Sweet Invention A History of Dessert

A social, cultural, and--above all--culinary history of dessert, Sweet Inventionexplores the world's great dessert traditions, from ancient India to 21st-century Indiana. Each chapter begins with author Michael Krondl tasting and analyzing an icon of dessert, such as baklava from the Middle East or macarons from France, and then combines extensive scholarship with a lively writing style to spin an ancient tale of some of the world's favorite treats and their creators. From the sweet makers of Persia who gave us the first donuts to the sugar sculptors of Renaissance Italy whose creativity gave rise to the modern-day wedding cake, this authoritative read clears up numerous misconceptions about the origins of various desserts, while elucidating their social, political, religious--and even sexual--uses through the ages.

Michael Krondl is a food historian and the author of Around the American Table, The Great Little Pumpkin Cookbook, and The Taste of Conquest. He is an award-winning cooking instructor, food writer, and former chef. His writing credits include Gastronomica, Nation's Restaurant News, and New York Newsday as well as multiple contributions to The Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America. He lives in New York City.