In The Devil's Garden

Our history has been peppered with food taboos that have shaped civilizations. Allen's historical smorgasbord includes the importance of chocolate in the French Revolution, how a spat between chefs caused a rift in the Catholic Church that lasted a thousand years and why Caesar fought food.

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From the forbidden fruit of the Old Testament to the numerous laws broken at Francois Mitterand's final meal, In the Devil's Garden is a mouth-watering history of food taboos from around the world - a smorgasbord of culinary titbits to spice up any after-dinner conversation.
In a history peppered with religious extremists who would rather starve to death than violate ancient taboos, and in an age when half the world's population - from cow-loving Hindus to Kosher Jews and Western vegetarians - still live with harsh dietary restrictions, Allen reveals just how significant, and pervasive, our relationship with food is.