Why read Tastes of Byzantium?

Book cover of Tastes of Byzantium: The Cuisine of a Legendary Empire

Book description

For centuries, the food and culinary delights of the Byzantine empire - centred on Constantinople - have captivated the west, although it appeared that very little information had been passed down to us. Tastes of Byzantium now reveals in astonishing detail, for the first time, what was eaten in the…

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European history

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Why read it?

1 author picked Tastes of Byzantium as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Andrew Jotischky

Author

Food and drink in the Byzantine Empire is not a well-researched topic, and Andrew Dalby has been a pioneer in bringing to life a lost culinary culture. In remarkable detail, he shows what was eaten at the imperial court, in ordinary homes, and in monasteries, and how it was cooked. Dalby describes the sights and smells of Constantinople and its marketplaces, uses travellers' tales and other original sources to paint a comprehensive picture of the recipes and customs of the empire, and their relationship to health and the seasons, love, and medicine.

From Andrew's list on food and drink in the Middle Ages.