The Secret History of Food is exactly what it says it is, but with added humor. Who knew history could be so entertaining? If you love food and you find facts about food fascinating, this is the book for you! A lot of facts inside will surprise you, but only because we assume we know certain things about foods. If you want fun and factual, this is for you! I truly cannot recommend The Secret History of Food enough! Foodies unite!

I did not expect that I would laugh out loud from a book about the history of different foods but here we are! Absolutely fabulous, I really enjoyed the origin stories about different foods, or interesting this-bits related to them. I like that each chapter really focused on a specific type of food or ingredient, instead of being some academic overview of all of food history. Also I really loved the authors sense of humor - definitely recommend!

Funny and irreverent, while also being filled with trivia and facts, The Secret History of Food entertains and educates all at the same time. Siegel integrates an impressive number of sources into his work (so many that roughly half of the pages are dedicated to notes) and intersperses quotes readily. However, these sources don’t distract from the cleverly-made points within the chapters, but rather serve to enhance the content. I learned so much while reading, and I will have to read the book again to retain even more information, because it was so densely packed with interesting information.

This book was so much and had so much random trivia and fun facts about food that you would not have given a second thought to. The author clearly has a passion for food too. I was disappointed when this seemed to abruptly end because there are 50+ pages of references/citing sources, but it did not bother me; just wish the actual content would have been a little longer because I was enjoying the fun facts.

Recommended for people who love food, love to cook and enjoy trivia.

Thanks to Netgalley, Matt Siegel and Ecco for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Available: 8/31/21

The Secret History of Food is my kind of food. I love learning trivia in context and this does just that. Matt Siegel spins a story about the progression of food: what we eat, why, and the larger issues that surround it. From why we like McDonalds, to the rise of corn, the multitude of reasons the body wasn’t meant to eat chili peppers, and on to the physical and psychological effect of choice and variety (or lack there of) in the foods we eat, this book fits so much in a small package. I wish I could have gone a little more in depth on a few topics but that’s not what this was meant as. It did as it was intended to do: it wet my appetite for the history of what we eat and why and provided so much food for thought at the store. I hope you give it a shot and learn as much as I did. As my roommate could attest, I loved the book and the usual facts and humorous writing contained within.

Interesting, fun and well written. This is the sort of nonfiction that's quite entertaining, and it seems well researched. I was surprised to reach the end when I was just over halfway through the book because the footnote section is so long. A fun read.

I read a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Reviewed: June 1, 2021
Pub Date: August 31, 2021

I really enjoyed this book. I feel that I know a lot about food, but this one took us on a humorous journey in to all the secrets of what we consume on a daily basis. While most of the chapters were very interesting, some were somewhat long and seemed a little repetitive. I would highly suggest this book, however, for a different perspective on what we eat and how that effects the world around us.

This was such a fun humorous, informative, exciting book! I thoroughly enjoyed reading about this topic. I loved learning about food and their origins. It’s disconcerting reading some of the nutritional facts, but it helps me make more informed choices when it comes food shopping and what my family consumes. Highly recommended.

Some chapters were really interesting (like the ones about fast food and food styling), other chapters I found a little too textbook-like. Thanks so much to NetGalley and Ecco for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review!

This book presents an interesting, humorous overview of the origins of some of our most popular foods. Some of the things I learned include:

-Vanilla is extremely hard to harvest (might have to rethink labeling ordinary things as "vanilla")
-The founder of Kellogg's cereal was a crackpot
-We consume a lot more corn products than we think (seriously, most everything has corn in it)
-The United States is powered by apple pie and ice cream
-Historically, people have eaten A LOT of weird things. Rich people particularly liked to flaunt their wealth by dumping exotic spices (and even gold) into their meals, no matter the resulting taste.

In short, this is a great, easy to follow book for fans of food and history alike.

As someone who spends a lot of time thinking about food (eating it, preparing it, shopping for it), I'm always up to read more about it. This book covered some things I'd read about previously (fast food) and some things I hadn't (corn and honey), but the book as a whole was entertaining and educating. I like the author's witty writing style (the aphrodisiac list had me laughing), though not everything was fun--there are some hard truths about the food we eat and how we get that food that aren't pretty. Even the less-fun information (the FDA & USDA are the bureaucratic nightmare you'd expect) is enlightening enough that you might find yourself reading bits aloud to whoever's nearby. As a pie-lover I especially enjoyed reading about the history of pies. This would be a great addition to any food lovers bookshelf, also recommended for libraries that would like to expand their food histories.

The Secret History of Food is a must-read for foodies and historians alike! Matt Siegel interjects humor with true and frightening details about our food - both past and present. I dare say I will never look at honey or tuna the same way. If you want to impress your friends with newfound trivia at your first post-pandemic dinner party, be sure to grab up this book as soon as it hits shelves in August!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of The Secret History of Food.

In a fascinating, amusing, and, yes, horrifying narrative, the author discusses some of the most popular foods in American culture; apple pie, tomatoes and vanilla, just to name a few and dispels myths about their origins.

He also reminds us about the future of food consumption and production. Spoiler: it's not good. Really, really not good.

I really enjoyed the chapter on chilies since I don't like spicy foods but I do love horror movies. I believe there is a correlation, based on the author's research.

I also liked the background on what the USDA and FDA do, which is too much with too little resources which explains the upheaval in our food and drug industries in regards to labeling, safety, and spastic guidelines on healthy eating that changes every year.

The secret behind The Secret History of Food is that nothing we eat is safe. Our ancestors had it better, food wise, not longevity wise since they could be eaten by a predator at any time.

My only caveat is there are too many pull quotes and excerpts from texts and articles. I really don't need to read the entire jingle from an old Burger King commercial.

This is a great book, well written and well researched, and not just for foodies, but anyone who wants to learn more about what they put in their bodies.

This isn't the faint of heart (some of the facts are gross and disturbing yet not new if you're educated about the state of our supply chain and food production) but as the author notes, we're a hardy species.

And, hopefully, we'll just get stronger. Fingers crossed!

As a nutrition professional, there was not a whole lot of new information that was presented in this book, although I did still enjoy reading it and the facts were very fun and interesting. I think that if I came from a different background I would have learned a lot more and rated this 4-stars.

(Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC in exchange for a honest review.)

Who doesn’t enjoy learning facts about favorite foods? This book is sure to become a favorite of food and trivia buffs everywhere!

Food is a fascinating topic. It's a foundational aspect of our lives, but it's also something that all of our ancestors have needed in order to survive as well. This book covers everything from the origins of modern day cereal to how pie may have contributed to the founding of the United States. Siegel ponders the irony of seeking out capsaicin (the component that leads to the burning sensation in spicy foods) when its purpose is to deter mammals from eating the plant in the first place, and he pulls back the veil on popular cooking ingredients such as olive oil. Though food has an ancient history, Siegel covers its more recent history, not going back much further than the last 1000 years or so.

There is a wry tone throughout the book as some of the history described here is dark and rather tragic. There are also some truly comical moments like the descriptions of how much Americans liked pie, much to the confusion of our British counterparts. There were plenty of interesting stories that kept me hooked all the way through, but I felt like the book ended abruptly. There was a little bit of a wrap up in the last few paragraphs in the final chapter, but it might have been nice to have a shorter chapter that tied everything together.

Overall, this is a really good read for anyone has an interest in food, where it comes from, and how it affects us today. It's entertaining, but also thought-provoking. I look forward to reading Siegel's future work!

A big thanks to Matt Siegel, Ecco, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and honestly review this book!

This is such a wonderful book that I’m sorry I’ve finished it! THE SECRET HISTORY OF FOOD is stuffed with stories, anecdotes, warnings and just plain factoid-filled. Since much of what author Matt Siegel writes can seem unbelievable, almost half the book is devoted to footnotes and source documents. Siegel has a sense of the absurd and wonderful about everything humans have found to put in their mouths or rub on their bodies (or sell unsuspecting customers.) I loved every minute of this book and if he wants to write another, I’ll be waiting anxiously. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

The Secret History of Food: Strange but True Stories About the Origins of Everything We Eat by Matt Siegel is such a good food read. Amusing, intriguing, eye-opening, and just plain fun! I love reading about food history and this book made it fun. I highly recommend!

***** I received an ARC from NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my honest review. *****

Not for me. I read the history of different things as it fascinates me. This was good just not great. Wouldn’t recommend.

Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of information covered in this book. I didn't know a lot of the info beforehand, so I gained some insight and knowledge as a result of reading this book. I think that one of the major strengths was the writing style. It was easy to follow and engaging. At the same time, it retained an educational value that was marked by extensive research. It's obvious that the author is passionate and educated in this area. I am glad that I was able to have the chance to read about this subject.