Verwandte Artikel zu Sweets: A History of Candy

Sweets: A History of Candy - Hardcover

Richardson, Tim

 
9781582342290: Sweets: A History of Candy
Hardcover
ISBN 10: 1582342296 ISBN 13: 9781582342290
Verlag: Bloomsbury USA, 2002

Inhaltsangabe

A journey into the heart of sweetness.

Humans are all, secretly or openly, obsessed with sweet things-and we always have been. The Aztecs mixed chocolate with blood in sweet libations to their gods; Saladin entertained Richard the Lionheart with exotic sherbets and sugared jellies; Victorian sweets magnates built the towns of Bournville and Hersheyville from fortunes made through successful candies; and today the manufacture of sweets is shrouded in a level of secrecy that would make Willy Wonka proud.

In Sweets, Tim Richardson takes us on a magical confectionery tour through time and space, letting his personal passion fuel the narrative of candy's rich and unusual history. Beginning with a description of the biology of sweetness itself, Richardson navigates the ancient history of sweets, the incredible range and diversity of candies around the world, the bizarre figures and practices of the confectionery industry, and the connection between sweets and sex. He goes on to explore the role of sweets in myth and folklore, and finally, a personal philosophical justification for continual sweet-eating based on the writings of Epicurus.

A delicious blend of anecdote, history, and investigative reporting, Sweets is the perfect gift for everyone with a sweet tooth.

Die Inhaltsangabe kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.

Über die Autorin bzw. den Autor

Tim Richardson's grandfather worked in a fudge factory, and his father was a dentist. He is a contributing editor to Wallpaper* magazine, a theater critic for Country Life, and a regular contributor to the Daily Telegraph and the Sunday Times. He lives in London, where he is currently in the process of refining his own particular candy invention.

Rezensionen

Richardson, a British editor and journalist, chronicles the history of candy and confectionery in this delightfully passionate and wonderfully witty survey. From the scientific explanation for a sweet tooth to the business side of the candy trade, Richardson leaves no detail unexplored. Drawing from science, geography, history, and literature, he looks at confectionery commodities, such as sugar and chocolate, and the origins of individual sweets, including chewing gum and marzipan. He also covers the colorful individuals of the sweets trade and companies like Hershey and Lindt. Richardson's text, with numerous references to English candies and sweets, has a definitely British flavor, but he also discusses American candies and the preferences and traditions of other countries around the world. This tempting treat is highly recommended for the culinary history collections of academic and public libraries.
John Charles, Scottsdale P.L., AZ
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The grandson of a toffee maker and the son of a dentist, candy fanatic Richardson considers his book "the first-ever world history of sweets." Although that may be a dubious claim, his work is indeed jam-packed with quirky tidbits concerning Cadbury eggs, candy canes, Caramellos, caramel creams, Charleston Chews, chewing gum, Chewy Mentos, Chupa Chups, chocolate bars, conversation hearts and countless other confections. And while the prospect of an entire book about candy might make any sugar-loving reader feel like, well, a kid in a candy store, Richardson's lengthy account is at times tedious and suffers throughout from too much personal commentary (e.g., a list of his own "top ten sweets" and his idea for a new candy, the bizarre-sounding "ice cream chew"). The London-based journalist skews his study toward European sweets; although he does mention such American classics as M&Ms and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups, he spends a considerable amount of time describing "Rock" ("a stick of peppermint-flavoured candy, coated in a lurid pink colour, with letters running through it"), Y&S and other candy that may be unfamiliar to American readers (the book was originally published in the U.K.). He also offers thought-provoking analyses of international candy preferences ("Taiwan is crazy for fruit jelly sweets") and thoroughly examines candy history, tracing its journey from East to West. Richardson hits the mark on occasion, such as when he comments on the importance of candy ("Sweets are the memorials of our innocence"), but his constant personal asides might make readers' stomachs ache. B&w photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The human palate has always hungered for sweet foods. Richardson reports the lengths to which people have gone to satisfy that compelling craving. Some of history's earliest writings consist of instructions on the collection of honey and associated principles of beekeeping. The Turks invented caramel, but it was first put to use in the harem as a depilatory. Pastilles and gums came into the market originally as media for medicines, their sweetness counteracting medicines' bitterness. The Near East also gave rise to sweet pastries such as baklava, which Istanbul's Janissaries honored annually by carrying trayfuls of the confection in solemn procession. In addition to the stark contrast between Chinese sweets and those from Europe, there are many gradations within Western sweets. Britain's ideal milk chocolate, the Cadbury bar, offers a much smoother texture than does American's longtime favorite Hershey variety, which the English find gritty and harsh. Richardson's research offers so many insights, many counterintuitive, into the vast story of confectionery that it belongs in every food history collection. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

„Über diesen Titel“ kann sich auf eine andere Ausgabe dieses Titels beziehen.

Verlag
Bloomsbury USA
Erscheinungsdatum
2002
Sprache
Englisch
ISBN 10 
1582342296
ISBN 13 
9781582342290
Einband
Gebundene Ausgabe
Anzahl der Seiten
288
Kontakt zum Hersteller
Nicht verfügbar
Verantwortliche Person
WordUnited GmbH
distribution@wordunited.com

Theodorstrasse 105
DUSSELDORF
40472
Deutschland