An Anglicised version of the South American book which represents the "culmination of a cooking adventure for the author Oswald Rivera". The book is a light, easy read, providing an introduction to each time period with an overview of the known written sources, some insights into cultural and historical elements and then a small collection of recipes and ingredients lists defined from written sources. Starting from Ancient Egypt and into classical Greece, the Indus Valley, medieval Europe, through to the Arab world, the Far East and the Americas and terminating in the modern era. If you are seeking a brief history of gastronomy along with a selection of recipes, then this is a good entry into this area of gastroliterature. ( )