The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat
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- Create Date：2021-09-22 03:16:03
- Update Date：2025-09-23
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- Author：Matt Siegel
- ISBN：0062973215
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Summary
An entertaining look at the little-known history surrounding the foods we know and loveIs Italian olive oil really Italian， or are we dipping our bread in lamp oil？ Why are we masochistically drawn to foods that can hurt us， like hot peppers？ Far from being a classic American dish， is apple pie actually 。 。 。 English？
“As a species， we’re hardwired to obsess over food，” Matt Siegel explains as he sets out “to uncover the hidden side of everything we put in our mouths。” Siegel also probes subjects ranging from the myths—and realities—of food as aphrodisiac， to how one of the rarest and most exotic spices in all the world （vanilla） became a synonym for uninspired sexual proclivities， to the role of food in fairy- and morality tales。
“As a species， we’re hardwired to obsess over food，” Matt Siegel explains as he sets out “to uncover the hidden side of everything we put in our mouths。” Siegel also probes subjects ranging from the myths—and realities—of food as aphrodisiac， to how one of the rarest and most exotic spices in all the world （vanilla） became a synonym for uninspired sexual proclivities， to the role of food in fairy- and morality tales。
Reviews
Jess Witkins
，
After reading an article from the author that shared some fun facts of food history I was very interested in reading this book。 Unfortunately， the book did not meet my expectations and was a struggle to get through。 I don't think The Secret History of Food has a clear understanding of what it is or who its for。 I found the writing to be very scattered， jumping from one thing to the next， unearthing information from centuries ago and then making a pop culture reference to today。 There's not a lot After reading an article from the author that shared some fun facts of food history I was very interested in reading this book。 Unfortunately， the book did not meet my expectations and was a struggle to get through。 I don't think The Secret History of Food has a clear understanding of what it is or who its for。 I found the writing to be very scattered， jumping from one thing to the next， unearthing information from centuries ago and then making a pop culture reference to today。 There's not a lot of context or framework around any topic or time period。 I felt like I was reading a deck of trivial pursuit flashcards。 There are a lot of food facts and bits of history inside。 Some were， indeed， interesting， but that's it。 There wasn't a lot of substance given to how our food accessibility， cooking habits， culture， and tastes interact。 My overwhelming impression was that quotes and facts with shock value were included above actual interpretation of the information shared。 Specifically， there are A TON of footnotes。 There were so many numbered and symbol-ed annotations that it was distracting to read the text， and I was surprised to discover that the book was over halfway through and the rest of the pages were bibliography！ The other element that didn't work for me was the humor。 It felt like the author was trying too hard。 The same references seemed to be repeated （frying pans for fishing for example）。 And some of his jokes actually felt alienating to the reader。 Many of the quotes shared in the book are quite despicable by today's standards in how they address minorities， and a few times I think he tried to point out that these comments were zealous and racist and/or sexist。 Yet， the author himself made cracks in the vein of a humorous metaphor， but which was actually demeaning to some readers。 It felt like he was trying to say he was "down" by calling some of it out， but also missed the point completely by using such quotations in the first place without worthwhile context and then using the same misguided humor himself at times。 I was lost as to what the author's intent was。 He shared so many examples of racist， sexist， and puritanical speeches， citing these historical white men's names and cracking jokes about their over-righteous beliefs。 But when it came to describing the agricultural impacts of the Iroquois， he let the momentum drop by saying "no one knows why" they did this - TWICE！ He reduced their role to something mythical in nature， which is very stereotyped。 I think the author tried to cover too much in too little space， and that the book lacked sufficient editing and sensitivity readers。 I wish there had been less quotations， specifically in the form of bigotry if you're not going to create more context and really dive into the ethics， economics， and race/gender of it all。 I wish there'd been less lists （we don't need to read every kind of oreo or ice cream flavor or cereal adaptation， etc。）。 And I wish the book had offered me more beyond shocking comments and how doomed our diets all are。 Thank you to NetGalley and the pubisher for a review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
K。 East
，
I've never said this ever about any of the 1138 books I've read and reviewed on Goodreads， but this book was a completely annoying waste of my time。 I almost abandoned it half way through but felt I should finish it before I gave a review that I knew was likely to be largely negative。 There is so much wrong with this book that I hardly know where to start。 How about the title。 I know authors don't always have control over the final title of their published works but this one is so far off from b I've never said this ever about any of the 1138 books I've read and reviewed on Goodreads， but this book was a completely annoying waste of my time。 I almost abandoned it half way through but felt I should finish it before I gave a review that I knew was likely to be largely negative。 There is so much wrong with this book that I hardly know where to start。 How about the title。 I know authors don't always have control over the final title of their published works but this one is so far off from being accurate， that I feel it needs a comment。 The History of Food: strange but true stories about the origins of everything we eat -- Everything？？！！ Well， maybe random comments about a half dozen food items or categories， but hardly a complete history of all food or even the few items the author/editor included between the covers。 At just under 200 pages， it would be hard to imagine that there was time for much of anything of consequence， which is the source of my major complaint。Yes， few of us wants to read a dry， scientific treatise on where our food choices originated， but this book is little more than a collection of the most startling and anecdotal details the author managed to cull from the 50 pages of resources listed at the back of the book。 In fact， there is actually very little original writing here except to connect the dots between one "amusing" story borrowed from history and the next -- including those often pointless digressions that appear at the bottom of almost every page that often are so far off topic that one wonders why they are there。 Like the one on page 170 in the chapter on chili peppers [strangely titled "Forbidden Berries"] which tells us "Other Aztec punishments involving pantry items included binding the hands and feet of naked children and stabbing them with the spines of agave leaves"Do you see any connection？ I certainly didn't。 But the author's preference for "foodie details" that touch on salacious or brutal anecdotes began to make the book feel more like the locker room talk at a junior high school than a nonfiction book on food。 Chapter 6 on Vanilla， for instance， includes references to strawberries being a euphemism for menstruation， that orchid and avocado etymology derives from the word testicle， that "the sick fucking Romans" weaponized bacon by setting pigs on fire and releasing them ， that babies "spent significantly more time attached to their mother's nipple" if mom ate vanilla -- all this in a chapter that was largely about ice cream！！？？Some of the anecdotes were certainly catchy， the kind of thing you might throw out at the cocktail party when there was lag in the conversation， but the book is in no way a history of "everything we eat" and perhaps， not really any reliable information about the half dozen selected topics。 If you want a lightweight book to keep by the toilet during your daily visits， this book might be a good choice。 But if you are actually curious about food， then you might want to look elsewhere。 。。。more
Brandon Butts
，
More than just fun facts。 Hard reflection on the tricky history of this country。 Lots of stuff here to think about as Matt reveals to us that there's more to food than just food。 The section on corn blew my mind。 Worth the read。 More than just fun facts。 Hard reflection on the tricky history of this country。 Lots of stuff here to think about as Matt reveals to us that there's more to food than just food。 The section on corn blew my mind。 Worth the read。 。。。more
Marisa
，
Like a poor man’s Michael Pollan book， less of a central theme， more long lists to prove a point
Don
，
Amusing most of the time， interesting most of the time， but not as fascinating as some reviews would lead you to think。 The sections on corn， honey， and other staples are interesting。 Some tidbits stick with you， such as babies that breast feed tend to be more adventurous eaters later。 Short read， which is good as the humor gets old。
Ryan
，
The secret history of food was a great book written by Matt Siegel， This book shows behind the scenes and a little mo0re about the daily foods you eat today。 This book was really Amazon because you would never expect for any of these foods to be other than what they really are。 A huge takeaway for me from this book was the section were they talked about fast food and how some of there things were made and were they originated from， you would never think！If you plan on reading this book the revie The secret history of food was a great book written by Matt Siegel， This book shows behind the scenes and a little mo0re about the daily foods you eat today。 This book was really Amazon because you would never expect for any of these foods to be other than what they really are。 A huge takeaway for me from this book was the section were they talked about fast food and how some of there things were made and were they originated from， you would never think！If you plan on reading this book the reviews and rating definitely live up to it！ I have read this book twice now， and I still am shocked and so amazed about these foods and there true backgrounds and secrets。 。。。more
Kurt Pankau
，
What I expected based on the title was an overview of how food and culture interact broadly， maybe zooming in on a few well-known areas。 Food history is fascinating， as different societies are constantly innovating on and appropriating from each other and adapting recipes to their own staples and available seasonings。 But that's not at all what this book is。 Instead， it's a series of unrelated essays about the esoteric histories behind a handful of specific foods。 Which is not in and of itself a What I expected based on the title was an overview of how food and culture interact broadly， maybe zooming in on a few well-known areas。 Food history is fascinating， as different societies are constantly innovating on and appropriating from each other and adapting recipes to their own staples and available seasonings。 But that's not at all what this book is。 Instead， it's a series of unrelated essays about the esoteric histories behind a handful of specific foods。 Which is not in and of itself a bad thing。 But it ultimately wasn't very satisfying。 There was no narrative through-line and no sense of top-level organization working towards a larger thesis。 Even within chapters， the information seemed to spill rather than flow。 And while it appears to be well-researched and sourced， the tone is awfully snarky。 I get that the author was trying to make the work entertaining and accessible， but something about it rubbed me the wrong way--and this was probably exacerbated by the audiobook narrator's use of accents and funny voices。So， overall， there's some interesting stuff in here， but I didn't care for the presentation。 。。。more
Zev
，
I thought this would focus on different foods than it did。 Some things I already knew， but the book quoted other works on those things more thoroughly。 The book seems largely built out of others and has heaps of footnotes。 "Stoned" is a nonfiction book about jewelry by Aja Raden。 It also quotes other sources as well and has copious footnotes， but hers are far more chatty and interesting in physical book form。 I read it once a year。 Please don't read it as an ebook; it'll drive you nuts。 She enco I thought this would focus on different foods than it did。 Some things I already knew， but the book quoted other works on those things more thoroughly。 The book seems largely built out of others and has heaps of footnotes。 "Stoned" is a nonfiction book about jewelry by Aja Raden。 It also quotes other sources as well and has copious footnotes， but hers are far more chatty and interesting in physical book form。 I read it once a year。 Please don't read it as an ebook; it'll drive you nuts。 She encourages people to read other books too and is open about her research methods， whereas this author does not。 I don't doubt his research; he just approaches it differently。 The author doesn't seem interested in writing exactly， but quoting other sources。 It felt like a long seminar course at university with a professor who was worried about being bored。 The blurb warns parts of the book are disgusting。 Yeah， but it happens less frequently than I thought。 This is a great example of why trigger warnings and content warnings should be advertised on blurbs and in copy regularly。CW/TW: The bran cereal guy sexually abused female patients; rites of passage from other cultures that would make a Westerner （me） squeamish; the gross things foods are filled with in modern day and age。The book doesn't end with a conclusion。 The author increasingly quotes statistics for paragraphs at a time near the end。 The structure of the book is not great。 Still glad I read this。 Over half the book is footnotes and acknowledgments， so this does seem like a quick read despite page count。 。。。more
David
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3。5 stars。 The author does rant a lot。 That said， he covers the topic of food in an entertaining way。 The book is a lot shorter than it seems， because of the extensive notes and references。 He covers topics such as honey and how the taste changes based on what the bees were eating: poison oak in 80% of American samples， cola-flavored near theme parks， and in one case in NYC， green from antifreeze。"You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar"- not necessarily。 Depends on the age and 3。5 stars。 The author does rant a lot。 That said， he covers the topic of food in an entertaining way。 The book is a lot shorter than it seems， because of the extensive notes and references。 He covers topics such as honey and how the taste changes based on what the bees were eating: poison oak in 80% of American samples， cola-flavored near theme parks， and in one case in NYC， green from antifreeze。"You catch more flies with honey than you do with vinegar"- not necessarily。 Depends on the age and gender of the fly。 Flies are more attracted to beer than to either honey or vinegar。There's an entire chapter devoted to chile peppers。 There's a fascinating chapter on how the proliferation of food choices has lowered consumer satisfaction。The author can get annoying， but I'm glad I read this。 。。。more
Cindi Whittaker
，
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of the book。I enjoy reading stories that explain food history and eating habits so this book started out well。 There are many interesting facts and stories as well as crazy myths throughout。 If you enjoy Alton Brown's Good Eats tv shows or books this will give you some great additional information and humor but I found the repeated cynical remarks about the development of agriculture were distracting from the good stuff。 I mean， maybe the Unabomber did have a few Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC of the book。I enjoy reading stories that explain food history and eating habits so this book started out well。 There are many interesting facts and stories as well as crazy myths throughout。 If you enjoy Alton Brown's Good Eats tv shows or books this will give you some great additional information and humor but I found the repeated cynical remarks about the development of agriculture were distracting from the good stuff。 I mean， maybe the Unabomber did have a few good arguments？ Really？ I skimmed a bit more but could not seem to regain interest。 Perhaps a book to read in short stretches。 。。。more
Rachel
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I'm fascinated by food customs over the centuries。 This one was really well done， especially his humorous side comments。 You don't need to have any background in food to appreciate this。 I'm fascinated by food customs over the centuries。 This one was really well done， especially his humorous side comments。 You don't need to have any background in food to appreciate this。 。。。more
bijoy prasad
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This is a wonderful book， i really enjoyed reading。Regards，Aboe This is a wonderful book， i really enjoyed reading。Regards，Aboe 。。。more
Patricia Baker
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quick read book about foods that we know and eat。 some of the info was already known to me。 did enjoy the chapter on apples and apple pie。 found it interesting that the thin crust on pies are due to the lack of wheat available to early americans settlers。 new info about humble pie。。cannot imagine eating a pie with the leftovers from less than desirable animal parts。
Reading Our Shelves
，
See full review at: https://readingourshelves。com/2021/08。。。This was a quirky book I found randomly on NetGalley。 It was a short and fun read， with ten chapters covering:How the history of food/agriculture is intertwined with human history， pie， cereal， corn， honey， vanilla/ice cream， celebrations surrounding food and drink， having too many choices， chili peppers， and how we fall prey to misconceptions about （or willful mislabeling of） the foods we eat。Some of my favorites were the sweet chapter See full review at: https://readingourshelves。com/2021/08。。。This was a quirky book I found randomly on NetGalley。 It was a short and fun read， with ten chapters covering:How the history of food/agriculture is intertwined with human history， pie， cereal， corn， honey， vanilla/ice cream， celebrations surrounding food and drink， having too many choices， chili peppers， and how we fall prey to misconceptions about （or willful mislabeling of） the foods we eat。Some of my favorites were the sweet chapters， like the ones on pie and ice cream。 For example， did you know that ice cream’s popularity in the U。S。 skyrocketed during prohibition？ Apparently， we needed an alternative method of drowning our sorrows。 And ice cream became a staple of soldiers’ diets during WWII – good for both fast calories and boosting morale。The chapter on chili peppers was also entertaining， as it basically points out the craziness of doing things that hurt us。 Various kinds of peppers were used in early agricultural days to keep animals out of the crops – by planting them around the perimeter， the would-be pests would encounter the hot peppers first， and turn the other way。 And yet， we eat them on purpose。 Are we just adrenaline junkies， or do we feel we have something to prove？The last chapter is a bummer， though， as it gets into how much of our food is mislabeled， not as healthy as it claims， or doesn’t get inspected as much as it should。 Specifically， vitamins and seafood are often not what they purport to be。The book is so meticulously researched， though， that the footnotes take up HALF of the length。 So， as I said earlier， it’s a quick romp to get through the ten chapters。 。。。more
Cheryl
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Very interesting book about the reasons we eat some food and old food practices。
Diane Hernandez
，
If you， like me， are constantly googling random things as questions come up， you will love The Secret History of Food。 It provides more in-depth information than Wikipedia。 Luckily， it also goes off in weird tangents and down deep rabbit holes when an intriguing side fact is found。Here is an example。 Why is vanilla slang for something plain and white？ Vanilla is blackish-brown and relatively expensive。 This leads through the obvious “for rich or royals” origin story of ice cream。 Then to Prohibi If you， like me， are constantly googling random things as questions come up， you will love The Secret History of Food。 It provides more in-depth information than Wikipedia。 Luckily， it also goes off in weird tangents and down deep rabbit holes when an intriguing side fact is found。Here is an example。 Why is vanilla slang for something plain and white？ Vanilla is blackish-brown and relatively expensive。 This leads through the obvious “for rich or royals” origin story of ice cream。 Then to Prohibition where breweries and distilleries switched from alcohol to ice cream—setting Americans up for a new addiction。 Ice cream impacted both world wars。 During the 1950s， Castro was busy smuggling it into Cuba for his own use。Vanilla is just one of nine food-focused chapters。 Pie， honey， cereal， corn， chili peppers， tomatoes， holiday festivals， and fast food are also discussed。The Secret History of Food is an interesting and unique look into how food impacts both our lives and those of our ancestors。 I enjoyed learning new secrets about food。 4 stars！Thanks to Ecco and NetGalley for a copy in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Alicia Williams
，
I enjoyed the stories in this history of food。 There's quite a bit of well-researched background on food。 I was disappointed there were no illustrations。 There are so many wonderful food-oriented vintage ads and images that the book would have really benefitted from their inclusion。 It isn't quite as captivating as a Mary Roach book but it will likely be enjoyed by her fans。 I could see it being used in a school library for targeted research as well。Thanks to the author and NetGalley for letting I enjoyed the stories in this history of food。 There's quite a bit of well-researched background on food。 I was disappointed there were no illustrations。 There are so many wonderful food-oriented vintage ads and images that the book would have really benefitted from their inclusion。 It isn't quite as captivating as a Mary Roach book but it will likely be enjoyed by her fans。 I could see it being used in a school library for targeted research as well。Thanks to the author and NetGalley for letting me read an advance reader copy of The Secret History of Food。 。。。more
Book Club of One
，
I received a Free digital ARC of this book via NetGalley。The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat by Matt Siegel explores many of the common foods of the contemporary American diet。 Across 10 chapters， Siegel explores both contemporary understanding of nutrition or psychologically of eating as well as the historic through the work of food historians or paleoanthropologist。 Full of factoids， tangents that are informative but feel like they should I received a Free digital ARC of this book via NetGalley。The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat by Matt Siegel explores many of the common foods of the contemporary American diet。 Across 10 chapters， Siegel explores both contemporary understanding of nutrition or psychologically of eating as well as the historic through the work of food historians or paleoanthropologist。 Full of factoids， tangents that are informative but feel like they should’ve been reined in as they wander a bit too much。 Some sections felt more akin to an article like one would find on Cracked。com。 Or perhaps a better comparison for the weaker chapters would be if Chuck Klosterman （Author of Sex Drugs and CocoPuffs） wrote a book about food。 Interesting and occasionally thought provoking， but also verbose and meandering。 Which in some ways is a shame， because sections of some of the chapters are fascinating。 Such as in the development of the modern pie or how our parents taste in foods could be an inherited trait。Parts of this book will certainly appeal to those who look at their pantry or grocery store and wonder how our food got to be this way。 A more clearly organized exploration of contemporary foods that keeps much of the snarky humor to the footnotes can be found in The Secret Life of Groceries: The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket by Benjamin Lorr。 。。。more
Alissa
，
If this book were a meal， it would be dry， whole-wheat toast （Plain - no butter， jam， or spread of any sort） and room temperature water （hold the ice and lemon slice）。 I suppose that diagnosis is a tad harsh， but it's Wednesday， it's already been a weird week， and I was just really looking forward to reading something equally fun and informative。。。and when I saw this came in for me at the library， I was all YAY。。。and then came the disappointment。 So yeah， I guess I expected something WAY differe If this book were a meal， it would be dry， whole-wheat toast （Plain - no butter， jam， or spread of any sort） and room temperature water （hold the ice and lemon slice）。 I suppose that diagnosis is a tad harsh， but it's Wednesday， it's already been a weird week， and I was just really looking forward to reading something equally fun and informative。。。and when I saw this came in for me at the library， I was all YAY。。。and then came the disappointment。 So yeah， I guess I expected something WAY different。 More of a browsable， user-friendly format。。。with pictures and fun facts and colorful sidebars containing amusing anecdotes and freaky facts。 This was the opposite of that。 。。。more
Annie
，
Let me begin by saying that Matt Siegel has done an incredible amount of research into the secret history of food。 This book was quite an undertaking - he presents very obscure factoids and history about our everyday foods。 But let me describe how it feels to read this book - buckle up and put your helmet on because you are in for a frenetic ride through history。 The chapters go through so many rabbit holes， I felt I needed bread crumbs to find my way back to the topic。 The writing reminded me o Let me begin by saying that Matt Siegel has done an incredible amount of research into the secret history of food。 This book was quite an undertaking - he presents very obscure factoids and history about our everyday foods。 But let me describe how it feels to read this book - buckle up and put your helmet on because you are in for a frenetic ride through history。 The chapters go through so many rabbit holes， I felt I needed bread crumbs to find my way back to the topic。 The writing reminded me of that annoying work colleague who always gives you a long-winded， much too detailed （and TMI） answer to your basic question。 I also could only read one chapter at a time because I felt like I ate a 5 course meal and needed to digest。 I also don't recommend reading this anytime near meal time -- there are many moments where I lost my appetite。 I do give the author a lot of credit for all the research - and if you are looking for interesting tidbits about food （with all the caveats above）， then I would recommend this book。 。。。more
Lindsay Nixon
，
This book might have suffered from the narrator… I found it surprisingly boring and dry… The organization might have also been the problem。 IDK， interesting topic but didn’t work for me。
Kristine
，
The Secret History of Food by Matt Siegel is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early August。Siegel's book covers such topics as the eating preferences of people that sometimes following them from the womb; exposing raw ingredients to heat to make them more palatable; its historic and social significance， global perspectives， stats and case studies， feasting and celebrating， changes in our vocabulary， as well as customization and the future of certain dishes。 The Secret History of Food by Matt Siegel is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early August。Siegel's book covers such topics as the eating preferences of people that sometimes following them from the womb; exposing raw ingredients to heat to make them more palatable; its historic and social significance， global perspectives， stats and case studies， feasting and celebrating， changes in our vocabulary， as well as customization and the future of certain dishes。 。。。more
Susan
，
As much as I am a fan of sarcasm， even I have an acceptable limit and this book surpassed that。 The constant interjection of comments got in the way of enjoying the interesting information provided。 It was overwhelming and distracting。 I assume the author thought this added to the telling of the stories but instead it came across as him thinking himself quite clever。 Just like an obnoxious guy at the bar， it ruined what could have been a good time。 Between the various eye roll inducing comments， As much as I am a fan of sarcasm， even I have an acceptable limit and this book surpassed that。 The constant interjection of comments got in the way of enjoying the interesting information provided。 It was overwhelming and distracting。 I assume the author thought this added to the telling of the stories but instead it came across as him thinking himself quite clever。 Just like an obnoxious guy at the bar， it ruined what could have been a good time。 Between the various eye roll inducing comments， however， there was a lot of fascinating information。 If only there were an edited version for people who want the secrets without so much sarcasm。 Thanks to NetGalley and Ecco for a copy of the book。 This review is my own opinion。 。。。more
Katie Mac
，
I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。3。5， rounded up because I'll read anything about food。 As evidenced by the massive amounts of citations （which encompass almost half the book）， this is well-researched and comprehensive in the subjects about which Siegel chooses to write。 The chapters are kind of scattered， but the information contained within is interesting and， at times， darkly funny--including a horrifying bit about the USDA and FDA。 It goes quick I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。3。5， rounded up because I'll read anything about food。 As evidenced by the massive amounts of citations （which encompass almost half the book）， this is well-researched and comprehensive in the subjects about which Siegel chooses to write。 The chapters are kind of scattered， but the information contained within is interesting and， at times， darkly funny--including a horrifying bit about the USDA and FDA。 It goes quickly （see: half the book being footnotes）， so pick this up if you love Gastropod and other shows， movies， and books about food。 。。。more
oohlalabooks
，
I expected this to be something different， it is written in a textbook manner with interesting facts。 Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher。 This is my honest review。
R。L。 Bailey
，
There's some interesting things buried in between long quotes from centuries ago。 The author seems to look down on everyone and everything which makes this a pretty bummer of a read for something you'd think would be fun。 There's some interesting things buried in between long quotes from centuries ago。 The author seems to look down on everyone and everything which makes this a pretty bummer of a read for something you'd think would be fun。 。。。more
Marc
，
Siegel offers a fun if random review of food and nutrition facts。 Each chapter has a proposed focus beginning with the mechanism of swallowing， then moving into pies， cereal， corn， honey， and vanilla， detouring into a section on gluttony and one on choices， then back to food with a discussion on chili peppers， and closing with a chapter ostensibly on tomatoes but actually about US government recommendations， guidelines， and oversight。 Each chapter is bursting with factoids， trivia， historical ac Siegel offers a fun if random review of food and nutrition facts。 Each chapter has a proposed focus beginning with the mechanism of swallowing， then moving into pies， cereal， corn， honey， and vanilla， detouring into a section on gluttony and one on choices， then back to food with a discussion on chili peppers， and closing with a chapter ostensibly on tomatoes but actually about US government recommendations， guidelines， and oversight。 Each chapter is bursting with factoids， trivia， historical accounts， scientific explanations， and data that range all over the map。 The section on corn includes a diversion about vampires， the chapter on vanilla is actually about ice cream （and its role in military campaigns）， and sometimes Siegel seems to lose the thread of the chapter。 There's an extraordinary number of footnotes and citations， and even the most outlandish claims appear to have some source of support。 I also have to give Siegel props for （often） noting when the research is uncertain or there's reason for skepticism。Siegel is a fun writer who keeps the information and stories flowing with occasional humorous asides and lots of memorable anecdotes。 What this book lacks is any sense of structure or organization: there's no opening or introductory chapter that offers a framework for what follows， nor is there a conclusion that brings everything together。 As evidenced by the chapter layout described above， the reader is never quite sure where Spiegel is going or why， and his detours sometimes go completely off track to the point that a different chapter title was necessary。While disorganized books can be infuriating， this one isn't。 The stories and facts are intriguing， so it comes across more like the class of an entertaining but absent-minded professor who has a wealth of knowledge but becomes so enamored by his teaching that he forgets what the class is about。 I'll take that class any day。Thanks to NetGalley for offering a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Jacquie
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 "The Secret History of Food is a rich and satisfying exploration of the historical， cultural， scientific， sexual， and， yes， culinary subcultures of this most essential realm。 [Matt] Siegel is an armchair Anthony Bourdain， armed not with a chef’s knife but with knowledge derived from medieval food-related manuscripts， ancient Chinese scrolls， and obscure culinary journals。 Funny and fascinating， The Secret History of Food is essential reading for all foodies。"I enjoyed this fast-paced entertainin "The Secret History of Food is a rich and satisfying exploration of the historical， cultural， scientific， sexual， and， yes， culinary subcultures of this most essential realm。 [Matt] Siegel is an armchair Anthony Bourdain， armed not with a chef’s knife but with knowledge derived from medieval food-related manuscripts， ancient Chinese scrolls， and obscure culinary journals。 Funny and fascinating， The Secret History of Food is essential reading for all foodies。"I enjoyed this fast-paced entertaining book！ Fun reading as well as educational。 I learned new things about common food items， such as pie， corn， honey and vanilla。 Who knew that corn is virtually in everything we eat and consume？ Some of it turned my stomach as well （"New York City transit employees sprinkled chili powder on turnstile slots in hopes of keeping teenagers from sucking out used subway tokens。。。。"）。Well-researched。 Highly recommend！Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review。 This book will be released 31 August 2021。 。。。more
Debbie
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Anytime you read a book about food you either， A， get hungry or B， decide you’ll never eat certain things again。 This one falls into the second category on many levels。 I learned so many things while reading this book！ It contains facts of how certain foods or brands were invented and information on the leaders in the food industry。 If you enjoy knowing what you is going into the food that you are putting in your mouth this book is for you！ I really enjoyed most of it and appreciate the work tha Anytime you read a book about food you either， A， get hungry or B， decide you’ll never eat certain things again。 This one falls into the second category on many levels。 I learned so many things while reading this book！ It contains facts of how certain foods or brands were invented and information on the leaders in the food industry。 If you enjoy knowing what you is going into the food that you are putting in your mouth this book is for you！ I really enjoyed most of it and appreciate the work that went into it。 I received nothing in return for an honest review for NetGalley。 。。。more
Kathleen Gray
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