A fish that started a war, a pope poisoned with chocolate, the oil known as liquid gold—these are just some of the fascinating tales served up in these pages. Endlessly browsable and sumptuously illustrated with large photos, paintings, and contemporary artifacts and advertisements, this visual smorgasbord explores our millennia-old relationships with nearly 200 foods, including nuts and grains, fruit and vegetables, meat and fish, and herbs and spices. The food on our plates is not mere sustenance, we find here—it is loaded with symbolism, tradition, and cultural history.