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The Oxford Companion to Food

Third Edition

Alan Davidson
Edited by Tom Jaine

Oxford Companions

Over 3,000 entries on every possible food, its history, cultural significance, and culinary usage
Third edition of this international bestseller, which won numerous prizes and accolades around the world when first published in 1999
Retains the original spirit of the book (and almost all of Davidson's writing) while reviewing, updating, and adding to the text
Almost 200 beautiful line drawings, which are enhanced by a two-colour text design

New to this Edition:

Includes over 40 new entries on topics such as anthropology and food, genetics and food, kitchens, Mediterranean diet, obesity, and sociology and food
Over 200 entries have been updated, including additives, cupcake, markets, and monosodium glutamate
New biographical entries on important personalities such as Henri Nestlé, Clarence Robert Birdseye, and Louis Pasteur
End-of-entry bibliographies have been reviewed and expanded
While Alan Davidson's superb prose has been preserved in full, hundreds of entries have been sensitively updated to ensure the Companion remains up to date and relevant to food studies today

The Oxford Companion to Food

Third Edition

Alan Davidson
Edited by Tom Jaine

Description

the best food reference work ever to appear in the English language ... read it and be dazzled'
Bee Wilson, New Statesman

First published in 1999, the ground-breaking Oxford Companion to Food was an immediate success and won prizes and accolades around the world. Its blend of serious food history, culinary expertise, and entertaining serendipity, was and remains unique.

Interest in food, cooking, and the culture surrounding food has grown enormously in the intervening period, as has the study of food and food history. University departments, international societies, and academic journals have sprung up dedicated to exploring the meaning of food in the daily lives of people around the world, alongside an ever-increasing number of articles, books, programmes, and websites in the general media devoted to the discussion of food, making the Oxford Companion to Food more relevant than ever.

Already a food writing classic, this Companion combines an exhaustive catalogue of foods, be they biscuits named after battles, divas or revolutionaries; body parts (from nose to tail, toe to cerebellum); or breads from the steppes of Asia or the well-built ovens of the Mediterranean; with a richly allusive commentary on the culture of food, expressed in literature and cookery books, or as dishes peculiar to a country or community.

While building on the Companion's existing strengths, Tom Jaine has taken the opportunity to update the text and alert readers to new perspectives in food studies. There is new coverage of attitudes to food consumption, production and perception, such as food and genetics, food and sociology, and obesity. New entries include terms such as convenience foods, drugs and food, Ethiopia, leftovers, medicine and food, pasta, and many more. There are also new entries on important personalities who are of special significance within the world of food, among them Clarence Birdseye, Henri Nestlé, and Louis Pasteur.

In its new edition the Companion maintains its place as the foremost food reference resource for study and home use.

The Oxford Companion to Food

Third Edition

Alan Davidson
Edited by Tom Jaine

Oxford Companions

The Oxford Companion to Food

Third Edition

Alan Davidson
Edited by Tom Jaine

Oxford Companions

Author Information

Alan Davidson

Edited by Tom Jaine

AUTHOR Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service - after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador - to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are North Atlantic Seafood and Mediterrranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.

EDITOR Tom Jaine is an independent writer and publisher, specializing in food and food history. He is the author of numerous books, including Cooking in the Country, Making Bread at Home, and Traditional Country House Cooking. He frequently writes for The Times, The Guardian, the Sunday Telegraph, the Evening Standard, and many magazines and journals. He was editor of The Good Food Guide from 1989 to 1994, has presented 'The Food Programme' on Radio 4, and has participated in discussions of food on radio and television.

The Oxford Companion to Food

Third Edition

Alan Davidson
Edited by Tom Jaine

Oxford Companions

Reviews and Awards

"bought up to date for a new generation of food lovers." - The Countryman

"Every chef should have this immensely interesting reference tome" - Daily Express

"every food lover should have a copy" - Christopher Hirst, Book of the Year 2014, Independent

"The formost food reference resource" - Cake Craft and Decoration

"Open any page and luxuriate in Davidsons wisdom and wit" - Best books of the year 2014, Guardian

"funny and illuminating in equal measure" - The Taster

"Widely regarded as the best food reference book in the world." - Tom Shingler, Great British Food

"The wondrousness of this reference book ... cannot be overstated" - Olive Magazine

"There's nothing else like it. It's an encyclopaedia of food that manages to be both erudite and witty and utterly engrossing. I can't stop reading it. If you haven't come across this book yet, you're missing out." - Delicious Magazine

"Stern discipline has to be exercised when using The Oxford Companion to Food for reference purposes. A clear warning should be printed at the beginning advising those who consult it that whole mornings can easily be frittered away, as the reading of an entry relevant to one's topic of research leads facinatingly to a chain of others, not quite so pertinent ... The Companion remains an erudite and essential volume for anyone seriously interested in food." - Lizzie Collingham, The Times Literary Supplement

"The Companion remains an erudite and essential volume for anyone seriously interested in food." - Times Literary Supplement

"The greatest food reference book in existence, The Oxford Companion to Food, is back for a third edition, wonderfully edited as ever by Tom Jaine. From aardvark to zwieback (a German rusk), this delectable, elegant and learned tome has it all. Despite 43 new entries, as well as 250 amendments and alterations, the wit, erudition and eclecticism of Alan Davidson's original masterpiece remain." - Tom Parker Bowles, Mail on Sunday

"Whether looking up a particular article, reading articles out loud on a rainy afternoon ... or opening a random page to see where it will take me, the guide entertains and educates. Its a great addition to the bookshelf and my first destination for food-related information." - Caroline von Schmalensee, Edinburgh Foodie

"in 'The Oxford Companion to Food' I'm detecting a certain dry humour as well which makes it very enjoyable to read." - Hayley Anderton, Shiny New Books

"It is a book that no serious foodie should be without..." - Helen Peacocke, Oxford Times

"Packed with fascinating facts and random information." - Chocablog

The Oxford Companion to Food

Third Edition

Alan Davidson
Edited by Tom Jaine

Oxford Companions

From Our Blog

Thanksgiving traditions from Oxford University Press [slideshow]

To celebrate Thanksgiving this year, we've asked Oxford employees to share their holidays traditions. Referencing The Oxford Companion to Food, we put together a slideshow of fun food facts to accompany some of our favorite traditions.

Posted on November 23, 2017

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Around the world in spices and herbs

On supermarket shelves, we are given a mind-numbing array of choices to select from. Shall we have some peppercorns on our macaroni, some cinnamon for baking, or a bit of rosemary with roast pork? Five hundred years ago, however, cooking with herbs and spices was a much simpler choice.

Posted on July 27, 2016

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A smorgasbord of Christmas foods

In many parts of the world, Christmas does not lack in spirit or rich flavors. Though sweets are a major highlight to this festive holiday, there are quite a few notable savory foods to consider. As you are sitting down to your third helping of turkey, take a look through just some of the Christmas foods people will be eating this year.

Posted on December 25, 2014

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A holiday food tour

With the holiday season upon us, many of us are busy in our kitchens cooking secret family recipes and the season's favorite delicacies. Looking at the delicious options in The Oxford Companion to Food, we compiled a list of various holiday specialties and treats from around the world that you may want to incorporate in your next holiday feast.

Posted on December 22, 2014

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A look at Thanksgiving favorites

What started as a simple festival celebrating the year's bountiful harvest has turned into an archetypal American holiday, with grand dinners featuring savory and sweet dishes alike. Thanksgiving foods have changed over the years, but there are still some iconic favorites that have withstood time.

Posted on November 27, 2014

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A map of the world's cuisine

With nearly 200 countries in the world, the vast number and variety of dishes is staggering, which goes to show just how diverse your food can get. Which countries' foods do you enjoy? Is there a particular characteristic of your favorite food that can't be found anywhere else? Explore (just some) of the world's different cuisines discussed in The Oxford Companion to Food, from Afghanistan to Yemen, with our interactive map.

Posted on October 27, 2014

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Nine types of meat you may have never tried

Sometimes what is considered edible is subject to a given culture or region of the world; what someone from Nicaragua would consider 'local grub' could be entirely different than what someone in Paris would eat. How many different types of meat have you experienced? Are there some types of meat you would never eat? Below are nine different types of meat, listed in The Oxford Companion to Food, that you may not have considered trying.

Posted on October 13, 2014

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What's your gut feeling?

There is an unquantifiable amount of different types of food across the world, ranging from lesser known edibles like elephant garlic and ship's biscuit to more familiar foods like chocolate and oranges. In the newly updated Oxford Companion to Food, readers will discover more than 3,000 comprehensive entries on every type of food imaginable, and a richly descriptive account of food culture around the world.

Posted on October 6, 2014

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