Centennial College Libraries have access to a variety of streaming audio and visual content. Check out some of our collections below or visit our eResources page to find more!
World Food: An Encyclopedia of History, Culture and Social Influence from Hunter Gatherers to the Age of Globalization
This multicultural and interdisciplinary reference brings a fresh social and cultural perspective to the global history of food, foodstuffs, and cultural exchange from the age of discovery to contemporary times. Comprehensive in scope, this two-volume encyclopedia covers agriculture and industry, food preparation and regional cuisines, science and technology, nutrition and health, and trade and commerce, as well as key contemporary issues such as famine relief, farm subsidies, food safety, and the organic movement. Articles also include specific foodstuffs such as chocolate, potatoes, and tomatoes; topics such as Mediterranean diet and the Spice Route; and pivotal figures such as Marco Polo, Columbus, and Catherine de' Medici. Special features include: dozens of recipes representing different historic periods and cuisines of the world; listing of herbal foods and uses; and a chronology of key events/people in food history.
Encyclopedia of Food and Culture
This Dartmouth Medal-winning 3-volume set presents 600 articles on food and its place in human culture and society, covering everything from agronomy to zucchini. Students, academics and general researchers will find entries on everything from food preparation, distribution and storage to holidays and festivals, nutrition and health, and cultures and cuisines. The Encyclopedias multidisciplinary articles -- including: Comfort Food, Ethnicity and Food, Medieval Banquets and Nutrient Composition -- range from 250 to 10, 000 words each and are supplemented by 450 photographs and illustrations, sidebars, recipes, menus, timelines and a comprehensive index.
Street Food Around the World
In this encyclopedia, two experienced world travelers and numerous contributors provide a fascinating worldwide survey of street foods and recipes to document the importance of casual cuisine to every culture, covering everything from dumplings to hot dogs and kebabs to tacos. Street foods run deep throughout human history and show the movements of peoples and their foods across the globe. For example, mandoo, manti, momo, and bāozi: all of these types of dumplings originated in Central Asia and spread across the Old World beginning in the 12th century. This encyclopedia surveys common street foods in about 100 countries and regions of the world, clearly depicting how "fast foods of the common people" fit into a country or a region's environments, cultural history, and economy. The entries provide engaging information about specific foods as well as coverage of vendor and food stall culture and issues. An appendix of recipes allows for hands-on learning and provides opportunities for readers to taste international street foods at home. Presents an international survey of street foods in representative countries and regions that includes interesting facts and recipe to illustrate many of them Supplies the historical and environmental background of the country's street food Includes sidebars with fun facts and statistics about street foods Provides highly useful information for students studying geography and for travelers
The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs
From the Emmy-nominated host of the award-winning Top Chef, an A-to-Z compendium of spices, herbs, salts, peppers, and blends, with beautiful photography and a wealth of explanation, history, and cooking advice. "A beautiful book by Padma Lakshmi featuring an extensive catalogue and helpful recommendations on how best to use these ingredients to create full-flavored dishes. A great resource for any chef or home cook." -- Eric Ripert Award-winning cookbook author and television host Padma Lakshmi, inspired by her life of traveling across the globe, brings together the world's spices and herbs in a vibrant, comprehensive alphabetical guide. This definitive culinary reference book is illustrated with rich color photographs that capture the essence of a diverse range of spices and their authentic flavors. The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs includes complete descriptions, histories, and cooking suggestions for ingredients from basic herbs to the most exotic seeds and chilies, as well as information on toasting spices, making teas, and infusing various oils and vinegars. And no other market epitomizes Padma's love for spices and global cuisine than where she spent her childhood--lingering in the aisles of the iconic gourmet food store Kalustyan's, in New York City. Perfect for the holiday season and essential to any well-stocked kitchen or cooking enthusiast, The Encyclopedia of Spices and Herbs is an invaluable resource as well as a stunning and adventurous tour of some of the most wondrous and majestic flavors on earth.
Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia
This comprehensive reference work introduces food culture from more than 150 countries and cultures around the world--including some from remote and unexpected peoples and places. From babka to baklava to the groundnut stew of Ghana, food culture can tell us where we've been--and maybe even where we're going. Filled with succinct, yet highly informative entries, the four-volume Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia covers all of the planet's nation-states, as well as various tribes and marginalized peoples. Thus, in addition to coverage on countries as disparate as France, Ethiopia, and Tibet, there are also entries on Roma Gypsies, the Maori of New Zealand, and the Saami of northern Europe. There is even a section on food in outer space, detailing how and what astronauts eat and how they prepare for space travel as far as diet and nutrition are concerned. Each entry offers information about foodstuffs, meals, cooking methods, recipes, eating out, holidays and celebrations, and health and diet. Vignettes help readers better understand other cultures, while the inclusion of selected recipes lets them recreate dishes from other lands. Entries covering over 150 countries and cultures from around the world More than 100 expert contributors Vignettes An index that facilitates cross-cultural comparison
Want to know the science behind food? Check out some of our academic journals on food and the culinary arts below or browse in OverDrive Magazines to explore hundreds of magazines about food and wine.
Look for additional videos in our streaming video databases.
From the University of Chicago Press: "Edible is a revolutionary new series of books on food and drink which explores the rich history of man’s consumption. Each book provides an outline for one type of food or drink, revealing its history and culture on a global scale. 50 striking illustrations, with approximately 25 in colour, accompany these engaging and accessible texts, and offer intriguing new insights into their subject. Key recipes as well as reference material accompany each title."
Looking for more? Click here to explore hundreds of cookbooks in the Centennial Libraries collection!
Did you know you can access hundreds of magazines from around the world through Centennial Libraries? Through our PressReader subscription, you can find the latest issue of your favourite magazine in a number of different languages. Click here to check out magazines about food!
Tampopo, via Kanopy
The tale of an eccentric band of culinary ronin who guide the widow of a noodle-shop owner on her quest for the perfect recipe, this rapturous "ramen western" by Japanese director Juzo Itami is an entertaining, genre-bending adventure underpinned by a deft satire of the way social conventions distort the most natural of human urges, our appetites.
Interspersing the efforts of TAMPOPO and friends to make her cafe a success with the erotic exploits of a gastronome gangster and glimpses of food culture both high and low, the sweet, sexy, and surreal TAMPOPO is a lavishly inclusive paean to the sensual joys of nourishment, and one of the most mouthwatering examples of food on film ever made.
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Jiro Dreams of Sushi, via Criterion on Demand
In the basement of a Tokyo office building, 85 year old sushi master Jiro Ono works tirelessly in his world renowned restaurant, Sukiyabashi Jiro. As his son Yoshikazu faces the pressures of stepping into his father s shoes and taking over the legendary restaurant, Jiro relentlessly pursues his lifelong quest to create the perfect piece of sushi.
Food: Delicious Science from PBS, via Films on Demand
This series from PBS explores the science of food. Michael Mosley and James Wong present a celebration of the physics, chemistry and biology that lies hidden inside every bite. Together they travel the world and take over the UK’s leading food lab as they deconstruct our favorite meals, taking us inside the food, right down to the molecular level.
Sushi: A Bite of Culture, Aesthetics, and Nature, via Films on Demand
There is an old Japanese adage that "the best food is that which is least prepared." This program looks at Kyoto-style sushi both as a delicacy and as a symbol of Japanese cultural aesthetics. Footage of Kitamura Norio and Kitakura Hiroyuki—two of Japan’s foremost sushi chefs—illustrates their specialized approaches to oshi sushi and nigiri sushi while capturing the care they put into every step of the sushi-making process, from rice cooking and fish selection to placing the final garnish. In addition, the video provides information on Kyoto history.
The Gods of Rice, via Alexander Street Press
Through the eyes of an anthropologist this beautifully produced film explores the rich culture of rice, still the basis of survival for most people throughout the world. In the central Philippines lies a village where its indigenous people have lived among their rice terraces for over 2,000 years. If placed end to end, the rice terraces would circle nearly half the globe. In Bali, the Subak water temples foster a unique blend of technological efficiency and religious ritual that together create a perfect ecological balance. A growing problem, however, is that the world will soon run short of the free land required to grow enough rice to meet demand. To address this issue, scientists at the International Rice Research Institute are developing rice grains with improved nutritional value. The most successful strain is Golden Rice, called the "Rosetta Stone" of genetically modified crops. This new strain has triggered an ongoing fight between the scientists and the farmers. The scientists, here labelled "The New Gods of Rice," claim that the genetically engineered rice will eliminate disease and poverty. The farmers, in turn, fear the influence of a monopoly owned by biotech companies they worry are looking to drive them out of business. In Thailand, this battle has already begun with the companies patenting their own potent grains, a practice which may change the nature of rice forever.
The Land of Sultans and the Empire of Taste, Turkey is home to two of the world's favorite foods, yogurt and kebab. Turkey's culture has a long and diverse history dating back to the Ottoman Empire and has been enhanced by the foods of different people and regions. The dishes found in the city of Sultans, Istanbul, are considered one of the world's great cuisines along with French and Chinese. This episode introduces us to the essence of this marvelous food culture.
Global Eating: Learning From Other Cultures, via Kanopy
What can we learn from other cultures about food and nutrition? Some countries share our love for food yet manage to avoid our epidemic of obesity. How do they do it? By studying how other cultures eat, we can gain some useful (and tasty) ideas to adapt to our own needs.
Eat: The Story of Food, via Criterion on Demand
From National Geographic: "Nat Geo People presents the comprehensive food story we have all been craving: EAT: The Story of Food, satisfies every question you have ever had, and some you have not, about the evolution of food over the course of humankind, from our ancestors throwing raw meat onto a fire for the first time, to teams of lab technicians perfecting the crunch of a potato chip. More importantly, it will show how this evolution of what we eat, and how we eat it, has actually defined human civilization and cultures around the globe."
A Taste of Turkey,