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James Davis, C. M. Woolgar. The Culture of Food in England, 1200–1500., The American Historical Review, Volume 123, Issue 1, February 2018, Pages 287–288, https://doi.org/10.1093/ahr/123.1.287
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Food is a daily necessity, but also a social signifier that is firmly embedded within cultural artifacts. In The Culture of Food in England, C. M. Woolgar aims to demonstrate that medieval England was no exception and that food played a sophisticated role within the social and religious contexts. This book is not primarily about diet or the minutiae of recipes, or even the production and marketing of food. Instead, it focuses on the culture surrounding food—its preparation, service, and consumption—and its perceived meaning for social aspiration. The strength of the book undoubtedly lies in its breadth of sources. Extensive use is made of coroners’ rolls, household accounts, civic regulations, monastic customaries, wills, inventories, courtesy books, sermons, and proverbs in order to elicit cultural references. Woolgar is particularly keen to highlight how food entered the medieval literary imagination, reflecting the spices and sauces that were the epitome of medieval cooking.
