Holy Food

http://www.renaud-bray.com

http://www.renaud-bray.com

Does God have a recipe?Holy Food explores the influence of religiousbeliefs from mainstream to fringe on modern American food culture. AuthorChristina Ward unravels the numerous ways religious beliefs intersect withpolitics and economics and, of course, food to tell a different story ofAmerica. It's the story of true believers and charlatans, of idealists andvisionaries, and of the everyday people who followed them—often at their peril.Holy Food explains how cataclysmic disasters of all types are connected tofaith pioneers' personal journeys and reveals the interconnectivity between thesects and their leaders.In America,where the freedom to believe whatever you want and worship the god of not onlyof your own choice but of your own making embraced old traditions and inventednew ones. Religious beliefs have been the source of food rules since Pythagoras told his followers not to eat beans (they contain souls),Kosher and Halal rules forbade the shrimp cocktail (shellfish are scavengers,or maybe G-d just said no ). A long-ago Pope forbade Catholics toeat meat on Fridays (one should fast to atone for committed sins).Rules abouteating are present in nearly every American belief, from high-control groupsthat ban everything except air to the infamous strawberry shortcakethat sated visitors to the Oneida Community in the late 1800s.Holy Food looks at how the explosion of religious movements since theGreat Awakenings (the nationwide religious revivals in the 1730s-40s and 1795-1835)birthed a cottage industry of food fads that gained mainstream acceptance. Andat the obscure sects and communities of the 20th Century who dabbled in vaguespirituality that used food to both entice and control followers. Wardskillfully navigates between academic studies, interviews, cookbooks, and religioustexts of hundreds of groups to make sharp observations and new insights in thishighly readable journey through the American kitchen.Holy Food features over 75 recipes from religious and communal groups testedand updated for modern cooks.