First published in 1999. This book examines process of change in African, South African and European countries by analysing the ways in which food is an integral part of ongoing ecological, economic, political and social transformations. It also provides research on dietary changes from direct intervention by people and agencies. The majority of these fascinating case studies are based on original fieldwork, they are quite diverse, as are the nature and scope of changes considered. The authors discuss rural as well as urban modes of food consumption, dietary changes in different societal contexts, and food-based rituals. The cases presented suggest alterative readings of some established models of changing food habits, and contribute to a more comprehensive history of dietary transformations.

Carola Lentz is professor of social anthropology and African Studies at the Institut fur Historische Ethnologie der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universitate in Franfurt am Main, Germany.

Introduction; Changing Food Habits: An Introduction, Carola Lentz; 1. In Praise of the Simple Meal: African and European Food Culture Compared, Gerd Spittler; 2. Cassava, The Lazy Man's Food? Indigenous Agricultural Innovation and Dietary Change in Northwestern Zambia (ca. 1650-1970), Achim von Oppen; 3. The Cook, His Wife, the Madam and Their Dinner: Cooking, Gender and Class in Zambia, Karen Tranberg Hansen; 4. Changing Patterns of Food Consumption in Central Kordofan, Sudan, Joachim Theis; 5. Food Aid in Peru: Refusal and Acceptance in a Peasant Community of the Central Andes, Leticia Delgado; 6. Tasty Meals and Bitter Gifts: Consumption and Production in the Ecuadorian Andes, M. J. Weismantel; 7. Alcohol Consumption between Community Ritual and Political Economy: Case Studies from Ecuador and Ghana, Carola Lentz; 8. The Porridge Debate: Grain, Nutrition, and Forgotten Food Preparation Techniques, Elisabeth Meyer-Renschhausen; 9. The Rationing System, Food Policy, and Nutritional Science During the Second World War: A Comparative View of Switzerland, Jakob Tanner; 10. Plurality of Taste: Food and Consumption in West Germany During the 1950s, Michael Wildt; 11. Mc Kebap: Doner Kebap and the Social Positioning Struggle of German Turks, Ayse S.aglar; Index;