Book excerpt: A space common to all peoples, the kitchen embodies the cultural history of domestic life: how people around the world acquire, prepare, cook, serve, eat, preserve, and store food; what foods we eat and why and when; what utensils, cutlery, decorations, furnishings, and appliances we create and use; what work, play, chores, services, and celebrations we perform. The history of the kitchen reflects human ingenuity solving problems posed by daily necessity and the human desire for social comfort and continuity. Kitchen history also tells us much about our interaction with others and with other cultures as well. From the history of beer, cooking stones, ergonomics, medieval kitchens, Roman cookery, pasta, and chopsticks to inventors such as Nils Dalén and George Washington Carver and cookbook authors such as Isabella Beeton and Julia Child, this A-Z Encyclopedia presents almost 300 wide-ranging entries that detail the culinary history of each topic. The Encyclopedia of Kitchen History features: *See Alsos which lead the reader to pertinent entries *Useful Sources section at the end of entries that compiles a list of books, CDs, journals, newspapers, and online databases and news sources for further research *An appendix of Common Sources- the most helpful resources on domestic histories *Numerous illustrations that explain and communicate the vibrancy of domestic culture *Thorough, analytic index that directs the reader to the people, writings, recipes, inventions, processes, and foodstuffs that make up kitchen history. From the discovery of fire to the latest space mission, the Encyclopedia of Kitchen History brings together the rich diversity of kitchen history in one accessible volume. Students, researchers, scholars, and culinary aficionados- from beginners to experts- will find this Encyclopedia to be a fascinating look into the history of the kitchen from the foodstuffs prepared to the tools and implements used as well as the innovators who shaped its function and utility.