Lizzie
Collingham’s charming The Taste of
Empire is a well-researched history of the British Empire and its growing
appetite. In this context, it truly was a growing appetite for food -- the
author shares the evolution of British diet, the impact that the British had on
colonial diets in places it controlled, and how it set about the growth of a
global trade network.
Collingham
weaves historic recipes and stories of life in Britain’s varies colonies into
her book, taking readers on a global journey to nearly every continent as the country's empire grew over the centuries. The author's writing about British diets, first with
naval soldiers but expanding to include various levels of society, shows the
evolution of British tastes, the impact of legislation and global events on
trade and food, and how increasing quantities of food became more readily
available to those in England’s middle and lower classes as time progressed.
This all had a cost, however, as diets of many indigenous individuals suffered
through the introduction of crops from various parts of the world as part of
the global trade network. However, the forced and voluntary migration of
millions of individuals around the world blended tastes and diets, leading
individuals in South America to eat curry and individuals in Britain to drink
tea that was cultivated in India and Sri Lanka.
Collingham’s
journey through time, tavern, and various dinner tables is an extremely interesting insight
into our evolution of culinary tastes. Your appetite for history (and for dinner)
will certainly appreciate this work.