Consuming Passions: Dining from Antiquity to the Eighteenth Century

This multidisciplinary book explores the social practice of dining over 2000 years, examining the archaeological, documentary, material culture, and art historical evidence for the consumption of food and drink in various historical, social, and cultural contexts. The authors look at the locations for dining and the concomitant decoration, furniture, and tableware. They explore the norms for appropriate and inappropriate behavior and the rituals of dining, such as food preparation and presentation, the serving of food, and its means of consumption.