12 Feb In the Devil’s Garden
by Stewart Lee Allen
It is not often that one finds humor, sass, and food history rolled into one spectacular package. In the Devil’s Garden: A Sinful History of Forbidden Food
Author Stewart Lee Allen has traveled the globe exploring various ‘evils,’ and at times, his tales compel one to give pause and question how man ever managed to become civilized.
Killer tomatoes? The Virgin’s Nipples? Blasphemy!
The book is cleverly divided according to the Seven Deadly Sins, each section beginning with a decadent and verboten menu.
In “Lust,” Allen manages to segue from the mahogany dildos of the Marquis de Sade to the tlaquetzallis (blue-green chocolates) of the Aztecs. Sprinkling his history with a bit of Wordsworth’s ruminations about chocolate-induced stimulus and Madame du Barry’s sexy hot chocolate, there is a treasure trove of racy details in which to indulge.
If there was ever a book to offer your favorite sensualist, this is the one. Fifty Ways to Feed Your Lover has nothing on this hot little number.