'Excellent' Tom Parker Bowles
Folklorist Ben Gazur guides you through the dark alleys of British history to uncover how our food habits have been passed down through generations of folklore.
We investigate... Read More
Description
'Excellent' Tom Parker Bowles
Folklorist Ben Gazur guides you through the dark alleys of British history to uncover how our food habits have been passed down through generations of folklore.
We investigate the origins of famous food superstitions – why do we throw salt over our shoulder and think carrots can help us see in the dark? – as well as much more bizarre and lesser-known tales too, from what day the devil urinates on blackberries to how to stop witches using eggshells as escape boats.
Hilarious and fascinating, A Feast of Folklore will introduce you to the gloriously eccentric folk who aren’t often noticed by historians. Here lies a smorgasbord of their dark remedies and deadly delicacies, waiting to be discovered.
'Will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about your dinner plate’ Dee Dee Chainey, author of A Treasury of British Folklore
'Diverting, delightful and deliciously weird enough to satisfy the most demanding appetite' Christopher Hadley, author of The Road
'A must read the next time you are sitting down to a sausage roll' Max Miller, creator of Tasting History
Details
- Price: $16.95
- Pages: 272
- Carton Quantity: 3
- Publisher: Unbound
- Imprint: Unbound
- Publication Date: 4th November 2025
- Trim Size: 5.07 x 7.79 in
- ISBN: 9781789652475
- Format: Paperback
- BISACs:
COOKING / History
COOKING / Essays & Narratives
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology
Reviews
"Excellent. Cannot wait to get stuck in." — Tom Parker Bowles
"I’ll be raiding this Wonder Pantry of a book for years to come. . . . Diverting, delightful and deliciously weird enough to satisfy the most demanding appetite." — Christopher Hadley, author of The Road
"Gazur’s witty and engaging exploration of food-related rituals, remedies and superstitions will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about your dinner plate." — Dee Dee Chainey, author of A Treasury of British Folklore
"One of those gems of a book that keeps you up long into the night because you just want to read “one more page” before putting it down." — Willow Winsham, author of Treasury of Folklore: Stars and Skies
"Well researched and presented in a light and most digestible manner, this is a must read the next time you are sitting down to a sausage roll." — Max Miller, creator of Tasting History
"Ben Gazur has categorised the folklore of food under neat, easily accessible headings, turning it into a proper genre, opposed to a tagged on history." — Emma Kay, food historian, author and broadcaster
"Endlessly informative and leaning hard into the British Isles’ reputation for the off-beat, this is a delight." — Publisher's Weekly
Author Bio
Table of Contents
Introduction - xi
Vegetable Lore - 1
Onions and Garlic - 2
Leeks - 5
Potatoes - 6
Beans - 8
Peas - 10
Cabbages and Sprouts - 12
Carrots - 13
Turnips, Swedes and Mangelwurzels - 14
Parsley - 16
Fruit Lore - 18
Apples - 19
Pears - 27
Oranges and Lemons - 29
Cherries - 32
Plums - 35
Berries - 36
Raisins - 40
Nuts - 42
Meat and Animal Lore - 46
Beef - 47
Pork - 49
Sheep - 56
Fowls - 60
Rabbits and Hares - 67
Fish Lore - 74
Dairy Lore - 81
Milk - 84
Cream - 89
Butter - 90
Cheese - 95
Egg Lore - 99
Bread Lore - 110
Baking Bread - 112
Magical Loaves - 117
Bread Cures - 123
Good Friday, Good Bread - 125
Bannocks - 127
Pie Lore - 130
Cake Lore - 134
King Alfred’s Baking Mishap - 137
Witch Cakes - 139
Pancakes - 141
Easter Cakes - 145
Wedding Cakes - 151
Groaning Cakes - 155
Farm Cakes - 157
Christmas Cakes - 158
Soul Cakes - 160
Funeral Cakes - 161
Hot Cross Buns - 162
Magic Buns - 166
Love Magic - 170
The Dumb Cake - 170
Finding Love - 174
Fairy Food Lore - 178
Drink Lore - 183
Water - 184
Beer - 188
Wine - 191
Tea - 193
Free Food and Doles - 198
Conclusion - 205
Acknowledgements - 209
Picture Credits - 211
Notes - 215
Supporter’s Names - 245
'Excellent' Tom Parker Bowles
Folklorist Ben Gazur guides you through the dark alleys of British history to uncover how our food habits have been passed down through generations of folklore.
We investigate the origins of famous food superstitions – why do we throw salt over our shoulder and think carrots can help us see in the dark? – as well as much more bizarre and lesser-known tales too, from what day the devil urinates on blackberries to how to stop witches using eggshells as escape boats.
Hilarious and fascinating, A Feast of Folklore will introduce you to the gloriously eccentric folk who aren’t often noticed by historians. Here lies a smorgasbord of their dark remedies and deadly delicacies, waiting to be discovered.
'Will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about your dinner plate’ Dee Dee Chainey, author of A Treasury of British Folklore
'Diverting, delightful and deliciously weird enough to satisfy the most demanding appetite' Christopher Hadley, author of The Road
'A must read the next time you are sitting down to a sausage roll' Max Miller, creator of Tasting History
- Price: $16.95
- Pages: 272
- Carton Quantity: 3
- Publisher: Unbound
- Imprint: Unbound
- Publication Date: 4th November 2025
- Trim Size: 5.07 x 7.79 in
- ISBN: 9781789652475
- Format: Paperback
- BISACs:
COOKING / History
COOKING / Essays & Narratives
SOCIAL SCIENCE / Folklore & Mythology
"Excellent. Cannot wait to get stuck in." — Tom Parker Bowles
"I’ll be raiding this Wonder Pantry of a book for years to come. . . . Diverting, delightful and deliciously weird enough to satisfy the most demanding appetite." — Christopher Hadley, author of The Road
"Gazur’s witty and engaging exploration of food-related rituals, remedies and superstitions will leave you questioning everything you thought you knew about your dinner plate." — Dee Dee Chainey, author of A Treasury of British Folklore
"One of those gems of a book that keeps you up long into the night because you just want to read “one more page” before putting it down." — Willow Winsham, author of Treasury of Folklore: Stars and Skies
"Well researched and presented in a light and most digestible manner, this is a must read the next time you are sitting down to a sausage roll." — Max Miller, creator of Tasting History
"Ben Gazur has categorised the folklore of food under neat, easily accessible headings, turning it into a proper genre, opposed to a tagged on history." — Emma Kay, food historian, author and broadcaster
"Endlessly informative and leaning hard into the British Isles’ reputation for the off-beat, this is a delight." — Publisher's Weekly
Introduction - xi
Vegetable Lore - 1
Onions and Garlic - 2
Leeks - 5
Potatoes - 6
Beans - 8
Peas - 10
Cabbages and Sprouts - 12
Carrots - 13
Turnips, Swedes and Mangelwurzels - 14
Parsley - 16
Fruit Lore - 18
Apples - 19
Pears - 27
Oranges and Lemons - 29
Cherries - 32
Plums - 35
Berries - 36
Raisins - 40
Nuts - 42
Meat and Animal Lore - 46
Beef - 47
Pork - 49
Sheep - 56
Fowls - 60
Rabbits and Hares - 67
Fish Lore - 74
Dairy Lore - 81
Milk - 84
Cream - 89
Butter - 90
Cheese - 95
Egg Lore - 99
Bread Lore - 110
Baking Bread - 112
Magical Loaves - 117
Bread Cures - 123
Good Friday, Good Bread - 125
Bannocks - 127
Pie Lore - 130
Cake Lore - 134
King Alfred’s Baking Mishap - 137
Witch Cakes - 139
Pancakes - 141
Easter Cakes - 145
Wedding Cakes - 151
Groaning Cakes - 155
Farm Cakes - 157
Christmas Cakes - 158
Soul Cakes - 160
Funeral Cakes - 161
Hot Cross Buns - 162
Magic Buns - 166
Love Magic - 170
The Dumb Cake - 170
Finding Love - 174
Fairy Food Lore - 178
Drink Lore - 183
Water - 184
Beer - 188
Wine - 191
Tea - 193
Free Food and Doles - 198
Conclusion - 205
Acknowledgements - 209
Picture Credits - 211
Notes - 215
Supporter’s Names - 245