Delicious : the evolution of flavor and how it made us human /
"A savory account of how the pursuit of delicious foods shaped human evolution."--
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Main Authors: | |
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Group Author: | |
Published: |
Princeton University Press,
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Publisher Address: | Princeton, New Jersey : |
Publication Dates: | [2021] |
Literature type: | Book |
Language: | English |
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Summary: |
"A savory account of how the pursuit of delicious foods shaped human evolution."-- Nature, it has been said, invites us to eat by appetite and rewards by flavor. But what exactly are flavors? Why are some so pleasing while others are not? Delicious is a supremely entertaining foray into the heart of such questions. With generous helpings of warmth and wit, the authors offer bold new perspectives on why food is enjoyable and how the pursuit of delicious flavors has guided the course of human history. They consider the role that flavor may have played in the invention of the first tools, the extinction of giant mammals, the evolution of the world's most delicious and fatty fruits, the creation of beer, and our own sociality. Along the way, you will learn about the taste receptors you didn't even know you had, the best way to ferment a mastodon, the relationship between Paleolithic art and cheese, and much more. Blending irresistible storytelling with the latest science, Delicious is a deep history of flavor that will transform the way you think about human evolution and the gustatory pleasures of the foods we eat. -- |
Carrier Form: | xviii, 279 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm |
Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-259) and index. |
ISBN: |
9780691199474 0691199477 9780691226408 0691226407 |
Index Number: | QP456 |
CLC: | R338.3 |
Call Number: | R338.3/D923 |
Contents: | Prologue: Eco-evolutionary gastronomy -- Tongue-tied -- The flavor-seekers -- A nose for flavor -- Culinary extinction -- Forbidden fruits -- On the origin of spices -- Cheesy horse and sour beer -- The art of cheese -- Dinner makes us human. |