AUDIO

The American Plate: A Culinary History in 100 Bites

by Libby H. O'Connell
7 CDs. library ed. unabridged. 9 hrs. Tantor Audio. 2014. ISBN 9781494534875. $83.99; 7 CDs. retail ed.; 1 MP3-CD. library/retail eds.; digital download. COOKING
COPY ISBN
History Channel chief historian O'Connell presents the listener with a buffet replete with interesting food lore topped up with a ladleful of American history. Among items discussed are maize, wild rice, blueberries, bison, maple syrup, sugar, syllabub, bourbon, peary, scrapple, roasted beaver tail, celery, commercial canning, buffalo, oysters (the ultimate 19th-century fast food), eels, sushi, salsa, and Tang. These bites are divided into ten chronological sections, from Native American times to the present. Recipes are included in a separate bonus PDF file on the first CD. While nonfiction does not as readily lend itself to vocal dramatics or interesting accents as does fiction, Tanya Eby gives this book a touch of fun.
VERDICT Recommended for food lovers and those who enjoy accounts of history seen through objects, such as Mark Kurlansky's The Big Oyster: History on the Half Shell. ["[N]ot only educational but amusing," read the review of the Sourcebooks hc, LJ 10/15/14.]
Reviewed by David Faucheux, Lafayette, LA , Feb 15, 2015
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