The Secret History of Food by Matt Siegel

Reviewed by Christy

            Why is vanilla – an expensive and finicky spice – also used to call things “bland” or “boring”? Why were people afraid to eat tomatoes for hundreds of years? And how do food photographers keep ice cream from melting under hot lights? If any of these questions interest you, you might want to check out Matt Siegel’s quick read The Secret History of Food.

            This non-fiction work is an enjoyable, fast read packed with lots of interesting little facts to tuck away for trivia questions around the dinner table (my stepson’s preferred table talk). Siegel meanders throughout world history, bouncing from food topic to food topic but also discusses some modern day “secrets” about the food industry. (Those parts aren’t quite so fun.) You’ll learn that World War II soldiers made up their dream Christmas menus to pass the time. To paraphrase one soldier: “Full belly, you think of women. Empty belly, you think of food.” You’ll see how the extremely wealthy would quite literally play with their food just because they could – serving pig heads sewed onto chicken bodies and vice versa. And ice cream doesn’t melt for photographers because they use colored lard!

            The variety of food covered kept me engaged, and Siegel’s authorial voice is wry and often times funny. One particular favorite anecdote was when he discussed a BBC segment on a “spaghetti plantation” where farmers would pick the cooked noodles out of trees (an April Fool’s joke). According to Siegel, many people called into the station to find out just where this plantation was located so they could go. “Keep in mind this was 1957, 12 years after the creation of the atom bomb.” Ok, that made me laugh out loud. (The segment is available on YouTube for those interested!) My only real quibble is that sometimes Siegel’s commentary would veer into snide and smug territory, which I found unpleasant.

            Overall, however, I was pleased with this, and the audiobook narrator Roger Wayne does a great job as well. It’s a good book to pick up during a reading slump because it doesn’t overstay its welcome on any one subject, and it’s a breeze to get through.