NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS: FOOD FIGHT!
Tanya Steel chats with Big Blend Radio about her new book, “National Geographic Kids: Food Fight!: A Mouth-watering History of Who Ate What and Why Through the Ages.”
From the discovery of fire a million years ago, to the domestication of animals in the Neolithic era, to the potential future of Martian agriculture, Tanya Steel looks at history through the lens of food to answer questions about the origins of today’s common foods, marvelous inventions that changed the way we ate and cooked, and 30 kid-tested historical recipes, each specific to a particular time and place.
Did you know that Christopher Columbus set out on his most famous voyage in search not of the new world, but cinnamon? Or that rich people in the Middle Ages served flaming peacocks and spun sugar castles to their lucky dinner party guests? Did you ever wonder why M&Ms were invented? (Hint: That candy coating isn’t just for decoration!)? The quest for food has inspired all kinds of adventures and misadventures around the world, and this book explores the wildest and wackiest of them all, from prehistoric times through modern day.
Each chapter of Food Fight! focuses on a major period of world history — from Prehistoric cave-kids, to the Industrial Revolution, to World War II, to the present day and beyond — and examines politics, culture and class difference as they are reflected in the cuisine du jour. This highly visual collection is full of colorful sidebars, historical photos, “Yucky Habits of Yore”, quizzes, and even period-accurate recipes that will take readers’ taste buds back in time: Johnny-on-the-Spot Cakes, Let Them Eat Quiche, Lentil Stew for Junior Olympiads, and more. Steel brings her extensive knowledge and experience to bear in an educational and entertaining guide that is perfect for foodies, future chefs, and history buffs of all ages.
Tanya Steel is a global food industry leader in every aspect. She initiated the Healthy Lunchtime Challenge & Annual Kids’ “State Dinner” at the White House with First Lady Michelle Obama. She is the former editorial director of Clean Plates, Epicurious.com, Gourmet Live, and Gourmet.com, she was an editor at Bon Appétit and Food & Wine, and wrote for the New York Times for four years. She co-wrote the award-winning Real Food for Healthy Kids, and The Epicurious Cookbook, a New York Times best seller. In addition to guest judging on Hell’s Kitchen, IronChef and MasterChef she has been featured on made many national television shows including The Today Show, Fox & Friends, The Early Show and Good Morning America.
