From the forbidden fruit of the Old Testament to the numerous laws broken at Francois Mitterand's final meal, In the Devil's Garden is a mouth-watering history of food taboos from around the world - a smorgasbord of culinary titbits to spice up any after-dinner conversation. In a history peppered with religious extremists who would rather starve to death than violate ancient taboos, and in an age when half the world's population - from cow-loving Hindus to Kosher Jews and Western vegetarians - still live with harsh dietary restrictions, Allen reveals just how significant, and pervasive, our relationship with food is.
Deliciously organized by the Seven Deadly Sins, here is a scintillating history of forbidden foods through the ages—and how these mouth-watering taboos have defined cultures around the world. From the lusciously tempting fruit in the Garden of Eden to the divine foie gras, Stewart Lee Allen engagingly illustrates that when a pleasure as primal as eating is criminalized, there is often an astonishing tale to tell. Among the foods thought to encourage Lust, the love apple (now known as the tomato) was thought to possess demonic spirits until the nineteenth century. The Gluttony “course” invites the reader to an ancient Roman dinner party where nearly every dish served—from poppy-crusted rodents to “Trojan Pork”—was considered a crime against the state. While the vice known as Sloth introduces the sad story of “The Lazy Root” (the potato), whose popularity in Ireland led British moralists to claim that the Great Famine was God’s way of punishing the Irish for eating a food that bred degeneracy and idleness. Filled with incredible food history and the author’s travels to many of these exotic locales, In the Devil’s Garden also features recipes like the matzo-ball stews outlawed by the Spanish Inquisition and the forbidden “chocolate champagnes” of the Aztecs. This is truly a delectable book that will be consumed by food lovers, culinary historians, amateur anthropologists, and armchair travelers alike. Bon appétit!
There is only one way in and there is only one way out: the river. One stifling afternoon, a mysterious supply boat docks at a research station deep in the jungle. To Dr Forle and his team of naturalists, its passengers are unwelcome. Ruthless, uninvited, and bringing corruption to the life of the forest, they force Forle, already a fugitive from his past, to confront his darkest impulses . . . ‘An unusually intelligent thriller that refuses to take sides’ Metro ‘As full of intellectual provocations as it is of suspenseful turns’ Giles Foden, Guardian ‘Reminiscent of J. M. Coetzee or Damon Galgut . . . This poisoned Eden throbs with intensity and delivers a gut punch that leaves you reeling’ Independent on Sunday ‘Docx is a master of disquiet’ Spectator ‘A confident and compelling novel, a riveting Conradian page-turner’ Dazed and Confused
Discover soaring sandstone cliffs, ancient rock-art, sun-baked desert, and open woodlands of pinyon and juniper. Up-to-date trail and campground information are featured in this second edition and 124 different hikes are detailed. Includes descriptions of desert geology, plants and animals, and a topographic map for each hike.
![Tuscarora Natural Gas Pipeline Project, Lassen County [CA], Washoe County [NV], Storey County [NV], Klamath County [OR]](https://books.google.com/books/content/images/frontcover/ZQ41AQAAMAAJ)