Bite-Sized History of France

A Bite-Sized History of France: Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War, and Enlightenment- Stéphane Hénaut & Jeni Mitchell
The New Press
Release Date: July 10, 2018

Rating:
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Synopsis: From the cassoulet that won a war to the crêpe that doomed Napoleon, from the rebellions sparked by bread and salt to the new cuisines forged by empire, the history of France is intimately entwined with its gastronomic pursuits. A witty exploration of the facts and legends surrounding some of the most popular French foods and wines by a French cheesemonger and an American academic, A Bite-Sized History of France tells the compelling and often surprising story of France from the Roman era to modern times. Traversing the cuisines of France’s most famous cities as well as its underexplored regions, this innovative social history explores the impact of war and imperialism, the age-old tension between tradition and innovation, and the enduring use of food to prop up social and political identities.

The origins of the most legendary French foods and wines—from Roquefort and cognac to croissants and Calvados, from absinthe and oysters to Camembert and champagne—also reveal the social and political trends that propelled France’s rise upon the world stage. They help explain France’s dark history of war and conquest, as well as its most enlightened cultural achievements and the political and scientific innovations that transformed human history. These gastronomic tales will edify even the most seasoned lovers of food, history and all things French.

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How do you explore and understand the history of a country like France, which prides itself on being a Mecca of fine foods and wines?  Through the development of its' foods and wines of course! What started as stories told by a French cheesemonger to try and convince his (non-French) wife that the cheeses he wanted her to try were not smelly and disgusting once you knew the story behind them eventually became A Bite-Sized History of France: Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War, and Enlightenment.

Told in small, bite-sized chapters, this book follows the history of France beginning with the Gauls and Romans to the modern day.  It explores the creation or increased popularity of foods from croissants to Camembert, seafoods to sauces.  Where did certain foods come from? Who are some dishes named after and why? What brought them to popularity?  Including both actual culinary history and the more apocryphal tales surrounding certain foods, Hénault and Mitchell provide entertaining and informative vignettes linking food and French history.  

The history is told with a witty, often tongue-in-cheek approach that should appeal to foodies more interested in the story behind their favorite wine than the history of France, and the weaving of food into history will give historians a new light to shine on what they thought they knew.  As the book does literally cover almost the entire history of France, reading it in bite-sized pieces will keep it fresh and interesting instead of gorging on the entire book at one sitting.

Witty, entertaining, and informative, A Bite-Sized History of France allows readers a delightful new look at their favorite foods and the political and global story behind them- and still being formed to this day.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review