Cake: A Slice of History

Nonfiction, Food & Drink, Baking & Desserts, Cakes, Food Writing, History
Cover of the book Cake: A Slice of History by Alysa Levene, Pegasus Books
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Alysa Levene ISBN: 9781681771083
Publisher: Pegasus Books Publication: March 15, 2016
Imprint: Pegasus Books Language: English
Author: Alysa Levene
ISBN: 9781681771083
Publisher: Pegasus Books
Publication: March 15, 2016
Imprint: Pegasus Books
Language: English

Cake can evoke thoughts of home, comfort someone at a time of grief or celebrate a birth or new love.  It is a maker of memories, a marker of identities, and delicious!

It was the year 878 A.D., and a man claims sanctuary in a small village home in Wessex.  To the surprise of the villager, the man is not a passing vagabond but Alfred, King of the Anglo-Saxons.  The village homemaker is happy to hide him from the marauding Danes, provided he keeps an eye on the cake she has baking in the oven.  Preoccupied with how to re-take his kingdom, Alfred lets the cakes burn, and the incident passed in to folklore forever.

From these seemingly ignoble beginnings, not only was Alfred able to reclaim his spot in history, but the humble villagers' cake has ascended in world culture as well.  Alysa Levene looks at cakes both ancient and modern, from the Fruit Cake, to the Pound Cake, from the ubiquitous birthday cake to the Angel Food Cake, all the way up to competitive baking shows on television and our modern obsession with macaroons and cup cakes. 

Along the way, author Alysa Levene shows how cakes are so much more than just a delicious sugar hit, and reflects on how and why cakes became the food to eat in times of celebration.  Cake reflects cultural differences, whether it is the changing role of women in the home, the expansion of global trade, even advances in technology. Entertaining and delightfully informative, Cake: A Slice of History promises to be a witty and joyous celebration of our cultural heritage.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Cake can evoke thoughts of home, comfort someone at a time of grief or celebrate a birth or new love.  It is a maker of memories, a marker of identities, and delicious!

It was the year 878 A.D., and a man claims sanctuary in a small village home in Wessex.  To the surprise of the villager, the man is not a passing vagabond but Alfred, King of the Anglo-Saxons.  The village homemaker is happy to hide him from the marauding Danes, provided he keeps an eye on the cake she has baking in the oven.  Preoccupied with how to re-take his kingdom, Alfred lets the cakes burn, and the incident passed in to folklore forever.

From these seemingly ignoble beginnings, not only was Alfred able to reclaim his spot in history, but the humble villagers' cake has ascended in world culture as well.  Alysa Levene looks at cakes both ancient and modern, from the Fruit Cake, to the Pound Cake, from the ubiquitous birthday cake to the Angel Food Cake, all the way up to competitive baking shows on television and our modern obsession with macaroons and cup cakes. 

Along the way, author Alysa Levene shows how cakes are so much more than just a delicious sugar hit, and reflects on how and why cakes became the food to eat in times of celebration.  Cake reflects cultural differences, whether it is the changing role of women in the home, the expansion of global trade, even advances in technology. Entertaining and delightfully informative, Cake: A Slice of History promises to be a witty and joyous celebration of our cultural heritage.

More books from Pegasus Books

Cover of the book The Listener: A Novel by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book The Temptation of Elizabeth Tudor: Elizabeth I, Thomas Seymour, and the Making of a Virgin Queen by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book Shakespeare and the Countess: The Battle that Gave Birth to the Globe by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book The Wages of Desire: A World War II Mystery by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book Lone Star Nation: How Texas Will Transform America by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book The Falcon of Sparta: A Novel by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book In the Land of Giants: A Journey Through the Dark Ages by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book Shadow of the Corps by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book Mrs God: A Novel by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book The Secret War Against Napoleon: Britain's Assassination Plot on the French Emperor by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book The Three Musketeers by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book Rudyard Kipling's Tales of Horror and Fantasy by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book A Fever of the Blood: A Novel by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book Champagne Salary: Diary of a Tokyo Hostess by Alysa Levene
Cover of the book Drinks With Dead Poets: A Season of Poe, Whitman, Byron, and the Brontes by Alysa Levene
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy