"Sweets have a special hold on our senses. Whether it''s taffy or turnovers, sandesh or sherbet, maple sugar or macarons, our enjoyment of sweets is informed by traditions and memories. This encyclopedia explores sweet things globally and across time, from the honeycombs our ancestors gathered to the crackly nougatine of today''s experimental chefs. But its greatest achievement is that, in over 900 intellectually nourishing pages, it never neglects the senses. Like the medieval subtleties that entertained royal diners with elaborate conceits, this book is playful, surprising, and always-captivating." --Heston Blumenthal "For all of those who are fans of the pleasure of eating sweets and the perplexities of thinking about their surprisingly complex histories, this book will be a necessity. Who had ever heard of a delicious encyclopedia? This is it." --Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker "For all of us who care about sweets, who make them, study them, write about them, take pleasure in them and find everything about them fascinating-from their histories and creators to the cultures, myths, and sometimes magic that surround them-the publication of The Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets is a landmark.
How we lived without it is a puzzlement; that we have it now is reason to celebrate." --Dorie Greenspan, author of Baking Chez Moi "Like a fresh batch of delicious cookies straight out of the oven, Darra Goldstein''s enormous collection of stories, facts, and essays on sweets is a tantalizing delight that is impossible to put down. Whether you are a passionate pastry cook, a curious omnivore with a sweet tooth, or simply an information geek (or all three, like me), you will enjoy reading this book. It is a must for any food, anthropology, or history enthusiast." --Pichet Ong, chef consultant and author of The Sweet Spot "The new Oxford Companion to Sugar and Sweets tempts the intellect more than the palate. It''s a thick encyclopedia crammed with plenty of history, social science, physiology and culture." --Florence Fabricant, New York Times "Well-planned entries, which go into great depth, address topics such as pie, children''s literature (Hansel and Gretel play their part), sour cream, Tate and Lyles golden syrup, and New Orleans and Twelfth Night cake, also known as king cake . This reference will serve any kitchen, chef, patisserie, or person with a sweet tooth.
Readers will delight in the history and details of the consumption of confections." --Library Journal "Under the brilliant baton of food writer and historian Darra Goldstein, 265 experts in the culinary world have weighed in with well-researched commentaries about an irresistible subject." --Rozanne Gold, Huffington Post "From à la mode to zuppa inglese, this 920-page volume is encyclopedic in ambition - shedding light on myriad aspects of our favorite carbohydrate and its impact around the globe since the beginning of time - and eclectic in execution. Entries by 265 contributors, chemists to chefs to culinary historians, are by turns pedagogical, whimsical, and data-rich." --Stanford Magazine "The book is as addictive as its subject." --Dessert Professional "The Companion abounds with curious theories and facts. Who knew, for example, that the familiar plastic flying toy known as the frisbee was named after the American bakery manager William Russell Frisbie, whose popular flat pies were sold in tin plates with his name imprinted in bold letters on the base? Or that the expression ''to eat humble pie'' is related to ''umble'' pie - a poor man''s dish containing deer offal? Or that early lollipops, first manufactured in Canada at the end of the nineteenth century, were pieces of hard candy stuck on the end of a slate pencil ''meant to keep school pupils'' hands clean''?" --The Times Literary Supplement (UK) "General readers and foodies will discover much to delight over here, while those doing reference work will find solid, substantial answers." --Booklist "This interesting, approachable text will be of use to students in a number of disciplines, serving as a starting point for research in advertising and marketing fields, hospitality programs, study of cultural foodways, and the history and technology of sugar.
" --CHOICE "The most popular reference book of the year is this "tour de force" on all things sugary and sweet" --Library Journal.