A Book by Seren Charrington-Hollins

In our modern era, most people in developed countries can take a trip to the grocery store with a reasonable amount of comfort in knowing that they will likely not be made sick by whatever they purchase. Even with the advent of processed foods and manufactured snacks, it is very rare that a food safety recall happens at any given time. This peace of mind was not always a given, however, because even as recently as the Victorian Era, a similar trip to a grocer or a butcher shop could result in unbearable sickness or even death. In Revolting Recipes From History, a new book by Seren Charrington-Hollins and published by Pen and Sword Publishing, the author lays out the numerous foodstuffs that, by virtue of being poorly produced or atypical to a modern diet, may result in us thinking of them as revolting, disgusting, or unsafe.

I actually went into this book thinking that it was going to be a recipe book of sorts, and in some cases there are recipes. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find more of a historical analysis of food trends and how the modern palate has shifted drastically away from certain things that used to be commonplace.

“Nothing causes a stir on social media platforms like a topical discussion on the latest food trend. Modern-day chefs like to think that they are creative and often claim to push boundaries of food creation, but if we want to explore real culinary creativity then we need to look to our ancestors. Writer and food historian, Seren Charrington-Hollins delves into the history of culinary experimentation to bring us some of the weirdest and most stomach-churning food delicacies to ever grace a dining table. She uncovers the rather gruesome history behind some everyday staples, uncovers bizarre and curious recipes, whilst casting a light on foods that have fallen from culinary grace, such as cows udders and tripe; showing that revulsion is just a matter of taste, times and perhaps knowledge.”

I think one of the more interesting things towards the beginning of the book that I enjoyed was the overall history of processed food manufacturing and the advent of tinned goods (canned goods). With our modern food safety regulations not in any place whatsoever, eating such products was roughly about as safe as eating lead paint chips. A lot of government contracts, in a manner that’s typical even today, would contract out to the lowest bidder resulting in catastrophes such as entire expeditions being killed off or rampant military sickness from tainted canned rations. The entire canned food industry was almost entirely banned at various times before this was regulated.

I also enjoyed this books somewhat thorough analysis of organ meats that previously were a staple of many kitchens and even the fast-food industries of the time. However, they have become almost unseen in our modern era. Yes, you can go out of your way and try to find things such as chitterlings or calf brains. However, in terms of where I live, these types of foods are generally reserved for people of different cultures that have immigrated into American Society and so-called foodies that have been dipping their toes into bringing back antiquated recipes through the coaching of celebrity chefs. Other topics in the book include seemingly “out-of-bounds foods” such as frogs, insects, blood, and other items that even most celebrity chefs will forego entirely.

This book was well-researched and, despite covering such a broad topic, it was very entertaining to read and well-written. Like I said, I went into this book not realizing what I was getting myself into and managed to plow through in just a couple of days. It’s a great book to just sit down before bed or after work and read a chapter or two, and overall it is not very long. That’s kind of the style with a lot of books by Pen and Sword Publishing as they, for better or worse, try to stay around 200 pages or so. If you are a fan of historical documentaries that talk about the precarious lifestyles of people in the past or want to read about disgusting facts that you can pass along to your friends, this is the book for you.

Overall, this book was a pleasant read and a great palate cleanser after reading somewhat depressing history books that I have read in the past couple of months. Even though what it covers could be seen as a dark topic, it is not a book that dwells on the macabre facts of people dying or anything of the sort, and it’s purely informative for the most part. Pen and Sword Publishing always produce pretty good high-quality books at a low cost, and I appreciate them quite a bit for filling the niche in pop history books that you really don’t see too often.

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NOTE: I received a free preliminary, and likely unedited copy of this book from Netgalley for the purposes of providing an honest, unbiased review of the material. Thank you to all involved.