food and literature

In a new book of essays, writers such as Claire Messud and Edwidge Danticat share stories of surviving dark times and the foods entwined with those memories. Think of it as a cathartic dinner party.

Written in the '80s, The Gourmet is an absurdist satire exploring the politics of food and the hedonistic culture of consumerism that treats it as a recreational drug. It's still strikingly relevant.

Food played a big role in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and Dahl's other books. His daughter remembers fanciful "midnight feasts" and says her father used mealtime to test out new characters.

The Dr. Seuss book that made the dish famous turns 56 this month. But what does this meal taste like in real life? Chefs across the U.S. are tackling the question.

Many food riots broke out during Shakespeare's era. Endless rain wiped out crops, and speculators profited (including the bard). The chaos and anxiety around food show up in some of his famous works.

There were no dress circle lounges nor mezzanine bars 400 years ago. Back then, audience snacked on cold nibbles and ready-made street food from vendors they passed on their way to the performance.

References to obscure foods abound in Shakespeare. Know your codlings from carbonadoes? Your umbles from jumbles? We crack open Renaissance cookbooks to figure out how to feast like the Bard.

The eggplant and peach emoji are standard code for racy thoughts these days, but food has been used for sexual innuendo for centuries. Shakespeare was a pro. (Happy Shakespeare Week!)

It's difficult to name a play in which Shakespeare doesn't cook up a bit of conflict around the table. The juiciest plot twists often happened when characters gathered for a meal.

Many of Kafka's darkest comedies appear rooted in the cowering relationship he had with his father. Their only true bonding was over beer.