If you think you would like to savour this book over a left over turkey sandwich, be warned not everything in it is suitable for devouring with a snack. It contains many accounts of unpalatable meals, recipes and experiences (well, I didn't care for the squirrel tail soup or rook slew, the ingredients and directions for "Preparation of Human Pie", or Alice B. Toklas's account of learning how to murder by smothering). But wait, I'm giving the wrong impression here. This is a fascinating, unputdownable book. It has a superb introduction that will whet your appetite - as you come across this or that tantalising entry, you simply have to nip to the mentioned piece in order to satisfy a created craving. The unsavoury aspects of some of the pieces and recipes are offset by an equal number of tidbits which highlight the great artistry and enjoyment associated with our consumption of food - "Blue Violet Salad", "Sheep shearer's Dinner", "Haschich Fudge" and "Haute Cuisine" as described by Giuseppe di Lampedusa, are but a few. The inclusion of a section on "Dogmas and Doctrines", in which everything from the definition of what constitutes raw food to the declaration that "Mayonnaise Proves the Existence of God", completes this panoramic, international and most entertaining view of food history. It also provides a great put down to any haughty hostess enquiring about a vegetarian guest's proclivities: "I eat anything but corpses." If you don't buy and read this book, you can eat your heart out, baby.