Delve into this captivating collection of the world's 100 most iconic menus which reveal not just the story of food but periods of history, famous works of literature, notable events, and celebrity figures from prehistoric times up to the modern day. Each menu provides an insight into its particular historical moment - from the typical food on offer in a nineteenth-century workhouse to the opulence of George IV's gargantuan coronation dinner. Some menus are linked with a specific and unforgettable event such as The Hindenburg's last flight menu or the variety of meals on offer for First, Second and Third Class passengers on board RMS Titanic, while others give an insight into sport, such as the 1963 FA Cup Final Dinner or transport and travel with the luxury lunch on board the Orient Express. Also included are literary occasions like Charles' Dickens 1868 dinner at Delmonicos in New York as well as the purely fictional and fantastical fare of Ratty's picnic in The Wind in the Willows. This fascinating miscellany of menus from around the world will educate as well as entertain, delighting both avid foodies and the general reader.

An entertaining seat at the table of ten power meals that shaped history—including the menus and recreated recipes! Some of the most consequential decisions in history were decided at the dinner table, accompanied—and perhaps influenced—by copious amounts of food and drink. This fascinating book explores ten of those pivotal meals, presenting the contexts, key participants, table talk, and outcomes of each. It offers unique insight into the minds and appetites of some of history’s most famous and notorious characters, including Bonnie Prince Charlie, George Washington, Alexander Hamilton, Thomas Jefferson, Adolf Hitler, Winston Churchill, Joseph Stalin, Mao Zedong, and Richard Nixon. Feasting on leg of lamb, Bonnie Prince Charlie doomed the Jacobite Army at Culloden. A uniquely American menu served with French wine lubricated the conversation between rivals Jefferson and Hamilton that led to the founding of the US financial system and the location of the nation’s capital in Washington. After schweinwürst and sauerkraut with Adolf Hitler at his Berghof residence, Austrian chancellor Kurt von Schuschnigg agreed to the complete integration of Austria into the Third Reich. Celebrity chef Tony Singh has researched the menus and recipes for all ten dinners down to the last detail and recreates them here. The book contains fifty-five recipes from soup to desert and lists the spirits as well.

'An absolutely riveting book - reading it makes you intelligent, full of brilliant anecdotes - and very hungry indeed.' - Richard Curtis 'This brilliantly conceived and well-researched book is a source of real delight.' - Dr Annie Gray, BBC Radio 4's The Kitchen Cabinet 'Superbly written, a complete joy to read, and just about the perfect present for anyone even vaguely interested in food.' - Mark Diacono 'A gastronomic delight. You can savour it a course at a time, or you may consume the whole banquet in one sitting. It's delicious either way - utterly scrumptious, in fact!' - Mike Leigh This fascinating miscellany of menus from around the world will educate as well as entertain, delighting both avid foodies and the general reader. Each menu provides an insight into its particular historical moment - from the typical food on offer in a nineteenth-century workhouse to the opulence of George IV's gargantuan coronation dinner. Some menus are linked with a specific and unforgettable event such as The Hindenburg's last flight menu or the variety of meals on offer for First, Second and Third Class passengers on board RMS Titanic, while others give an insight into sport, such as the 1963 FA Cup Final Dinner or transport and travel with the luxury lunch on board the Orient Express. Also included are literary occasions like Charles' Dickens 1868 dinner at Delmonicos in New York as well as the purely fictional and fantastical fare of Ratty's picnic in The Wind in the Willows.

An art expert takes a critical look at restaurant menus—from style and layout to content, pricing and more—to reveal the hidden influence of menu design. We’ve all ordered from a restaurant menu. But have you ever wondered to what extent the menu is ordering you? In May We Suggest, art historian and gastronome Alison Pearlman focuses her discerning eye on the humble menu to reveal a captivating tale of persuasion and profit. Studying restaurant menus through the lenses of art history, experience design and behavioral economics, Pearlman reveals how they are intended to influence our dining experiences and choices. Then she goes on a mission to find out if, when, and how a menu might sway her decisions at more than sixty restaurants across the greater Los Angeles area. What emerges is a captivating, thought-provoking study of one of the most often read but rarely analyzed narrative works around.

A journey through over 2000 years of culinary history and the final repasts of famous figures—with recipes included. Part historical narrative and part grilling guide and cookbook, Andrew Caldwell’s Their Last Suppers guides history buffs and gourmands alike through gastronomically inspired biographical accounts of more than twenty legendary personalities. Recipes are included (though the author has decided to skip the pork blood beverages drunk by the Spartans). Unearthing recipes as far back as 323 B.C., Caldwell, aka the History Chef, provides insight into two thousand years of culinary lore. Each historical figure’s profile includes a brief description of pursuits and accomplishments as well as little-known anecdotes, popular foods of his or her time period, recipes for the figure’s actual last meal, and cooking tips. Because the kitchens of Montezuma, Caesar, and other notables profiled within the book were often very basic, Caldwell brings their fare into modern kitchens, although he strongly believes that, whenever possible, grills and open fires should be used for most dishes and therefore provides specific preparation tips throughout. From the Titanic’s twelve-course tasting menu to personal recipes for Princess Diana’s Favorite Watercress Soup, Elvis Presley’s Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich, Julius Caesar’s Ambrosia, Cleopatra’s Hummus, and Stone Crab a la Kennedy, historians and foodies alike will relish the trivia and tastings paired within this unique and entertaining book.

Fascinating and entertaining, the menu, as a record of the food we eat, tells us much about who we were and how we lived. From the historically significant to the unexpected, discover what was eaten at the first Nobel Prize dinner; what Barack Obama chose for his inauguration meal; what the Tsar and Tsarina ate at their infamous society balls; why the first pre-made sandwich was so significant; and what sort of inflight grub was served up at supersonic speeds on Concorde. Step in time to dinner dances at the Blackpool Tower Ballroom; delight in Elvis and Priscilla's wedding breakfast; marvel at the Titanic's last sitting and raise a glass to El Bulli's closing service.

When Americans think of brunch, they typically think of Sunday mornings swelling into early afternoons; mimosas and bloody Marys; eggs Benedict and coffee cake; bacon and bagels; family and friends. This book presents a modern history of brunch not only as a meal, but also as a cultural experience. Relying on diverse sources, from historic cookbooks to Twitter and television, Brunch: A History is a global and social history of the meal including brunch in the United States, Western Europe, South Asia and the Middle-East. Brunch takes us on a tour of a modern meal around the world. While brunch has become a modern meal of leisure, its history is far from restful; this meal’s past is both lively and fraught with tension. Here, Farha Ternikar explores the gendered and class-based conflicts around this meal, and provides readers with an enlightening glimpse into the dining rooms, verandas, and kitchens where brunches were prepared, served, and enjoyed.

From the Financial Times's long-standing restaurant critic Nicholas Lander comes this celebration of the history, design and evolution of the world's favourite piece of paper: the menu. On the Menu is a stunning collection of menus, from those at the cutting edge of contemporary culinary innovation, like Copenhagen's Noma, to those that are relics from another time: a 1970s menu from L’Escargot on which all main courses cost less than one pound; the last menu from The French House Dining Room before Fergus Henderson departed for St John; a Christmas feast of zoo animals served during the Siege of Paris in 1870; and three of the world’s original restaurant menus—now hanging proudly in London’s Le Gavroche. Throughout, Lander examines the principles of menu design and layout; the different rules that govern separate menus for breakfast, afternoon tea and dessert; the evolution of wine and cocktail lists; and how menus can act as records of the past. He reveals insights from interviews with Michael Anthony, Heston Blumenthal, Massimo Bottura, René Redzepi, Ruth Rogers and many more of the most renowned contemporary chefs of our time, who explain how they decide what to serve and what inspires them to create and design their menus. These are truly pages to drool over.

Barbecue: A History examines barbecue's history and place in American society using both historical and contemporary sources. The book examines all aspects of barbecue: Outdoor grilling and traditional slow cooking Restaurant and home cooking International forms of barbecue The specific foods involved in a barbecue The concept of the barbecue as a gathering Historical and contemporary recipes for main and side dishes Readers are treated here to a delightful and thorough history of barbecue, including its appearance in music, television, and film, and a consideration of how we think of and enjoy barbecue today.

A beautiful keepsake for cooks to record their menus, illustrated by the celebrated chef and artist