by Rob Dunn
This delightful audiobook narrated by Russell Bentley offers a savory account of how the pursuit of delicious foods shaped human evolution
Nature, it has been said, invites us to eat by appetite and rewards by flavor. But what exactly are flavors? Why are some so pleasing while others are not? Delicious is a supremely entertaining foray into the heart of such questions.
With generous helpings of warmth and wit, Rob Dunn and Monica Sanchez offer bold new perspectives on why food is enjoyable and how the pursuit of delicious flavors has guided the course of human history. They consider the role that flavor may have played in the invention of the first tools, the extinction of giant mammals, the evolution of the world's most delicious and fatty fruits, the creation of beer, and our own sociality. Along the way, you will learn about the taste receptors you didn't even know you had, the best way to ferment a mastodon, the relationship between Paleolithic art and cheese, and much more.
Blending irresistible storytelling with the latest science, Delicious is a deep history of flavor that will transform the way you think about human evolution and the gustatory pleasures of the foods we eat.
This delightful audiobook narrated by Russell Bentley offers a savory account of how the pursuit of delicious foods shaped human evolution
Nature, it has been said, invites us to eat by appetite and rewards by flavor. But what exactly are flavors? Why are some so pleasing while others are not? Delicious is a supremely entertaining foray into the heart of such questions.
With generous helpings of warmth and wit, Rob Dunn and Monica Sanchez offer bold new perspectives on why food is enjoyable and how the pursuit of delicious flavors has guided the course of human history. They consider the role that flavor may have played in the invention of the first tools, the extinction of giant mammals, the evolution of the world's most delicious and fatty fruits, the creation of beer, and our own sociality. Along the way, you will learn about the taste receptors you didn't even know you had, the best way to ferment a mastodon, the relationship between Paleolithic art and cheese, and much more.
Blending irresistible storytelling with the latest science, Delicious is a deep history of flavor that will transform the way you think about human evolution and the gustatory pleasures of the foods we eat.
Reviews-
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Narrator Russell Bentley unpacks the mystery behind the mundane daily ritual of eating. He brings a playful approach to this exploration of how foods came to taste the way they do. Examining a variety of topics--from cheese to beer, extinct mammals, and taste buds--Bentley dexterously moves listeners between the present and the prehistoric past. He is a cheerful narrator for this interesting look at how diets of the past have shaped modern meals. Bentley's performance creates the sense that one has dropped into an engaging seminar that is accessible to anyone interested in the history of flavors. Listeners may find themselves becoming increasingly hungry over the course of this audiobook. M.R. © AudioFile 2021, Portland, Maine
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December 15, 2020
A history of the influence of food and flavor on human evolution. Dunn, a professor of applied ecology, and Sanchez, a medical anthropologist, ponder the role of deliciousness in the choices our ancestors made about food. The answers may seem obvious, but the authors reveal a deeper, broader story than many readers may expect. They note that while anthropologists and historians often talk about the diets and foods available to ancient peoples, seldom discussed is what their favorite foods might have been, what flavors enticed them, and why. Since the scientific literature has comparatively little to say about gastronomy, the authors speculate on the evolution of deliciousness in light of evolution, ecology, agriculture, and history. They also amplify their findings with considerations of neurobiology, physics, chemistry, and psychology. Our hosts at this empirical dinner party envision a new future for the study of flavor, with seats for the curious of every stripe. On the bill of fare is deliciousness in all its manifestations--not simply taste, but the entire sensory experience of eating: taste, aroma, texture, color. They also serve up theories on how early culinary traditions may have played a key role in the development of certain tools designed to make foods available, engendering further evolutionary changes, as well as considerations on how flavor and aroma seduce other species. In their view, food choice has been almost as much about pleasure as survival, and our ancestors set the table. Among the most interesting chapters is one that examines why humans began to use spices, likely as much for our primitive understanding of preservation (their ability to kill food pathogens) as for the novel flavors they imparted. On a darker note, Dunn and Sanchez investigate how, abetted by climate change, we have eaten many species to extinction. Their diligent research is evident in the 50 pages of notes. A persuasive, entertaining argument about how our avid pursuit of deliciousness helped shape our evolutionary path.COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
