The Food and Folklore Reader

The Food and Folklore Reader is the first comprehensive introduction to folklore methods and concepts relevant to food. Mapping the study of food through key sources in folkloristics, the forty readings span the entire discipline: from seminal works on identity and aesthetics, to innovative scholarship on contemporary food issues such as food security and culinary tourism.

The book also features:
- Expert commentary and comprehensive introductions to each of the book's five parts by renowned folklorist and food scholar Lucy M. Long
- Global coverage, with examples from the United States, Canada, Australia, Europe, Jewish and Filipino culture, and much more
- Questions for discussion and suggestions for further reading – supporting learning and encouraging students to explore these ideas in their own work

Definitive in scale and scope, this book defines the field of food and folklore for a new generation of students. An essential resource for all students in food studies, folklore studies, cultural studies, and anthropology.

Lucy M. Long is the author of Culinary Tourism (2004), Regional American Food Culture (2009), and numerous articles on foodways. She has a PhD in Folklore and Folklife (University of Pennsylvania 1995), an M.A. in Ethnomusicology (University of Maryland, 1985) and has worked in academia as well as in museums and local arts organizations. She has worked with food demonstrations at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival as well as other public programs and earned a certificate in Interpretation. She began developing food studies courses in the mid-1990s when she was teaching folklore and popular culture at Bowling Green State University, Ohio. She continued teaching food-related materials in departments of American Culture Studies, International Studies, and Tourism and Leisure, affirming the usefulness of food as a medium for exploring a variety of disciplines and acquiring critical thinking skills. She also established a non-profit Center for Food and Culture specifically to promote a deeper understanding of food as a significant domain of meaning-making experiences.

LUCY M. LONG is an Instructor in Internation Studies and American Cultures Studies at Bowling Green State University. She is the editor of Culinary Tourism: Eating and Otherness (2004) and has written on food and folklore.