I started reading this the day I got it and just kept reading till I had finished. I didnt expect that ! I only stopped reading to tell the hubby some of the more gross sections in the book. Horrible Histories for adults is the nearest I can get. The downside ...I will be very wary about eating anything especially if it comes in a tin. The other stuff I can avoid but the canned goods scare me now,...... Did not expect this to be so entertaining or scary. Will buy this for my foodie friends, that will stop them preaching on about exotic foods.

I received an ARC from netgalley in exchange for my honest review.

This book was delightfully revolting! The author did a great job describing many dishes from around the world. She also made interesting points like how butchers used to display the carcasses in their windows but now diners want to dissociate what they're eating from an animal and want the meat packaged cleanly and in little clear packages.

Some of the most disgusting dishes were baby toes brawn and roast hedgehog (though cleverly cooked using clay to remove the spines).

A great cache of historical recipes and facts, but not for the faint or heart or weak of stomach. I would have loved pictures of these finished revolting dishes as well.

I was fortunate to be sent an arc of this book from NetGalley. The book was informative, describing various fads in food through the ages. From Russian diets to those of the Inuit, from Dickens to modern day food trends. Some recipes were revolting. A Champagne cocktail with a body part added!
For me, the book gave very few actual recipes, although “recipes” was in the title, I was expecting more than just the few given. I also found the chapter on how canning started, to be a bit long winded and boring. It would have been better if it had been shorter.
However the book does have amusing parts, and is worth a quick read.

This is exactly what I thought Andrew Zimmern’s show was supposed to be about – dishes that we may find strange but are considered the norm in other cultures (rather than the pursuit of testicles in every country). I was fascinated by the different items showcased, particularly sea gull eggs and badger, and the history behind their use. As mentioned in another review, there are not nearly enough recipes in this book but I still found it an interesting read.

This book goes through food that today we might find gross but historically was very popular. It was really interesting to see what used to be considered delicious and often why it fell out of favor. There weren’t as many recipes as I was expecting based on the title but it was still very interesting.