Journalist Taras Grescoe is like the Willy Wonka expert of ancient foods. In his eighth book, The Lost Supper he invites readers along on a journey of pre-imagination to rediscover the lost flavours that our ancestors enjoyed. These flavours looked like they would be extinct…until now.
Grescoe fuses together a tome that is part travelogue and part history lesson. He left his home and family in Canada to engage in some globetrotting just before the pandemic hit. Whilst on these trips he is like a master detective hunting out obscure foods. Each chapter is dedicated to one particular ingredient and this proves to be highly digestible reading at times.
In Puglia in Southern Italy, Grescoe identifies a 2000-year-old grape variety. This is an important discovery because this find may prove to be a way of combatting a modern plant pathogen named Xylella. Also taking inspiration from Italy, Grescoe tries a fermented fish dish that sounds like an acquired taste so we shall say no more.
Grescoe makes some excellent arguments in favour of these ancient flavours as panaceas to our ultra-processed, modern food environment. He talks about how some of these foods may help in combatting the recent spike in the lifestyle diseases that did not afflict our ancestors.
These food stuffs may also provide answers to issues such as food insecurity and help in reducing climate change, especially in cases where we can help reduce carbon footprints by eating cheeses processed in the same farms as the ones that house the dairy cattle. The English Wensleydale cheese, in particular, sounds very moreish and yummy.
Some of the chapters are a bit long and the text can be a bit academic in tone at times. This may make it go over some readers heads rather than making it accessible. There will be some readers who may enjoy living vicariously through Grescoe but may struggle to implement any of his ingredients into their daily life due to the scarcity and costs of the ingredients. It’s also a missed opportunity that there are no recipes or photos included here, as they would have added an extra depth to the proceedings.
The Lost Supper is ultimately a book that should appeal to both history lovers and foodies who are keen to learn about new ancient things. It draws together an array of different ingredients to make a satiating story.
This informative book contains some fine lessons from the past and may prove the right method to eating better in the future. Bon appétit!
THREE AND A HALF STARS (OUT OF FIVE)
The Lost Supper by Taras Grescoe is available now from Greystone Books. Grab yourself a copy from Booktopia HERE.
