:::I have skimmed Schwabe's book, but not read it. From what I've seen, it is not a serious study of food taboos  it is a fun book encouraging people to try different things. It's clear that there are a lot of people in the US who won't eat brains or even liver, and that there are a lot of people who don't eat any meats other than beef, pork, and chicken (not even lamb or veal, let alone rabbit or squab).  All this makes an interesting cultural study, no doubt.  But I think there's a difference between being conservative in one's food habits  eating only familiar foods  and considering something taboo, which implies a more categorical classification. Some of these same people would not eat Greek or Indian food, simply because it is unfamiliar or spicy.  Can we say then that there's a taboo against Greek or Indian food?