Provides information on food practices for 15 cultures. Each chapter focuses on a particular culture, including such factors as diabetes risk factors; traditional foods, dishes and meal plans; special holiday foods; traditional health beliefs; current food practices, and more. Culturally appropriate counselling recommendations are also discussed.

"Separate chapters on each cultural group include background information on the group's history, family structure, religion, and outlook on life, to give you a rich picture of how the group's cuisine has evolved." - back cover.

Regulating Safety of Traditional and Ethnic Foods, a compilation from a team of experts in food safety, nutrition, and regulatory affairs, examines a variety of traditional foods from around the world, their risks and benefits, and how regulatory steps may assist in establishing safe parameters for these foods without reducing their cultural or nutritive value. Many traditional foods provide excellent nutrition from sustainable resources, with some containing nutraceutical properties that make them not only a source of cultural and traditional value, but also valuable options for addressing the growing need for food resources. This book discusses these ideas and concepts in a comprehensive and scientific manner. Addresses the need for balance in safety regulation and retaining traditional food options Includes case studies from around the world to provide practical insight and guidance Presents suggestions for developing appropriate global safety standards

This work provides comprehensive coverage of the preparation, processing, marketing, safety and nutritional aspects of traditional foods across the globe. Individual chapters focus on the traditional foods of different cultures, with further chapters discussing the consumer acceptability of traditional foods as well as the laws and regulations and the sensorial factors driving the success of these foods. In addition, the integration of traditional food into tourism development plans is discussed at length. As the first publication to focus on a wide scale variety of traditional foods, including their histories and unique preparatory aspects, this is an important book for any researcher looking for a single reference work covering all of the important processing information for each major traditional food category. From traditional Arab foods to traditional Indian, European, African, Australian and Native American foods, Traditional Foods: History, Preparation, Processing and Safety covers the full spectrum of cultural foods, dedicating extensive information to each traditional food type. A full overview of current trends in traditional foods is included, as is a comprehensive history of each type of traditional food. Specific regulations are discussed, as are marketing factors and issues with consumer acceptability. With the recent trends in consumer interest for traditional foods which can not only bring great sensory satisfaction but also fulfill dimensions of culture and tradition, this is a well-timed and singular work that fulfills a great current need for researchers and promises to be an important source for years to come.

Preparation and Processing of Religious and Cultural Foods covers the production and processing of foods from major religions, focusing on the intersection of religion, science and cultural perceptions in the production and processing of modern religious and vegetarian foods. Quality control and authentication technologies are looked at in-depth, while nutrition, antioxidants, aging, hygiene and other long-term health factors are presented from a scientific standpoint. Bringing together the top scientific researchers on this essential topic of importance to a huge percentage of the world’s population, this book is ideal for food company innovation and R&D managers, producers and processers of religious foods. Religious groups have often been slow in implementing recent science and technology breakthroughs employed in the preparation, processing and packaging of various foods. This book provides a culturally sensitive coverage of these areas with an aim to encourage advancement. Covers the production and processing of major religious foods, namely Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Hindu and Buddhist Presents nutritional, antioxidant, aging, hygiene and other long-term health factors from a scientific standpoint Encourages advancement in the preparation, processing and packaging of religious foods using information cultivated from top scientific researchers in the field

Elegantly written by a distinguished culinary historian, Food Is Culture explores the innovative premise that everything having to do with food--its capture, cultivation, preparation, and consumption--represents a cultural act. Even the "choices" made by primitive hunters and gatherers were determined by a culture of economics (availability) and medicine (digestibility and nutrition) that led to the development of specific social structures and traditions. Massimo Montanari begins with the "invention" of cooking which allowed humans to transform natural, edible objects into cuisine. Cooking led to the creation of the kitchen, the adaptation of raw materials into utensils, and the birth of written and oral guidelines to formalize cooking techniques like roasting, broiling, and frying. The transmission of recipes allowed food to acquire its own language and grow into a complex cultural product shaped by climate, geography, the pursuit of pleasure, and later, the desire for health. In his history, Montanari touches on the spice trade, the first agrarian societies, Renaissance dishes that synthesized different tastes, and the analytical attitude of the Enlightenment, which insisted on the separation of flavors. Brilliantly researched and analyzed, he shows how food, once a practical necessity, evolved into an indicator of social standing and religious and political identity. Whether he is musing on the origins of the fork, the symbolic power of meat, cultural attitudes toward hot and cold foods, the connection between cuisine and class, the symbolic significance of certain foods, or the economical consequences of religious holidays, Montanari's concise yet intellectually rich reflections add another dimension to the history of human civilization. Entertaining and surprising, Food Is Culture is a fascinating look at how food is the ultimate embodiment of our continuing attempts to tame, transform, and reinterpret nature.

This comprehensive reference work introduces food culture from more than 150 countries and cultures around the world—including some from remote and unexpected peoples and places. From babka to baklava to the groundnut stew of Ghana, food culture can tell us where we've been—and maybe even where we're going. Filled with succinct, yet highly informative entries, the four-volume Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia covers all of the planet's nation-states, as well as various tribes and marginalized peoples. Thus, in addition to coverage on countries as disparate as France, Ethiopia, and Tibet, there are also entries on Roma Gypsies, the Maori of New Zealand, and the Saami of northern Europe. There is even a section on food in outer space, detailing how and what astronauts eat and how they prepare for space travel as far as diet and nutrition are concerned. Each entry offers information about foodstuffs, meals, cooking methods, recipes, eating out, holidays and celebrations, and health and diet. Vignettes help readers better understand other cultures, while the inclusion of selected recipes lets them recreate dishes from other lands.