About the author
Ken Albala is an American food historian, chef, author, and a professor of history at University of the Pacific. He is known for writing and editing 29 books on food, as well as co-authoring The Lost Art of Real Cooking and The Lost Arts of Hearth and Home. His works focus heavily on food history, global histories of specific ingredients, Renaissance dining, and historical perspectives on eating. His books suit home cooks and readers interested in deep historical context, culinary traditions, and scholarly approaches to food culture rather than standard quick-recipe collections. These texts provide thorough background research and detailed exploration of historical eating habits across various time periods and European courts. Readers looking to begin exploring his work can start with several stocked titles, such as Eating Right in the Renaissance: Volume 2, Cooking in Europe, 1250-1650, Beans: A History, and Nuts: A Global History. Additional options available in the catalog include The Banquet: Dining in the Great Courts of Late Renaissance Europe and Grow Food, Cook Food, Share Food: Perspectives on Eating from the Past and a Preliminary Agenda for the Future.
📖 Where to start with Ken Albala
💬 What our editors say about Ken Albala's books
“Ken Albala provides a stimulating contribution to food history, combining rigorous historical inquiry with an engaging, accessible tone. The volume excels in exploring Renaissance dietetic literature and its relationship to…”
Eatbook Family editorial team, Cookbook desk · on Eating Right in the Renaissance: Volume 2
“Albala offers a rigorous examination of nuts as both biological staples and cultural symbols. The narrative effectively links botanical facts with historical trends, explaining why these ingredients hold such central importance…”
Eatbook Family editorial team, Cookbook desk · on Nuts: A Global History
“Ken Albala's work offers a focused look at European cooking from 1250 to 1650, supplying both recipes and contextual information for the era. Casual cooks looking for quick weeknight dinners or modern culinary inspiration will…”
Eatbook Family editorial team, Cookbook desk · on Cooking in Europe, 1250-1650
📋 Editions by Ken Albala in the catalog
| Edition | Year | Publisher | Pages | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grow Food, Cook Food, Share Food: Perspectives on Eating from th | 2013 | Oregon State University Pr | — | 9780870717185 |
| Eating Right in the Renaissance: Volume 2 | 2002 | University of California P | — | 9780520229471 |
| Nuts: A Global History | 2014 | Reaktion Books | — | 9781780232829 |
| The Banquet: Dining in the Great Courts of Late Renaissance Euro | 2017 | University of Illinois Pre | — | 9780252083075 |
| The Banquet: Dining in the Great Courts of Late Renaissance Euro | 2007 | University of Illinois Pre | — | 9780252031335 |
| Cooking in Europe, 1250-1650 | 2006 | Greenwood | — | 9780313330964 |
| Beans: A History | 2007 | Berg Publishers | — | 9781845204303 |
