3 Responses to “Pickled, Potted, and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World (Paperback)”

1. Heman
   December 2nd, 2009 @ 4:03 am
   This review is from: Pickled, Potted, and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World (Hardcover)

   A refreshing (if such a word can be used for a book about food preservation) and fascinating look at history — all history — as seen from inside a jar. In this lively melange of history and food writing, Shephard argues that the ability to preserve food liberated humans from the anxieties of the hunter-gatherer lifestyle. According to Shephard, the development of portable, preserved food enabled the great explorers to travel into the unknown and gradually map the planet, thereby facilitating the conquest of new territories and the creation of routes for the expansion of trade and the exchange of knowledge and culture that opened up our world. It also allowed us to expand our daily menu from the limited and repetitious range of our ancestors to the multicultural, international choices we enjoy today. Weaving together the stories of the inventors and key developments of food preservation in a richly detailed narrative that spans centuries and continents, this is a juicy blend of social history, popular science, and testament to man’s ongoing curiosity and inventiveness.

2. Murphy
   December 2nd, 2009 @ 7:11 am
   This review is from: Pickled, Potted, and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World (Hardcover)

   Decent information on the different methods of preserving foods throughout history. The main problem I have, however, is the lack of footnotes — Shephard cites many interesting anecdotes. Unfortunately, many of these cry out “urban myth” to me. An example:

   “Louis XIII of France loved [dried mushrooms'] woodland scent so much that he lay on his deathbed in 1643 threading mushrooms onto strings for drying.”

   A good story, yes. Actual historical fact? It seems unlikely, and without documentation I can’t judge the source material.

3. Jennaya
   December 2nd, 2009 @ 10:55 am
   This review is from: Pickled, Potted, and Canned: How the Art and Science of Food Preserving Changed the World (Hardcover)

   In this concise yet detailed history of man’s attempts to provide food for times of need, Ms.Shephard describes all the usual, and some very unusual methods of preserving food.

   In chapters devoted to each particular method, she details how, by trial and error and by observation, people have discovered ways of extending the life of foodstuffs well past the natural sell-by date.

   This leads to the means by which explorers could subsist independently of the land or sea they were travelling in, thus expanding the boundaries of trade and colonisation.

   However, some of the preserving methods brought their attendant disadvantages, such as vitamin deficiencies, like scurvy or pellagra – the ways of combating these are also dealt with in the book.

   Ms.Shephard writes in a comfortable, informative style that is neither dumbing-down, nor patronising, but with clear, logical progression within the particular subject – with the occasional illuminating aside to spice things up.

   Drawing heavily on historical accounts, she has meticulously researched the subject and presented us with a fine addition to any amateur historian’s library.
   A very worthwhile read *****

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