Cake
Subtitle: a slice of history
By: Alysa Levene
Edition: First Pegasus Books hardcover edition.
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 303
ISBN-13: 9781605989273
Subjects: Cake; History
Description: Alysa Levene looks at cakes both ancient and modern, from the Fruit Cake, to the Pound Cake, from the ubiquitous birthday cake to the Angel Food Cake, all the way up to competitive baking shows on television and our modern obsession with macaroons and cup cakes. Along the way, she shows how cakes are so much more than just a delicious sugar hit, and reflects on how and why cakes became the food to eat in times of celebration. Cake reflects cultural differences, whether it is the changing role of women in the home, the expansion of global trade, and even advances in technology.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (pages 263-291) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction : What is a cake?; title: 2000 BC (Before Cake); title: The secret meaning of fruit cake; title: Butter, sugar, and slavery (or Queen Victoria's sandwich); title: Domestic goddesses; title: The cardboard wedding cake; title: The cake that travelled the world; title: A cake just for you; title: The original showstoppers; title: The feminist cupcake; title: Epilogue : A slice of history.