Food, Religion and Communities in Early Modern Europe - (Cultures of Early Modern Europe) by Christopher Kissane (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Using a three-part structure focused on the major historical subjects of the Inquisition, the Reformation and witchcraft, Christopher Kissane examines the relationship between food and religion in early modern Europe.

Food, Religion and Communities in Early Modern Europe employs three key case studies in Castile, Zurich and Shetland to explore what food can reveal about the wider social and cultural history of early modern communities undergoing religious upheaval. Issues of identity, gender, cultural symbolism and community relations are analysed in a number of different contexts. The book also surveys the place of food in history and argues the need for historians not only to think more about food, but also withfood in order to gain novel insights into historical issues.

This is an important study for food historians and anyone seeking to understand the significant issues and events in early modern Europe from a fresh perspective.

Review Quotes

[A] wide-ranging and fascinating book that succeeds in providing new perspective on familiar events in European history. One of Kissane's key achievements is demonstrating the ways in which foods and food practices are constitutive and illustrative of religious and gender boundaries. This work is also highly readable and could easily be incorporated into undergraduate teaching.
American Historical Review

An engaging and informative book that introduces readers to the significant role of food in the social and cultural history of early modern Europe ... its greatest accomplishment is to show how food practices cast light on religion, community, and gender as they were woven into the ordinary daily activities of early modern Europeans. Its readable and engaging style will be of great value in the undergraduate classroom, while its sophistication and scope will appeal to advanced scholars.
EuropeNow Journal

The stories in this book, with their wealth of fascinating details, illuminate, with nuance, every aspect of the societies from which they come.
Heythrop Journal

About the Author

Christopher Kissane is a researcher for the Royal Historical Society and a Visiting Fellow in the Department of Economic History at the London School of Economics & Political Science, UK. He is also a BBC/AHRC New Generation Thinker.