Food and Faith in Christian Culture (Arts and Traditions of the Table: Perspectives on Culinary History)
This excellent collection of essays shows the remarkable variety of ways in which food and meals have served to create and express identity for Christians. From the Middle Ages to the present, and from the Reformation to Orthodoxy to evangelicalism, contributors explore the diversity and the ubiquity of food's connection to faith.(The Revd Canon Andrew McGowan, Trinity College, The University of Melbourne)Ken Albala and Trudy Eden serve a delightful potpourri of thought-provoking and insightful essays. Widely separated in time and space, they are held together by common themes, such as bodily health, fasting, and commensality, and are peopled by a wild array of monks, noblemen, adventurers, bishops, vegetarians, medical professionals, Maoris, and missionaries, to name just a few. This much needed collection deserves to be widely read by anyone interested in food, history, and religion. Well-done!(Andrew F. SmithEating History: Thirty Turning Points in the Making of American Cuisine)Altogether, the essays are topical, well written, and stimulating. They nicely capture the diversity, nuance, and complexity surrounding the place and role of dietary practices in Christian culture.(Raymond A. MentzerCatholic Historical Review1900-01-00)