Eating Culture chews over the continuities and changes in human food consumption, from hunter-gathering to ultra-processed foods, to digest the ramifications for people’s identity-work, health, and long-term cultural distinction.

The new edition uses the concept of cuisine to trace humanity’s relationship with food, thematically explored through health, sociality, and identity. It evaluates dietary change, decent meals, and food commodification, alongside threats to security and health. Drawing on ethnographic examples, dietary transitions are situated in changing political, economic, and social circumstances, presenting a critical approach necessary to explore our current global food system. Chapters on cooking, recipes, and eating-in and out offer relatable examples, underlining the significance of everyday life and incorporating an ethnographic approach that extends into practical exercises aligned with each chapter’s themes, to highlight the relevancy of our own experiences. Vividly illustrated, the book explores dishes from various global cuisines, offering insights into people’s culinary traditions and enriching our understanding and appreciation of food as a fundamental aspect of culture in our daily lives. Ultimately, Eating Culture presents a critical examination of how deeply food is entwined with our identity.

Gillian Crowther recently retired from Capilano University after teaching anthropology for over twenty-five years.

Gillian Crowther's profile page