Charlemagne's Tablecloth: A Piquant History of Feasting

Charlemagne's Tablecloth: A Piquant History of Feasting

by NicholaFletcher (Author)

Synopsis

Feasts, banquets and grand dinners have always played a vital role in our lives. They oil the wheels of diplomacy, smooth the paths of the ambitious and spread joy at family celebrations. Nichola Fletcher has selected the most colourful feasts in history to give a captivating account of why we enjoy gathering around a table to eat, drink and be merry. There is the extravagance of the high medieval and Renaissance, swallowing fathoms of blubber in North America, the exquisite refinement of the Japanese Tea ceremony - an eclectic collection of feasts from the flamboyant to the eccentric. Why did Charlemagne use an asbestos tablecloth at his feasts? What is the connection between Salvador Dali and the Aztecs? What links caviar to quinces? Nichola Fletcher answers these and many more questions in her compelling investigation of the feast in all its guises.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 272
Edition: New Ed
Publisher: Phoenix
Published: 07 Jul 2005

ISBN 10: 0753819740
ISBN 13: 9780753819746
Book Overview: A great romp through the best banquets A unique journey through the history of food Winner of a Silver Award at the Gourmet Voice Food Awards 2004 Full of fascinating foodie facts and larger than life characters Beautifully illustrated Shortlisted for the prestigious Guild of Food Writers Awards

Media Reviews
'Nibble your way through four millennia of courses. I ... enjoyed it so much it became my book-with-lunch... The best entries are less about food than its pyschological power.' GUARDIAN Nichola Fletcher's text is stuffed to bursting with exotic tastes and smells, many of them heavy with religious or symbolic significance. SUNDAY TELEGRAPH 'Fletcher's selection of feasts has been short listed for a Guild of Food Writers award, and it is easy to see why... Fletcher's book will appeal to anyone who feels passionately about food.' HERALD
Author Bio
Nichola Fletcher is an active member of the Guild of Food Writers and was awarded the 1994 Scottish Food Achievement Award by the Sunday Times. She writes widely on food and runs an upmarket mail order service for venison.