Hard to Swallow
A Brief History of Food

Richard Lacey questions the nature of what we eat in an entertaining and informative way.

Richard W. Lacey (Author)

9780521064941, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 12 June 2008

356 pages, 15 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.524 kg

"Covers a wide variety of food-related issues with dry humor and a highly questioning view of some of the practices of the food industry...well written and covers a lot of ground. It makes good reading for a wide audience." Journal of Applied Nutrition

You are what you eat, or are you? What is in food? Where does it come from? Richard Lacey, Professor of Microbiology at Leeds University and a popular media critic on food issues, takes the reader on a culinary exploration into the world of food. Blending science and humour, Richard Lacey stimulates us to question the future, to think about the nature of what we eat and where it comes from. Professor Lacey is on the side of the consumer, you and I, as he reveals the sinister sides of food production and the dangers lurking in the kitchen.The reader is served up with a feast of practical tips on the handling of food. But food is fun too! Our taste buds work overtime as we are shown how to enjoy food that is both delicious, healthy and safe.

Part I. Farming: 1. Crops
2. Early meat
3. Intensive meat
4. Salmon farming, polyunsaturated fats
Part II. Food Processing: 5. Dried food
6. Bread, pasta
7. Moist food
Part III. Composition of Food: 8. Meat substitutes
9. The germs in your food
10. Additives in food processing
Part IV. Getting Ready To Eat: 11. The supermarket
12. Water, brown fizz and alcoholic drinks
13. Takeaways
14. Care of the kitchen
Part V. Eating: 15. The ideal diet
16. Hospital food
17. Enjoying eating
Part VI. Is There a Solution?: 18. Is there a solution?

Subject Areas: Popular science [PDZ], History of science [PDX]