Lost Feast – Culinary Extinction and the Future of Food

The cover of Lenore Newman’s 2019 book, “Lost Feast”, says it’s “an informed and witty look at foods we have literally loved to death and what that might mean for the future of food”. I love it when the cover notes are exactly what I find in reading it! 

Lenore’s writing style and personal notes on what she calls her ‘extinction dinners’, along with lots of history about where different foods originate, keep a tough topic “easy to digest” (sorry, couldn’t help myself). 

The book covers meat, fish, dairy, grains, vegetables, fruits and even spices. Newman talks about how we can manage the bounty of foods still available to us, and put an end to the “culinary extinction” of the foods we love. Her delightful footnotes are a bonus. 

While the focus of “Lost Feast” is mostly on modern North American food habits and food security, the author also takes us back through history and to other locations to look at the origins of meat, dairy and food crops. She gives just the right amount of statistics to bring home the impact we have on the species we eat, and even on the insects involved in our food production. At the same time, it’s not Chicken Little. There’s lots of good information on how we can learn from our history and what technology can do for us. 

This book is a great read for both the environmentally concerned and the food lovers among us. Newman gives us clear explanations of the science and history while respecting the reader’s intelligence. It is well researched and clearly laid out, with just the right blend of information and wit. I am looking forward to hearing what this author has to say at our Readers and Writers festival this summer.