In The Devil's Garden. Stewart Lee Allen

From the forbidden fruit of the Old Testament to the numerous laws broken at Francois Mitterand's final meal, In the Devil's Garden is a mouth-watering history of food taboos from around the world – a smorgasbord of culinary titbits to spice up any after-dinner conversation. In a history peppered with religious extremists who would rather starve to death than violate ancient taboos, and in an age when half the world's population – from cow-loving Hindus to Kosher Jews and Western vegetarians – still live with harsh dietary restrictions, Allen reveals just how significant, and pervasive, our relationship with food is.