For thousands of years we have grown, cooked and traded food, and over that time
much has changed. Where once we subsisted on gritty, bland grains, we now enjoy
culinary creations and epicurean delights made with vegetables from the New Wor
ld, fish trawled from the deep sea, and flavoured with spices from the Orient. B
ut how did we make that change from eating for survival to the innovations of mo
dern cuisine? How has food helped to shape our culture? And what will happen whe
n global warming and peak oil have their inevitable effect on agriculture? "Empi
res of Food" is an authoritative exploration of the innumerable ways that food h
as changed the course of history.
