Books by Ken (University of the Pacific Albala

Food historian Ken Albala has written the perfect book for students and other readers interested in the myriad aspects of food in Early Modern Europe. This book answers such questions as: Why did people toil and travel for certain foods, such as spices, when they were already surrounded by an abundance of edible plants at home?

Expert commentary helps readers to be able to replicate the food as nearly as possible in their own kitchens. An introduction overviews cuisine and food culture in these time periods and prepares the reader to replicate period food with advice on equipment, cooking methods, finding ingredients, and reading period recipes.

From the lentil to the soybean, every civilization on the planet has cultivated its own species of bean. The humble bean has always attracted attention - from Pythagoras' notion that the bean hosted a human soul to St Jerome's indictment against bean-eating in convents. This book takes readers on a journey across cuisines and cultures.