"Never have we been more cosmopolitan about what we eat - and yet more essentialist, locavore, and particularist." With a witty mix of anecdote and research, Anya von Bremzen reassess the fascinating role that food can play in our cultural heritage, and uncovers how as a nation's political and social identity are called into question, so too is its palate.

 

'A fast-paced, entertaining travelogue, peppered with compact history lessons that reveal the surprising ways dishes become iconic' - New York Times

 

'This dazzlingly intelligent examination of how foods become national symbols . . . so enlightening — as well as so much fun to read . . . Von Bremzen is a superb describer of flavours and textures — but she also understands that food is never just about food' - Bee Wilson in Financial Times