The Course of History

February 25, 2019
Historian Stevenson (Stalin’s Legacy) entertains as he shows how food and wine served on momentous occasions shaped history. The book details 10 significant meals shared by world leaders over a 200-year span, along with the “epoch-changing decisions” made at those tables. In 1746 Scotland, a carousing dinner contributed to Bonnie Prince Charlie’s misguided decision to drive an exhausted Jacobite army into the unwinnable Battle of Culloden; at Adolf Hitler’s estate in Bavaria, a meager repast of barley broth and sausages contributed to the atmosphere of desperation that led Austrian Chancellor Kurt Von Schuschnigg to capitulate to Nazi forces in 1938; while a 1943 summit that started with “gigantic personality clashes” between FDR, Stalin, and Churchill (and featured a dinner a dinner of Persian barley soup, salmon with caviar, and Bloody Marys) ended with “clinking glasses” and a pact to end World War II. Stevenson masterfully connects political moments to their culinary backdrops, yet readers may tire of the male-centric stories. Recipes created by Scottish chef Tony Singh accompany each historic fete, and offerings such as Baked Alaska, (served in 1790 at Thomas Jefferson’s residence when Washington, D.C., was named the capital) and Hundred-Year-Old Eggs (preserved duck eggs enjoyed by Nixon and Zhou Enlai during diplomacy talks in Beijing) make for educational, if sometimes ambitious, dinner party fare. History buffs will enjoy Stevenson’s meticulous look at pivotal events through a culinary lens.

March 15, 2019
Powerful people scheme to enhance their influence and control, and there's no better way to manipulate people than over a good meal, one designed to soften opposition and put rivals into a conciliatory mood. Culling history's archives, Stevenson has identified 10 dinner tables at which history has crucially pivoted. Bonnie Prince Charlie's 1746 dinner for his Scottish allies on the eve of the Battle of Culloden was intended to bolster their camaraderie, but the Stuart cause was promptly defeated. Jimmy Carter's 1979 dinner bridging Israel and Egypt's conflict had a better outcome. Stevenson gives context and background, making each participant's role comprehensible and specific. Stalin, Roosevelt, and Churchill in 1943 Teheran appear each more human than these titans generally look in history. Chef Tony Singh recreates each meal with archaic and often complex recipes for the dishes served, but these do give the ambitious home cook an opportunity to toy with the trappings of power.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)