From the forbidden fruit of the Old Testament to the numerous laws broken at Francois Mitterand’s final meal, In the Devil’s Garden is a mouth-watering history of food taboos from around the world – a smorgasbord of culinary titbits to spice up any after-dinner conversation.
In a history peppered with religious extremists who would rather starve to death than violate ancient taboos, and in an age when half the world’s population – from cow-loving Hindus to Kosher Jews and Western vegetarians – still live with harsh dietary restrictions, Allen reveals just how significant, and pervasive, our relationship with food is.
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Currently living in Brooklyn, Stewart Lee Allen has also called California, Kathmandu, Sydney, San Cristobel, Calcutta and San Francisco home. When not lounging about a café in a far-flung corner of the globe, he has worked as a grape-picker, theatrical director, bathroom attendant, grave-digger, punk musician, smuggler and, of course, a writer. He is the author of the award-winning fiction collection The Art of Rape as well as his acclaimed history of coffee, The Devil’s Cup.