Cake

What birthday, wedding, bar mitzvah or children's party would be complete without a cake? In nutritional terms cake is completely unnecessary, and yet it plays a crucial role in celebrations and rituals within the majority of cultures around the world. Despite being such a popular foodstuff, however, cake is a curiously neglected subject; Cake: A Global History redresses the balance by closely examining the origin of modern cake, and its development and evolution through time. Nicola Humble explores the meanings, legends, rituals and symbolism attached to cake through the ages and dispels many myths and misconceptions.