Non fiction book reviews part 28 - yummy!

 Welcome to part 28 in a series of non-fiction book reviews, originally based on the idea that the books I request tell you everything you need to know about me. I have, after so many chapters of this series, realised that all these posts say about me is that this was just a place to put these reviews, but now I can see how broad my non-fiction reading is, and how many interesting, good (and sometimes not-so-good) books and topics I've had a chance to explore. Today I am focussed on food - with books about snacks, mac and cheese and an audiobook about whiskey. 

The Epic History of Macaroni and Cheese: From Ancient Rome to Modern America by Karima Moyer-Nocchi (expected publication 3 February 2026)

This book is detailed and methodical, beginning at the beginning - the Middle Ages in what would become Italy. it places it's history of mac and cheese is a much, much broader context, acknowledging the important role food history has, and showing how the history of things we know about should include food, but that's often ignored.  the context includes religion, class, colonialism, empire, gender and other things two. the author describes one section of the book as 'painstaking' but the who book is detailed and very, very thorough. Whether that is what you, as a reader, are looking for is subjective. For me is was a bit too much. I think I was looking for something rather more like the Object Lessons series, rather than something quite this detailed. It's a cute bonus that the historic recipes are translated to make them cookable today.     

Snack (Object Lessons) by Eurie Dahn (expected publication 19 February 2026)

I love this series, and this addition did not disappoint.  It's the perfect mix of history and facts, set solidly in the context of the author's experience. Some of it is a bit (literally) foreign, since she is American and snacks are quite a regional thing. She also grounds the history in the context of herself as a Korean American. Eurie Dahn is not trying to cover the whole history of snacks and snacking, but to provide some insights into the influences and effects that this phenomena has.  It's interesting, informative and covers a lot of ground, putting snacks and snacking in social, historical, gendered and other contexts. On top of the facts, this was enjoyable, interesting and entertaining. 

The History of Whiskey: in 100 Bottles, Barrels, and More by Robin Robinson  (Expected publication 18 November 2025)

I love whiskey. I've been to distilleries, done tastings and have a dram on many evenings. Whiskey time at my house is 6pm - before starting to make dinner. Whiskey time for my mother is 5pm. Learning a bit more was why I was delighted to request this book. On audio it is read by the author and while he reads well there are mouth noises and sniffs that should not be there. I could not listen to this book with headphones, because they were so annoying. It was an ideal book to listen to through a speaker when cooking though. It's sort of a series of anecdotes - the history of the still, how whiskey developed from other drinks, and other fun stories. It's situation in a cultural context, gender is considered and it's all good. But the noises on the audio were so distracting that, after a couple of listening sessions I just never went back to it. Might make a good coffee table book in print form, or a gift for a whiskey lover.