Choice Cuts

This anthology of food writings collects work from all over the world and from all ages. It includes Cato, whose second century BC practical guide to rural life, De Agricultura, the oldest surviving complete book of Latin prose, is rich in food commentary that illuminates his time. This is also true of Pliny the Elder three centuries later and Apicius, a chef who was one of the first great food writers. The collection pays tribute to writers for their social commentary, such as Emile Zola's observations about the fat and thin people at Les Halles market and Lu Wenfu's discussion of an inappropriate revolutionary retaurant in Maoist China.