Intriguing Romp Through The History Of Food That Fails The Sagan Standard. One of the core features of the scientific method, and indeed of rational thought more generally, is what is known in some circles as the "Sagan Standard" after he quoted it so much: Extreme Claims Require Extreme Evidence.

And this is where this otherwise truly intriguing tale utterly fails, coming in at just 10% documentation despite claims as extreme *even in the prologue* as claiming that 90% of US milk production comes from a particular breed of cows and ultimately is the product of just two bulls that ultimately created that particular breed.

Reading the text as less science and history - even though much science and history are discussed - and more as the "creative nonfiction" Grescoe writes of once describing his writing to a security officer as, the book flows quite a bit better and provides quite a bit of interesting and intriguing nuggets for people of various persuasions to track down on their own. For example, the global histories Grescoe explores, from the Aztec culture of eating certain bugs to the Phonecian/ Mediterranean culture of eating very fermented fish to the Canadian First Nations' peoples' culinary pursuits and several others as well all provide rich stories that *beg* for a more documented history. On the other hand, if one is more gastronomically inclined ala the author, perhaps one simply wants to try to track down these particular foods and techniques for him or herself to sample these items as the author did - including a particular breed of pig that "originates" from a small island not far from where this reviewer lives on Florida's First Coast.

Ultimately, once one abandons any standard of documentation the way one would abandon any sense of "reality" upon entering a cinema to watch the latest MCU movie and appreciates the sheer spectacle of what is presented to you... this is a truly great book that foodies in particular will absolutely love. Given the literal hundreds of different shows about food and culinary pursuits, including several actively traveling around the world highlighting various dishes and techniques just as this book does... clearly there is a market for exactly this kind of tale, and this one does in fact appear to work perfectly within that market. Very much recommended.

This book got off to pretty rousing start discussing insects as food, I can;t ever imagine a future where I'll be doing that! Still, I am sure there are many foodies (and I know a few) who will relish the opportunity to sample themas a meal, or snack. OI am a fan of heirloom plants and have grown many of them in my small yard, so reading and learning about past foods is always interesting to read about. I've read about garum, but not with as much detail as given in theis book. The book is loaded with interesting stories of the authors search to find and sample some of the rarest old foods. I enjoyed the book and think foodies and food historians, and cooks will enjoy this book.

*This book was received as an Advanced Reviewer's Copy from NetGalley.

There's something very human about wanting to eat hard-to-find ingredients or unusual things. Maybe because the rarity indicates scarcity or prestige? Perhaps because rare things are rare precisely because they are so good and the supply has been used up? Grescoe explores some of these ingredients of antiquity in this book, ranging from insects to fermented fish.

I was particularly taken with garum. It was fascinating to read about the author's own experiments (I'm not sure I'd be brave enough to try what they did). How can a rotted fish (or fermented rather), be safe at those temperatures and preparation? Why were people so crazy over it that there were hundreds of factories? And why did it largely disappear if it was so good?

Of course, more than just fish was covered. There was a section on insects and their eggs (actually two sections), a bit about camas root, and even olive trees, among other ingredients. The author paid close attention to say why these food stuffs were rare, what human interaction and ecology played a part in, and what can be done, if anything to try to revamp these items. Unfortunately, due to how destructive we can be as a species, the outlook is sometimes bleak. But special attention is paid to show how people who do care about saving these items are working towards the future.

A very interest book, there are so many things I'd love to try after hearing about them now (maybe not the fish, I'm still skeptical), but know that some will be things I'll never get to experience, so I will have to leave to the imagination.

Review by M. Reynard 2023

In The Lost Supper, Taras Grescoe takes us on a journey as he describes his attempts to 'deindustrialize' his diet and to make the case that the world can benefit from traditional ecological knowledge (TEK). To do this, he takes a deep dive into foods of the past, travelling around the world to educate himself about what people ate in the past and what remains of that food today. He speaks to archaeologists, growers, chefs, and those who harvest various kinds of food. It's a fascinating and highly readable book. It's no secret that industrial food and the standard diet of most people in wealthy nations in not healthy for people or the environment, but the facts as he lays them out are still startling. For example, in his Prologue, he says that 9 out of 10 gallons of milk in the US 'now comes from freakishly productive Holstein-Friesian cows, all of which are descended from only two bulls.' He also makes the point that our diets are far more limited now than they were in the past. 'At a single 23,000-year-old site in Africa's Rift Valley, archaeologists have found evidence that Paleolithic foragers feasted on 20 small and large animals, 16 families of birds, and 140 different kinds of fruit, nuts, seeds, and legumes, a diet drawn from wetland, savannah, woodland, and desert food webs' (also from the Prologue--there were no page numbers in my copy). Obviously, the human diet is far less varied today. Grescoe is not making the argument that agriculture is bad, nor is he saying the 'paleo diet' fad is good. Industrial agriculture as it is currently practiced is problematic and the Paleo diet has nothing to do with the reality of what Paleolithic populations ate. Rather, he is making the case that we need to expand our options and take lessons from what and how people ate in the past for our own health and that of the environment in which we live. What he found in his travels, though, was a mixed bag--sometimes the stories were hopeful, but sometimes they were not.

He went to Mexico City to discover and taste some bugs that used to be a staple food, but now, due to development, the bugs are hard to come by and very expensive to buy, thus putting them out of reach for those without the money to spend on such delicacies. When he visited his hometown on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, he talked to the indigenous population who have been denied access to their own Native foods for centuries. One man dubbed this 'food warfare' which is a good way to put it. Without traditional Native foods, people became reliant on empty calories, white flour, sugar, etc and health deteriorated. This is a common situation worldwide. On the more hopeful side, he visited some cheese makers in the UK who were building a successful business making cheese that is good for people, the cows, and the land. These are just a few examples the author focuses on--there are many more, each one quite fascinating.

I loved this book. Not only did I learn about foods I'd never heard of, but also about the locations where these foods thrived--the geography, environments, cultures, and prehistories/histories. I think these things are worth knowing, even if only for the ideas they can bring and the lessons we can apply to our lives today. I do not think that even the successful enterprises he visited will be a solution to current and future food problems. There are too many people on the planet and as these food entrepreneurs pointed out, high quality food is more expensive. Many people cannot afford it and many of those that can, don't want to pay more. We cannot recreate the past, but we can learn from it.

This is a fine book that is definitely worth reading if you're in any way interested in food, food culture, history/prehistory, cultures in general, and food history.