Curiosities of Food

Originally published in London in 1859, this long-out-of-print culinary classic was recently brought to light in the award-winning Oxford Companion to Food, whose author, Alan Davidson, used it as a primary reference in researching some of the more obscure foodstuffs consumed across the globe. This lost classic of wit, erudition, and grand storytelling is now made available in a facsimile edition, with an introduction by Davidson. As Simmonds reveals in his charming culinary travelogue, just about everything that walks, swims, crawls, slithers, or flies has been eaten at one time or another. On elephant's toes: Pickled in strong tody vinegar and cayenne pepper, [they] are considered in Ceylon an Apician luxury. As Simmonds muses, there is simply no accounting for taste. The author's bold attempt to do so, however, stands as one of the greatest works of gastronomy--a true culinary cabinet of wonders.