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Christmas Food and Feasting

A History

Madeline Shanahan

From its pre-Christian origins to the present, food has always been central to Christmas; a feast at which tradition, nostalgia, innovation, symbolism, and indulgence all come together at the table. This book explores the rich story of Christmas food and feasting, tracing the history of how our festive menu evolved and inherited elements of pagan ritual, medieval traditions, early modern innovations, Victorian romanticism, and contemporary commercialism. Although it makes reference to global traditions, it focuses specifically on the story of how the British Christmas meal evolved, both on its native shores and beyond. It considers the origins, form, and structure of the modern British Christmas dinner, with its codified menu and iconic festive dishes and drinks.



It also tells the story of what happened to that meal as it was taken throughout the Empire, becoming entrenched in places most strongly associated with the British Diaspora. In these places, spread across the Globe, keeping a very precise model of Christmas became a key marker of cultural identity. This British Christmas was not unchanging, though; rather, it adapted to new environments, and merged with the Christmases of other cultures encountered to create new traditions. Looking beyond Britain, to places strongly associated with its Diaspora, such as the United States of America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, helps us to understand the cultural significance and meaning of this feast with more complexity. With recipes and menus, this work will help modern readers understand the feasts of Christmas past, and perhaps incorporate some of those old dishes into Christmas-present festivities.
  • Details
  • Details
  • Author
  • Author
  • TOC
  • TOC
  • Reviews
  • Reviews
Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Pages: 242 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½
978-1-4422-7697-0 • Hardback • April 2019 • $48.00 • (£37.00)
978-1-4422-7698-7 • eBook • April 2019 • $45.50 • (£35.00)
Series: The Meals Series
Subjects: Cooking / History, Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural
Madeline Shanahan, PhD, has worked as a professional historian and archaeologist in Dublin, Sydney and Melbourne and is the author of a range of peer-reviewed publications. Among the most notable of these is her first book, Manuscript Recipe Books as Archaeological Objects: Text and Food in the Early Modern World (Lexington, 2015) and a paper published in Food in Ireland, Proceedings of The Royal Irish Academy (2015) which was awarded a Highly Commended in the 2015 Sophie Coe Prize. Her interests include manuscript recipe books, culinary material culture, infant-feeding, and food history.
Chapter One- A short history of Christmas

Chapter Two- Meats and Main

Chapter Three- Puddings and desserts

Chapter Four- Festive cakes

Chapter Five- Sweet treats

Chapter Six- Drink
Ever wondered why we eat and drink the foods and beverages at Christmas? Madeline Shanahan’s Christmas Food and Feasting uncovers the culinary traditions served at Christmas across the “Anglosphere” from the middle ages to the present day. It is filled with surprising twists and unexpected derivations from riotous parties and drinking bouts of the past to the sedate family sit-down dinners of today. This well-researched and well-documented book is also a fun read!
— Andrew Smith, Culinary Historian


Only a handful of cities worldwide can lay claim to a food tradition as long as Rome’s. Yet as Karima Moyer elegantly demonstrates, while the table may have been near-eternal, the vagaries of politics and war, religious belief and migration brought one change after another to the food on that table. Like the city itself, the food is a patchwork that combines the startlingly new with pasts both gladly abandoned and fondly remembered. Fascinating.
— Rachel Laudan, author of Cuisine and Empire: Cooking in World History


Shanahan’s deep research is like a stocking hung full of scholarly insights into the cultural significance of Christmas feasting. It is a sweet read for those who pause to ponder how and why our traditions have evolved.
— Cathy Kaufman, president, Culinary Historians of New York; adjunct professor of Food Studies, The New School University


Part of the "Meals" series edited by Ken Albala, this volume brings Christmas food and feasting’s “social and cultural meaning into sharp focus," according to the series foreword. Food has traditionally played a central role in Christmas celebrations; the focal point of the occasion is often the meal gathering. An independent food historian, Shanahan reveals recurring themes and dishes that span centuries of Christmas tradition. She focuses on the British Christmas tradition, although she examines American customs and the British influence on traditions around the world, highlighting such motifs as paper crowns and plum puddings. The first chapter provides context in the form of a short history of Christmas. Subsequent chapters examine “meats and main,” “puddings and desserts,” “festive cakes,” “sweet treats,” and finally, “drink.” Traditionally, Christmas tables were heavily laden with meat. Sugar’s importance cannot be underscored, as three of six chapters focus on sweet dishes. Alcohol plays a critical role as well, stemming from wassailing traditions
— Choice Reviews


Christmas Food and Feasting

A History

Cover Image
Hardback
eBook
Summary
Summary
  • From its pre-Christian origins to the present, food has always been central to Christmas; a feast at which tradition, nostalgia, innovation, symbolism, and indulgence all come together at the table. This book explores the rich story of Christmas food and feasting, tracing the history of how our festive menu evolved and inherited elements of pagan ritual, medieval traditions, early modern innovations, Victorian romanticism, and contemporary commercialism. Although it makes reference to global traditions, it focuses specifically on the story of how the British Christmas meal evolved, both on its native shores and beyond. It considers the origins, form, and structure of the modern British Christmas dinner, with its codified menu and iconic festive dishes and drinks.



    It also tells the story of what happened to that meal as it was taken throughout the Empire, becoming entrenched in places most strongly associated with the British Diaspora. In these places, spread across the Globe, keeping a very precise model of Christmas became a key marker of cultural identity. This British Christmas was not unchanging, though; rather, it adapted to new environments, and merged with the Christmases of other cultures encountered to create new traditions. Looking beyond Britain, to places strongly associated with its Diaspora, such as the United States of America, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand, helps us to understand the cultural significance and meaning of this feast with more complexity. With recipes and menus, this work will help modern readers understand the feasts of Christmas past, and perhaps incorporate some of those old dishes into Christmas-present festivities.
Details
Details
  • Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
    Pages: 242 • Trim: 6¼ x 9½
    978-1-4422-7697-0 • Hardback • April 2019 • $48.00 • (£37.00)
    978-1-4422-7698-7 • eBook • April 2019 • $45.50 • (£35.00)
    Series: The Meals Series
    Subjects: Cooking / History, Social Science / Anthropology / Cultural
Author
Author
  • Madeline Shanahan, PhD, has worked as a professional historian and archaeologist in Dublin, Sydney and Melbourne and is the author of a range of peer-reviewed publications. Among the most notable of these is her first book, Manuscript Recipe Books as Archaeological Objects: Text and Food in the Early Modern World (Lexington, 2015) and a paper published in Food in Ireland, Proceedings of The Royal Irish Academy (2015) which was awarded a Highly Commended in the 2015 Sophie Coe Prize. Her interests include manuscript recipe books, culinary material culture, infant-feeding, and food history.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
  • Chapter One- A short history of Christmas

    Chapter Two- Meats and Main

    Chapter Three- Puddings and desserts

    Chapter Four- Festive cakes

    Chapter Five- Sweet treats

    Chapter Six- Drink
Reviews
Reviews
  • Ever wondered why we eat and drink the foods and beverages at Christmas? Madeline Shanahan’s Christmas Food and Feasting uncovers the culinary traditions served at Christmas across the “Anglosphere” from the middle ages to the present day. It is filled with surprising twists and unexpected derivations from riotous parties and drinking bouts of the past to the sedate family sit-down dinners of today. This well-researched and well-documented book is also a fun read!
    — Andrew Smith, Culinary Historian


    Only a handful of cities worldwide can lay claim to a food tradition as long as Rome’s. Yet as Karima Moyer elegantly demonstrates, while the table may have been near-eternal, the vagaries of politics and war, religious belief and migration brought one change after another to the food on that table. Like the city itself, the food is a patchwork that combines the startlingly new with pasts both gladly abandoned and fondly remembered. Fascinating.
    — Rachel Laudan, author of Cuisine and Empire: Cooking in World History


    Shanahan’s deep research is like a stocking hung full of scholarly insights into the cultural significance of Christmas feasting. It is a sweet read for those who pause to ponder how and why our traditions have evolved.
    — Cathy Kaufman, president, Culinary Historians of New York; adjunct professor of Food Studies, The New School University


    Part of the "Meals" series edited by Ken Albala, this volume brings Christmas food and feasting’s “social and cultural meaning into sharp focus," according to the series foreword. Food has traditionally played a central role in Christmas celebrations; the focal point of the occasion is often the meal gathering. An independent food historian, Shanahan reveals recurring themes and dishes that span centuries of Christmas tradition. She focuses on the British Christmas tradition, although she examines American customs and the British influence on traditions around the world, highlighting such motifs as paper crowns and plum puddings. The first chapter provides context in the form of a short history of Christmas. Subsequent chapters examine “meats and main,” “puddings and desserts,” “festive cakes,” “sweet treats,” and finally, “drink.” Traditionally, Christmas tables were heavily laden with meat. Sugar’s importance cannot be underscored, as three of six chapters focus on sweet dishes. Alcohol plays a critical role as well, stemming from wassailing traditions
    — Choice Reviews


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