This book was not what i thought it would be, i thought it would delve more into folklore but really its anecdotes about food history that touches on folklore. I feel like it could have been edited better as it broke up by the food item and a lot of the items have similar folklore so maybe it would have been best to organise by the history than the particular item. Im sure people will love this as it is fun but just wasnt for me

I certainly liked the idea of delving into origins of various foodie habits - tossing salt over the left shoulder type things. The book was separated by the foods - onions, turnips, beef and so on. The author has clearly done a lot of research and I found the references at the back to be the most interesting part. It's not just that many of the folkloric events are quite familiar to those of us of a certain older generation but the lack of much detail as to why they might have developed was disappointing. Quite a few tales seemed rather superficial I'm afraid. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

A very interesting book, full of tales and myths surrounding food throughout the ages. Well researched and documented.

A very interesting read discussing the myths and strange traditions passed down in British food culture. I was throughly entertained and you will be too. Highly recommend

I enjoyed reading this book. I liked the way it was organized and the incorporation of a few pictures. I did think that this book would be a bit more whimsical than it is. It is definitely more of a history of food folklore in England rather than a collection of folklore stories about food. Because of this it seems like the kind of book you would flip through and read a few sections of at a time rather than reading it from cover to cover.

This is a very solid book by Ben Gazur on the way food intersects with culture and folklore history. I was so intrigued by the idea, and generally the concept stuck well, though the execution was not exactly what I may have hoped for.

The writing itself was more short snippets of facts or quick anecdotes rather than more drawn out prose. It almost read more as a book of facts and fun information than a storytelling book. Sections often ran together and the delineation of sections and chapters was not clear. This could have been a factor of my advanced copy and may be cleared up, along with quite a bit of formatting difficulties in my kindle copy.

Overall I enjoyed the book, and would love a follow up version digging a bit more into the history, culture, and impacts of food and folklore with fewer and more in-depth stories. Which I suppose means I’m hungry for more!

Special thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the ARC!

A Feast of Folklore is an in-depth cultural exploration of many foodstuffs, from how eating cakes impacted lives to the superstitions of fruit. It's written really well, and with the occasional illustration popping up now and then, it's set in a cohesive way that's easy to digest (get it? Haha). It's actually such a fun and interesting read, getting this little insight to the minds of the past--an almost different world to today--yet the many customs and superstitions that still exist give a little bit of relatability to the notion that things connect us more than it seems. I really enjoyed reading it.

A Feast of Folklore by Ben Gazur would make a perfect gift for any foodie or history fan who appreciates quirky facts.

My thanks to NetGalley and Unbound for a copy of “A Feast Of Folklore” for an honest review.

This book was just the right combination of informative and entertaining.
It is an ideal book to keep dipping into and to learn something new.Really interesting to find out how some of the traditions related to food originated, although I did have to skim through some of the facts about meat !
Highly recommended

This book was much more entertaining than I had expected it to be. I found myself reading passages out loud to the family and enjoying the stories and information within each chapter. It took me three days to read it, the time would have been much shorter if family members had not picked up my kindle to read this book every time I put it down. A great but for historians and kitchen folk alike.

What a fun read! I loved learning about all the different rituals/superstitions regarding food and I'm glad Christmas games like "Snap-dragon" aren't the norm anymore!

Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of A Feast of Folklore.

This book was definitely right up my alley.

I'm the sort of person who wonders where we get follow/perform certain rituals and superstitions? Where did they come from? How did they evolve?

It's clear the author did his research; it was hilarious and odd and strange for all the right reasons.

At the same time, it was too folklore heavy. I wished the author had delved into the nuances of some of the superstitions.

Did some communities' beliefs from their homeland influence their rituals and how did it get passed down and incorporated into their adopted country?

Overall, a fascinating and eye-opening read into why we believe the things we do, almost always for the wrong reasons. But we still keep doing it!

thanks to NetGalley for the eARC

⭐️=3.75? 4? | 😘=2.5 | 🤬=3 | ⚔️=3 | 15+

summary: what it says on the tin! weird folklore about British food

thoughts: fun! weird! funny! a good time overall, though not the most polished prose. very quirky and strange.

A treat, in more ways than one!

As someone who grew up cooking in an Italian family, there were always small traditions that snuck into our routines without even realizing. Ben Gazur takes us on a journey of the who/what/where/when/and why of all of these food related traditions, patterns, and practices. This is such a fun and informative book that everyone who spends any time in a kitchen should pick up!

The writer certainly knows their onions! From onions to milk, the writer goes into facts of different foods. It's quite interesting but I would have valued more scientific explanations regarding the foods stuffs. For instance, it's said onions ward of disease and infections, the writer briefly covers an epidemic in which Italians with onions in their houses suffered less than the rest of the population. Why? Was this just coincidence, what properties of the onions "ward off diseases" or is it simply just coincidence? There is always something behind folklore and I was expecting some debunking or explanation regarding the foodstuffs.

Incredibly hilarious and just my cup of tea. This is a non-fiction book about the origins of some of our eating habits but simplifying the context and content as such does not do this book justice, I liked Gazur’s writing style so much. I will read this book again and I highly recommend it to those who are looking for a good read on a bizarre topic. Well, the book is also very informative and asks interesting questions. It is the type of non-fiction book that I like and would read books written, structured and researched in a similar vein.