Foodways Encyclopedias, Companions and Handbooks


The Cambridge World History of Food (edited by K. F. Kiple and K. C. Ornelas, 2000)
Review: "This outstanding work of scholarship explains what we eat and why we eat it. The multidisciplinary articles discuss both individual foods and topics such as food fads, famine, and eating disorders."--"Outstanding Reference Sources," American Libraries, May 2001.

The Cambridge Companion to Literature and Food (edited by J. Michelle Coghlan, 2020)
Provides an engaging and expansive overview of gustation, gastronomy, agriculture and alimentary activism in literature from the medieval period to the present day, as well as an illuminating introduction to cookbooks as literature.

Concise Concordance to NRSV and NAB Concise Concordance 
Within the Oxford Biblical Studies Online database, these two concordances, listed in the "Bible Texts" category, comprise an index of the most prominent words used in all 73 books of the New American Bible and an index of keywords and frequently used phrases in the New Revised Standard Version Bible. Note that this is a word search rather than a topical search, so you will need to browse for different kinds of foods and food synonyms. For an online concordance you may browse topically (but which is not of a scholarly caliber) try Nave's Topical Bible Concordance Online (food entry). For a list of scholarly Bible concordances, see the Biblical Studies Resources guide from the Harvard Divinity School. 

Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (edited by A.F. Smith, 2013)
Covers the significant events, inventions, and social movements that have shaped the way Americans view, prepare, and consume food and drink. Entries range across historical periods and the trends that characterize them.

Oxford Handbook of Food History (edited by J. M. Pilcher, 2012)
Chronicles the history of food from the Columbian Exchange through the 21st century. From the spice trade to ethnic and ethical eats to cookbooks and food activism, the book explores many food-related topics, e.g., the relationship between food and gender, culinary tourism, fast food, industrial food, and food studies. Note: Oxford UP publishes many other handbooks on food-related topics—see HOLLIS.

Routledge International Handbook of Food Studies (edited by Ken Albala, 2013)
Including original articles by over thirty leading food scholars from around the world, this handbook offers students, scholars and all those interested in food-related research a one-stop, easy-to-use reference guide. Each article includes a brief history of food research within a discipline or on a particular topic, a discussion of research methodologies and ideological or theoretical positions, resources for research, including archives, grants and fellowship opportunities, as well as suggestions for further study. Includes chapters on the anthropology and sociology of food, food and communication, nutritional anthropology, the archaeology of food, the cultural history of food, culinary history, food literature, food in art, film, and television, the folklore of food, food justice, food and the senses, and more.