In her literary paean to the morning meal, "Breakfast: A History," Anderson provides historical,
social and cultural perspectives on breakfast consumption. She occasionally
references foods traditionally eaten in other countries, looking at jook (rice porridge) in China, for
example, and platters of "fresh-baked flatbread with spreadable yogurt cheese
called labneh or crumbly feta cheese,
olives, figs and cucumbers" in the Middle East.
For the most part,
however, the author focuses on matutinal meals in the United States and by
extension England.
She gives beverages such as coffee, tea and orange juice their
due. Coffee "as it is known today," for example, became popular in "Europe and the Americas by the mid-17th century."
She provides significant
background on the cold-cereal industry and major players like Kellogg and Post,
and describes many of the ways people like to eat their eggs in the morning, whether scrambled, fried or soft-boiled...
Further talk of where people actually have their breakfasts sometimes – in B&Bs,
for example, coffeehouses, diners, mess halls and school cafeterias – enliven
the narrative as well. They help to round out her well-researched
but not overwhelming discussion, a nice addition to the ever-growing food-studies
field.
(A version of this review appeared originally at Publishers Weekly.)
(A version of this review appeared originally at Publishers Weekly.)
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