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March 2016 Vol. 53 No. 7

Folklorist Long, founder and director of the Center for Food and Culture at http://www.foodandculture.org, has edited this two-volume encyclopedia that draws together approximately 260 essays from 124 contributors who represent a wide swath of disciplines, professions, and backgrounds.  The work captures the depth and variety of multiethnic American foodways in a single text, contributing a focused perspective on the growing body of reference resources that have lately addressed the cultural connections of US food traditions, e.g., The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America (CH, Apr'13, 50-4170).  Each volume's front matter includes a listing of entries arranged alphabetically and by geographic region.  Entries are titled to reveal nationality or cultural identity, and each gives background information on the group, describes its associated foodways and place in American culture, and identifies notable restaurants and further readings (some listing multiple sources).  Sections following discussion of foodways may also offer details on foodstuffs, procurement and preparation, representative recipes, meal systems, and holiday feasts.  Contributors' treatments vary in length from a paragraph to multiple pages, reflecting the impact of a group's influence on American culture and the size of the body of related literature.  This set will be a useful resource for students and those beginning research on the cultural history of food, not only those enrolled in culinary programs but also those from a range of social-science disciplines.

--L. Goode, College of William and Mary

Summing Up: Recommended. All levels of students; general readers.