Daily Bread: Feast and Famine Before the Industrial Age

The sumptuous and surprising story of early modern food, drink, and community—and how it has shaped our history.

A village gathers the harvest and celebrates with a feast. A cook adds foraged herbs to a pottage that will feed the entire household of a country estate. Lifting hands in prayer, a monk begins his fast.

Every meal was charged with meaning before the industrial revolution ushered in processed food. The things we value most in food today—seasonality, local ingredients, and communi...