Afternoon Tea - (Meals) by Julia Skinner (Hardcover)

About the Book

Afternoon Tea focuses on the history and development of afternoon tea. While other books focus on etiquette, recipes, or a few notable figures, this book offers a more in-depth consideration of the meal by discussing its intersections with English colonialism, its changes over...

Book Synopsis

Afternoon Tea focuses on the history and development of afternoon tea. While other books focus on etiquette, recipes, or a few notable figures, this book offers a more in-depth consideration of the meal by discussing its intersections with English colonialism, its changes over time, and its regional variations.

Review Quotes

[T]his book would be a suitable introductory book for general readers and undergraduates interested in either food studies and/or imperial history. It deftly draws out some of the key issues in food studies, such as how foodways are affected by class, race, and empire, and shows the ways food motivated imperial expansion. It will serve as a useful springboard, as well, for scholars interested in studying how tea was received and integrated into foodways in the Global South during the colonial and postcolonial eras.

Under its appealing cookbook cover, this volume by food writer Skinner is a sociocultural history of afternoon tea--as an established Western meal and a social performance--in the wake of the previous books in the "Meals" series, such as Barbecue (CH, Mar'15, 52-3628) or Brunch (CH, Jan'15, 52-2619). Skinner debunks widely held anecdotes about the tradition's invention and its etiquette and codification. . . . The author underlines how changeable the custom has been--as well as the ways in which its gendered origin as a private social gathering for women, its intersections with national identity, and its class perceptions were responsible for its waxing and waning popularity.

About the Author

Julia Skinner, PhD, is a food historian, chef, visual artist, and cultural heritage professional. She is Director of Root, a food history and community building organization, and a professional fermenter. She has authored numerous articles and books across several academic disciplines, and has served as Editor for several academic and trade publications, including her current position at Parenthesis.