Food has always been an important part of life, and all sorts of interesting or strange stories have been told about various kinds of foods. Ben Gazur has attempted to collect the folklore surrounding food in Britain in A Feast of Folklore: The Bizarre Stories Behind British Food.

This book is a nonstop collection of stories about various kinds of foods. You find out quickly how concerned everyone was about witchcraft and sorcery: a lot of the stories involve when and how foods might be compromised by spells. Certain foods should not be eaten at certain times because they might be Satanically influenced. Many other stories involve medical associations: attempts to apply foodstuffs to relieve bodily aches or infelicities. Many of them feature stories of saints. A fair number are about more mundane aspects of life, including the search for love: apparently you could figure out who you might marry based on certain food rituals.

It’s a good collection since many such stories were only preserved in newspaper articles or the like in days of old, and many such ideas and rituals are being lost as we lose our connections with pre-modern life. We may want to think we’re so much more advanced, but we no doubt have our own odd and peculiar beliefs and stories regarding various kinds of foods.

This was such a fun and interesting book! Each chapter dives into a particular food or drink, uncovering unusual origins, superstitions, and cultural myths, making this a perfect book for food lovers and history buffs alike.

From Vegetables to Fruits to Dairy, Egg, Cake and Drink, this collection of food-based folklore has something for everyone to enjoy or will simply put a smile on your face. Of course the foods with the most lore to offer are the ones that have been a staple since time immemorial: milk, cheese, berries and bread. Close seconds are garlic (vs wild garlic) and potatoes, while not native, have been around long enough to establish their own lore. You may even find something familiar, I certainly did, having grown up in Appalachia. For example, if you hold a buttercup up to your chin and it turns yellow, you love butter! And you can thank the Royal Air Force if you believe that carrots lead to better eyesight!

"A Feast of Folklore" is also brimming with food-based festivals and vocabulary. This sentence alone is a delight: On Punkie Night in Somerset one can "see punkies made from swedes and mangelwurzels!" You'll even learn the importance of bletting a medlar or why pears are called wardens! But even if you're not familiar with the history of certain areas, a pattern quickly emerges. Remote areas that, historically, had minimal Christian contact, have combined their religious beliefs with folk practice. There's an endless supply of saints - some of which only exist in oral tradition in a single village - to establish when food was sown, harvested, eaten and sometimes thrown; as is the case in Kenelstowe on St. Cynehelm's Day! I was happily surprised at how many festivals and practices have evolved and stood the test of time. After all, "food is the universal ingredient in all our lives" and folklore certainly adds a bit of spice to the bounty.

This was such an interesting book! I am a huge fan of random knowledge and this is what this book is. Highly entertaining!

this was a really interesting and comprehensive look at why we do various superstitions and cures around food. told accessibly and split into digestible chunks, i really enjoyed this

This was such an interesting and fascinating read. I was absolutely in awe in just how much lore there is for so many different types of food and drink. I learnt so much with this read and it was written in a great way that I didn’t get overwhelmed with information so I wasn’t put off reading. The chapters were short which I loved as it meant to could continue reading this throughout my daily routine.

A Feast Of Folklore by Ben Gazur is about the history of food and non-food meanings we get from the things we eat every day. From throwing salt over your shoulder to ward off bad luck to how onions can cure fever and potatoes cure gout to the reason why you shouldn’t take nuts on the Sabbath, to so so much more. They had superstitions for how many peas were in a pod and they were even foods that help you with your love life like carving the names of potential suitors an individual pieces of cheese in the one that molded first was out. Some of these tails or just that made up myths but some have been proven to be true like the village that grew onions and had the lowest plague victims to using cabbage to help with raw breast while feeding a nursing baby. Not everything having to do with Food nourished and or made you healthier there were some things they did with food that were dangerous like the knife in the cheese wheel game the Christmas dragon fly game and others the author really covers every aspect Just like the authors last book I found this book so Uber interesting and found myself not wanting to close it I love this authors books his humor just everything about this book and his others fascinate me.#NetGalley,#PenguinRandomHouseChildren’s, #BenGazur, #AFeastOfFolklore,

Thanks to NetGalley and Unbound for the ARC.

A quick, chill read about British superstitions surrounding food. It can be a little repetitive, if only because the folk cures were similar in procedure to each other regardless of ingredients.

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My favourite type of food. Food for the brain. And when is being told as humorously as Ben Gazur does, well then I will take 2 servings please!!

This was fun and interesting! I enjoyed learning about the unusual beliefs and traditions involving food and drink in Britain. It's fascinating to learn where some customs or sayings we still use came from. Tracing folklore shows us so much about our ancestors and ourselves.

The book did start to feel repetitive in the bread and cakes sections, especially since there were a couple times where a custom was related multiple times.

I also found it confusing how sometimes a paragraph would be about a specific belief except for one unrelated sentence about some other belief. They were grouped together as if they had bearing on each other, but they usually didn't.

Overall though, I enjoyed this book.

I received an ARC from NetGalley and Unbound in exchange for an honest review.

The concept here is fun, but I did struggle with the formatting - it was not quite "narrative" enough for me to fully enjoy and pay attention to for long stretches. However, the facts and history are great.

Lovely book for the curious foodie who loves history (or vice versa). Food, facts and folklore all intertwined into a great book to drop in and out of and learn the significance behind traditions.

Fascinating facts of the folklore surrounding food and drink. Good old fashioned common sense is included in some examples such as why Shrove Tuesday was once called Shrews Tuesday after you tell your wife her pancakes are rubbish and she wallops you over the head with her frying pan.
Since a friend of mine has a viral cough, I suggested a couple of remedies from this book for whooping cough to them. Unfortunately I am unable to put the answer here as it's nsfw, oddly enough.
But it's definitely worth a read and if you're interested in local history or history of witchcraft I'd strongly recommend it.

Ben Gazur took me on a wild ride through British history’s quirky food traditions and folklore. From chasing cheese down hills to devilish superstitions about blackberries, I had the chance to dig into both famous and bizarre food myths. A Feast of Folklore is packed with hilarious and fascinating stories about odd customs and remedies that history tends to overlook. Get ready for a deliciously strange adventure! I've always loved English culture and dream of moving there someday, so learning about these legends and stories gives me a unique and exciting way to explore the country. I enjoyed so so much reading these pages!

I’ve never really thought of food in people’s homes to be some sort of aspect of folklore until coming across this book. Or maybe I have in passing, but I have thought of or know of foods of having traditional meanings-such as when religious traditions are practiced, dietary needs, or for warding off sickness and healing. It is safe to say we incorporate these things into our lives often without stopping to think of its origins, cultural significance or if they come from superstition. Without a doubt, like many things in history, it is lost to us but now we have, “Feast of Folklore” to enlighten and entertain us in the most perfectly written way.

When you read this book, you will soon realize that there is a folklore for everything! I could not stop laughing and I have to say the absurdity of us humans are brilliantly displayed throughout in this book. There are also the fabulous illustrations throughout and not only that, “A Feast of Folklore” has a truly engaging narrative that keeps you turning the pages for more. Truth be told, I still can’t get over how many folklore's there are that comes from food. For example: Who should or should not make butter because of the color of their hair. Or what you can do to get free cheese and why one should eat walnuts or when you should plant crops. And why a family would keep a half-cut onion in their pantry. The list goes on…

What an outstanding book! I can’t praise it enough. I will definitely be adding a physical copy to my book stacks and reading its pages many times over.

**Book Review: *A Feast of Folklore* by Ben Gazur**

In *A Feast of Folklore*, Ben Gazur takes readers on a captivating journey through the myths, legends, and oral traditions of cultures across the world. With a lively and engaging narrative style, Gazur brings a modern touch to ancient stories, offering a unique blend of historical insight and contemporary relevance. The book offers a rich tapestry of tales that have been passed down through generations, inviting readers to explore not only the stories themselves but also the social and cultural contexts in which they were born.

Gazur’s approach to folklore is both scholarly and accessible. He delves into the roots of these tales, examining how they have evolved over time, while also highlighting their universal themes—love, death, the supernatural, and morality—that resonate with modern readers. From European fairy tales to African myths and Asian legends, the author covers an impressive range of traditions, allowing readers to appreciate the vast diversity and shared humanity within global folklore.

One of the standout features of the book is Gazur's ability to balance entertainment with education. The stories are enchanting on their own, filled with magical creatures, heroic quests, and eerie cautionary tales, but Gazur also provides insightful commentary that deepens our understanding of why these stories mattered in their original context. His writing is infused with wit and humor, making even the more academic aspects of folklore studies feel approachable and engaging.

Additionally, *A Feast of Folklore* is beautifully structured, with each chapter focusing on a different theme or region, ensuring that the book feels cohesive despite the vast array of stories. The book is well-researched, with each tale carefully sourced and explained, yet it never feels bogged down by excessive detail. Instead, Gazur allows the stories to breathe, giving readers the space to connect with them on their own terms.

For lovers of mythology, history, or simply well-told stories, *A Feast of Folklore* is a treasure trove. Ben Gazur has crafted a work that honors the richness of the world's storytelling traditions while offering fresh perspectives for a contemporary audience. It’s a delightful read that both informs and entertains, making it a must-have for anyone interested in the timeless power of folklore.

Loved this one!! As an American living in the UK I was drawn to this book to see what new information I would learn, and honestly 99% of the book was new to me! It was a quick read and I enjoyed every moment.

Thank you to Ben Gazur and NetGalley for an Advanced Reader's Copy of this title!

"A Feast of Folklore" is a bite-sized smorgasboard of myth and mythology around food in Great Britain (and sometimes the surrounding areas). The book is broken down into food categories, then individual foods, which I like as it means it can serve as almost a compendium of folklore on those days when you just really need to understand the lore of green beans, but can wait another day to learn about strawberries.

I've been reading a lot of fantasy books lately, so this was a really refreshing, non-fiction break that also plays into our very human tendency to assign deeper and more fantastical meanings to the foods we love (and hate - looking at you, brussels spouts). I think that this is a great read for anyone with a soft spot for history, anthropology/sociology, and food as not simply a source of energy.

Congratulations to Ben Gazur on another delightful epicurean literary tale!

This book is a treat to read and provides a bite-sized, academic look at folklore in Great Britain. It will leave you hungry for more (and hungry for food). Each section covers a different food and the folk beliefs surrounding it. The tales include stories of old from across the British Isles, notably Wales, Scotland, and Ireland. The delivery of each story is sprinkled with wit and a dash of sarcasm. I recommend this book to those who enjoy reading non-fiction, especially those interested in tales and stories in Britain. I would say this book is a digestible way to learn more about Celtic and British food lore. People who enjoy dark humor and macabre subject matter will find something to enjoy here.

I appreciated the lengthy sections of notes, in-text citations, and photos and artwork that are included. The presence of these elements illustrates Gazur’s research abilities and gives readers another source to explore if they want more information. The sections are short and sweet but do not lack an explanation of things that a reader might find unfamiliar. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of Scottish and Irish folklore. Additionally, the artwork and photographs included were relevant to each respective section and enhanced understanding of the topic.

I found some parts of the prose feel choppy, and some paragraphs lacked transition sentences, but this was not so frequent as to ruin the experience. I was also disappointed that there is no section in Drink Lore about coffee, but that makes sense. Some sections were a wee bit redundant with sayings like “In Scotland” or “In Whatever Place.” Overall, my criticisms are trivial and do not impact the quality of the information included. Considering these critiques, my rating would be 4.75 out of 5 stars (rounded to 5 stars on Goodreads). Folklore is a complex topic to write about by nature, and Gazur does a great job of keeping the stories straight and providing sources for the information referenced.

Thank you to Unbound Publishing Company for providing an advanced reader copy of this book via NetGalley in e-book format!

This was OK, I dipped into it here and there and some of the writing I found interesting some not so much, would be great book for people who are especially into food and interesting stories behind it.