ABOUT THIS BOOK

A delectable and beautifully illustrated exploration of the deep meaning of the menu across time—at and beyond the table.

Menus are invaluable snapshots of the food consumed at specific moments in time and place. Tastes and Traditions: A Journey through Menu History provides glimpses into the meals enjoyed by royalty and rogues, those celebrating special occasions, or sampling new culinary sensations throughout history. It describes food prepared for the gods, meals served during sieges, and tablescapes immortalized in art. It explores how menus entertain adults, link food with play for children, reflect changing notions of health, and highlight the enduring human need to make meals meaningful. Lavishly illustrated, this book offers an engaging exploration of why menus matter and the stories they tell, appealing to food lovers and general readers, as well as professionals in the food industry.

AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Nathalie Cooke is professor of English at McGill University in Montreal, Canada. Her books include Canadian Literary Fare, winner of the 2024 Gabrielle Roy Prize, and What’s to Eat? Entrées in Canadian Food History.

REVIEWS

"Every page in this book is a work of art, stimulating the imagination as well as the appetite."

— Jeffrey M. Pilcher, University of Toronto

"This is a book for all of us who’ve been tempted to swipe a memorable menu. Brilliantly illustrated and argued, this is a tantalizing history of the restaurant menu as a cultural artifact. From the 'menu French' of fine dining restaurants to the racist imagery of notable American chains, Tastes and Traditions explains how menus give meaning to our meals."

— Daniel E. Bender, Canada Research Chair in Food and Culture, University of Toronto, and author of "The Food Adventurers: How Around-the-World Travel Changed the Way We Eat"

"This dazzling volume guides us through several centuries of menus that reflect changing tastes and societal norms. Cooke’s incisive text and visual juxtapositions illuminate the evolution of menus over time. From luxury trains to refugee ships, from high-end restaurants to prison bills of fare, the menus in Tastes and Traditions go far beyond gastronomy to explore important issues of aesthetics, social history, marketing and desire."

— Darra Goldstein, founding editor of Gastronomica and editor in chief of the "Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Food Studies"

"This illustrated history of the menu explores how they shed light on culinary trends and reflect evolving notions of what’s healthy."

— Publishers Weekly (Spring 2025 Fiction & Nonfiction Preview: Cooking & Food)

"Tastes and Traditions explores menus as strategic documents—much more than simple bills of fare. Menus, it says, do not always present their wares in a straightforward way; some go off the beaten path, becoming almost as important as the food itself. . . . All are a delight to read through. . . . Menus from across history are shared as an opportunity to 'to take a leap of imagination,' vicariously peering over the shoulders of the guests who read them and experienced the inventive meals they represent."

— Foreword Reviews

"Cooke considers aesthetic, textural, and culinary elements of menus to make a compelling case for their importance not only as a record of cuisine but as a cultural artifact and communication tool. . . . This book will appeal broadly to nonfiction readers who are interested in culinary and cultural history as well as design. An entertaining and beautiful look at the history and significance of menus."

— Library Journal

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Cover

Half Title

Title Page

Copyright

Contents

Introduction: Where Can Menus Take Us?

Chapter One: Feasts for the Eyes

Chapter Two: Menus as Mementos

Chapter Three: Cultural Encounters

Chapter Four: Menus for Children and for the Children We Once Were

Chapter Five: Health on the Menu

Chapter Six: Riddle Me This: Menus That Intrigue

Conclusion: What Menus Can Do

References