M86
Drink: A Social History of America		TX 815 B37 1999
Vintage: The Story of Wine		TP 549 J63 1989
A History of Wine in America From the Beginnings to Prohibition		TP 557 P56 1989
Straight Up or On the Rocks: A Cultural History of American Drink		TX 951 G7864 1993
Uncommon Grounds: The History of Coffee and How it Transformed Our World		TX 415 P46 1999

Web Sites

Feeding America: The Historic American Cookbook Project
Part of Michigan State University's digital collections, this database includes scanned images from over 75 American cookbooks published between 1798 and 1922.
Key Ingredients: America by Food
Sponsored by the Smithonian Institute, this site exhibits the influences of region and ethnic cusines on American dishes.
Not By Bread Alone: Americ'a Culinary Heritage
Hosted by Cornell Univesity, this site examines American cuisine from the period when it became distinct from European cookery.
Culinary and Brewing History Links
This site is geared toward helping those interested in the hands-on exploration of history to find source material. You'll find informative links on culinary history, brewing, and online medieval manuscripts. The site is well organized and easy to navigate. Also links to many more sites on the history of food. A MUST SEE!
The Edible Monument
"Ornate edible architecture and sculptures were often created for celebrations in the cities and courts of early modern Europe.: This online exhibit, provided by the Getty research Institute, shows festivals, banquets, cookbooks, tablesettings, street fairs, and decorative desserts from the past.
The Food Museum
Find illustrated pages related to most things edible. It is "the one stop source for food exhibits, news/issues, resources, food history, answers to your food questions, book reviews and just plain fun."
Historical Recipes of Difference Cultures
Hosted by the Computer Science Department of Carnegie Mellon University, this recipe archive is subdivided in to the following three collections: Antique Roman Dishes; Medieval and Anglo-Saxon Recipes; and Medieval European Recipes.
History of Vegetarianism
The International Vegetarian Union provides a timeline of vegetairan societies as wellas providing refference to early vegetarians and the history of vegetarianism throughout the world.
The Lure of Spices
Hosted by the American Spice Trade Association, this website chronicles the entire history of the spice trade from ancient times through the present. Also find a bibliography of related works.
Medieval/Renaissance Food Homepage
An online index linking to primary sources, reference, bibliographies, articles, recipes, and more. .
Shakespeare and Food
This informal survey of Shakespeare's use of food in his writings reveals much about Renaissance literary convention, about the Elizabethan table, and about Shakespeare himself.
Still Cooking by the Fireside: African Americans in Foodservice
This online exhibit is hosted by the Smithsonian's Anacostia Museum and Center for African American History and Culture.
The Food Timeline
This timeline begins before the onset of agriculture in 10,000 BC. It tells who invented such famous food such as hot dogs and french fried, ice cream and more. Find out what the Vikings ate, recipes from pubs in 17th century England, dried apples from Paul Revere's kitchen and more. Also check out the Culinary History Timeline dating from the 5th millenium BC in Egypt to futuristic trends. Also included are links to historical menu collections.
Yahoo
Use "history food" as a search term and browse results.

Alice Statler Library, City College of San Francisco
Updated January 22, 2004