An irreverent, surprising, and entirely entertaining look at the little-known history surrounding the foods we know and love

Is 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. He even makes a well-argued case for how ice cream helped defeat the Nazis.

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. 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.

• We started tracking this book on July 27, 2021.
• This book was $14.99 when we started tracking it.
• The price of this book has changed 29 times in the past 1,429 days.
• The current price of this book is $2.99 last checked 8 hours ago.
• This book is at its lowest price in the past year.
• The lowest price to date was $1.99 last reached on October 12, 2023.
• This book has been $1.99 2 times since we started tracking it.
• The highest price to date was $15.99 last reached on June 7, 2025.
• This book has been $15.99 7 times since we started tracking it.

• Health, Fitness & DietingCounseling & PsychologyMental HealthMental Illness
• Cookbooks, Food & WineGastronomyHistory
• Cookbooks, Food & WineGastronomyEssays

• Publication Date: August 31, 2021
• Text-to-Speech: Disabled
• Lending: Disabled
• Print Length: 281 Pages
• File Size: 25 KB