This impressive reference contains well-researched entries, many written by specialists. The defining subject of food and culture allows a broad selection of topics; readers will delight in the variety offered, which includes scientific, historic, and anthropologic topics. National foods are listed in entries for the country or region, which cover history, geography, people, types of food produced, and historic and current dishes. National dishes are also included in entries on types of food, such as fish, eggs, wheat, and so on. Popular dishes, particularly those of the West, are featured, as are a broad variety of food-related topics such as aversion to food, modern packaging, and hunger strikes. A list of references accompanies each entry. The contributors are mainly American academics; others are historians, food historians, authors, and agricultural and other specialists in the US, Canada, and Europe. The work is illustrated in b&w. Annotation (c) Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)