173. In The Devil's Garden: A Sinful History of Forbidden Food by Stewart Lee Allen

BOOK REVIEW: In The Devil's Garden - A Sinful History of Forbidden Food by Stewart Lee Allen

An apple a day keeps the doctor away. This famous saying paints a positive connotation of the humble fruit, but did you know it was once so blasphemous to eat that it was considered sinful? Piqued your curiosity, haven't I? This frolicking read relates the history of food that was and sometimes still are taboo.

Deliciously organized by the Seven Deadly Sins (lust, gluttony, pride, sloth, greed, blasphemy and anger), here is a scintillating history of forbidden foods through the ages - and how these mouthwatering taboos have defined cultures around the world.

From the lusciously tempting fruit in the Garden of Eden (the aforementioned apple, it got stuck in Adam's throat when he ate it to become the 'Adam's apple') to the divine foie gras (deliciously unctuous goose liver), the author engagingly illustrates that when a pleasure as primal as eating is criminalized, there is often an astonishing tale to tell.

Among the foods thought to encourage lust, the love apple (now known as the tangy tomato) was thought until the 19th century to possess demonic spirits. The gluttony 'course' invites the reader to an ancient Roman dinner party where nearly every dish served - from poppy-crusted rodents to "Trojan Pork" - was considered a crime against the state.

The vice known as sloth introduces the sad story of the "lazy root" (the potato), whose popularity in Ireland led British moralists to claim that the Great Famine was God's way of punishing the Irish for eating a food that breed degeneracy and idleness.

Filled with incredible food history anthropology and the author's travels to many exotic locales, this tome also features recipes like the matzo-ball stews outlawed by the Spanish Inquisition and the forbidden "chocolate champagnes" of the Aztecs. 

This is truly a delectable book that will be consumed by food lovers, culinary historians, amateur anthropologists and armchair travelers alike. I loved this book so much that I continued reading day and night.