Research Guides: WRIT106 Food Ethnographies : Home

Welcome to Your WRIT106 Guide on Food Subcultures

Welcome to your library research guide! Use this guide to help you discover resources for your food ethnography research project, particularly your secondary source reflection assignment. When searching for information contained within the following resources and materials, remember to always be thinking about these questions from your assignment:

What is the larger, general focus of this article?
What is the more specific, particular idea presented by the author/authors in this work that seems relevant to your research?
How does this idea connect with your primary research (field notes)?
Where do you think this connection could lead your activity in your field site and/or writing as you proceed during the course of this semester?
Finally, why is this author/source credible?

Conducting Your Research

Encyclopedias

Ethnic American Food Today by Lucy M. Long
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2015
Introduces readers to the myriad ethnic food cultures in the U.S. today. Entries are organized alphabetically by nation and present the background and history of each food culture along with explorations of the place of that food in mainstream American society today.
The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson; Tom Jaine (Editor)
Call Number: e-book
Publication Date: 2014
Encyclopedia covering food from around the world.
Food Cultures of the World Encyclopedia
Call Number: e-book
Publication Date: 2011
Covers food culture from more than 150 countries. In 4 volumes. Africa & the Middle East (v.1), the Americas (v.2), Asia (v.3) and Europe (v.4)
Worldmark Encyclopedia of Cultures and Daily Life
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2009
Provides information on the cultures of the world, covering different areas of daily life including clothing, food, language and religion.
Encyclopedia of Food and Culture
Call Number: REF GT2850 .E53
Publication Date: 2002
This source explores the nutritional and cultural impact of food, with articles written by anthropologists, chefs, food historians, nutritionists, agronomists, food stylists, and other food researches.
Countries and Their Cultures
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2001
A team of anthropologists and social scientists take a close look at more than 200 countries to document the myriad ways in which culture -- every bit as much as geographic borders -- defines and separates the nations of the world. Each country's shared values, behaviors and cultural variations are surveyed -- from foods and rituals to pastimes and arts. Entries are formatted for easy comparison. More than 1,000 photographs and more than 200 maps.

Other Books

Ancient Plates, Modern Health -- By Alexander S. Finchwood
Call Number: eBook
ISBN: 9781456661601
Publication Date: 2025
Explores not only the diverse culinary traditions from around the globe but how these ancient practices can transform modern health… Dive into riveting chapters that span continents-from the healing power of Chinese herbs to the nutritional wealth found in African superfoods. Experience the rich textures of Latin American cuisine and the profound simplicity of Native American agricultural wisdom.
The Mediterranean Prescription -- By Angelo Acquista and Laurie Anne Vandermolen
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2024
New York Times-bestselling author Dr. Angelo Acquista offers a weight loss regimen and delicious recipes designed to improve overall wellness. Created from fresh, plant-based ingredients, the cuisine of Sicily is one of the world's most balanced-and flavorful-diets.
Eating Like a Mennonite -- By Marlene Epp
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2023
Mennonites are often associated with food, both by outsiders and by Mennonites themselves. Eating in abundance, eating together, preserving food, and preparing so-called traditional foods are just some of the connections mentioned ... Yet since Mennonites are found around the world--from Europe to Canada to Mexico, from Paraguay to India to the Democratic Republic of the Congo--what can it mean to eat like one?
Food in Memory and Imagination -- By Beth Forrest & Greg de St. Maurice
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2022
How do we engage with food through memory and imagination? This wide-ranging work shows how different peoples have, through food, engaged with the past, the future, and their alternative presents. Chapters draw from countries around the world--including Iran, Italy, Japan, Kenya, and the US--and include topics such as national identity, food insecurity, and the phenomenon of knowledge.
The $16 Taco -- By Pascale Joassart-Marcelli
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2021
The interest in “ethnic” food and places…contributes to gentrification, and the very people who produced these vibrant foodscapes are increasingly excluded from them. Geographer Pascale Joassart-Marcelli traces the transformation of three urban San Diego neighborhoods whose foodscapes are shifting from serving the needs of longtime minoritized residents to pleasing the tastes of wealthier and whiter newcomers.
The Mamma Mia! Diet: The Secret Italian Way to Good Health - Eat Pasta, Enjoy Wine, & Lose Weight -- By Paola Lovisetti Scamihorn and Paola
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2020
The Mamma Mia! Diet brings the health benefits of a Mediterranean-style program with Italian flair and flavor. It is authentic, effective, delicious and fun.
Hippie Food: How Back-to-the-Landers, Longhairs, and Revolutionaries Changed the Way We Eat -- By Jonathan Kauffman
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2019
An enlightening narrative history-an entertaining fusion of Tom Wolfe and Michael Pollan-that traces the colorful origins of once unconventional foods and the diverse fringe movements, charismatic gurus, and counterculture elements that brought them to the mainstream and created a distinctly American cuisine.
Asian Cuisines : Food Culture from East Asia to Turkey and Afghanistan -- Ed. by Eugene Anderson, Paul Buell, & Darra Goldstein
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2018
A compilation of expert-written articles on national and regional cuisines as well as agriculture, important foodstuffs and social and economic issues throughout the world's largest and most diverse continent.
Food, Power, and Agency -- By Jürgen Martschukat & Bryant Simon (Editors)
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2018
Urban Foodways and Communication seeks to enrich our understanding of unique foodways in urban settings around the world as forms of intangible cultural heritage. Each ethnographic case study focuses its analysis on how the featured foodways manifests itself symbolically through and in communication. The book helps advance our knowledge of urban food heritages in order to contribute to their appreciation, preservation, and promotion.
Eating Culture -- By Gillian Crowther
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2018
From ingredients and recipes to meals and menus across time and space, this highly engaging overview illustrates the important roles that anthropology and anthropologists play in understanding food and its key place in the study of culture. The new edition, now in full colour, introduces discussions about nomadism, commercializing food, food security, and ethical consumption, including treatment of animals and the long-term environmental and health consequences of meat consumption.
Urban Foodways and Communication -- Ed. by Casey Man Kong Lum & Marc de Ferrière le Vayer
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2016
Urban Foodways and Communication seeks to enrich our understanding of unique foodways in urban settings around the world as forms of intangible cultural heritage. Each ethnographic case study focuses its analysis on how the featured foodways manifests itself symbolically through and in communication. The book helps advance our knowledge of urban food heritages in order to contribute to their appreciation, preservation, and promotion.
Decolonize Your Diet Decolonize Your Diet : Plant-based Mexican-American Recipes for Health and Healing -- By Luz Calvo & Catriona Rueda Esquibel
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2015
More than just a cookbook, Decolonize Your Diet redefines what is meant by "traditional" Mexican food by reaching back through hundreds of years of history to reclaim heritage crops as a source of protection from modern diseases.
Re-Orienting Cuisine: East Asian Foodways in the Twenty-First Century -- By Kwang Ok Kim (Editor)
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2015
Understanding food culture without considering changes over time and across space is less meaningful than analyzing it in a global context where tastes, lifestyles, and imaginations cross boundaries and blend with each other, challenging the idea of authenticity. A dish that originated in Beijing and is recreated in New York is not necessarily the same, because although authenticity is often claimed, the form, ingredients, or taste may have changed.
Food in Time and Place -- Edited by Paul Freedman, Joyce E. Chaplin & Ken Albala
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2014
Such topics as famines, food supply, nutrition, and public health are addressed by historians specializing in every era and every nation. Food in Time and Place delivers an unprecedented review of the state of historical research on food, endorsed by the American Historical Association, providing readers with a geographically, chronologically, and topically broad understanding of food cultures―from ancient Mediterranean and medieval societies to France and its domination of haute cuisine.
Multicultural Handbook of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics -- Ed. by A. Thaker & A. Barton
Call Number: eBook
Publication Date: 2012
Multicultural Handbook of Food, Nutrition and Dietetics is the must have practical resource for dietitians, nutritionists and students working with both well settled but also recently migrated ethnic groups. Spanning a broad range of cultural groups the book seeks to consider religious and cultural requirements in relation to traditional diets; research on migration studies and chronic disease states; and nutrition and dietetic treatment in relation to key chronic diseases.

Gale Virtual Reference Library
Reference e-books representing a variety of subject areas including anthropology, business, history, law, literature, medicine, and science. Full text.

Sprague Library Catalog

Anthrosource
Covers current issues of several American Anthropological Association publications and provides access to archival content in JSTOR. Full text.
Sociology Collection
Search Sociological Abstracts, ASSIA and Sociology Database simultaneously. Save time!
JSTOR
Collection of multidisciplinary academic journals, books and primary sources. Recent issues not always available. Full text.
ProQuest Central
Multidisciplinary database covering many subject areas. Includes scholarly journals, trade publications, magazines, books, newspapers, reports & videos.
HRAF - Human Relations Area Files
Full text database of ethnographic and cultural materials.

Database A-Z List
Our Library subscribes to over 200 databases. See the complete list here.

Click one of the journal links below to explore. Then look for full-text articles by clicking one of the blue links below Full Text Access. And if you find an article in a journal that you like, it often helps to search the same journal for related articles.

British Food Journal (1992-Present)

Current Anthropology (1959-Present)

Digest: A Journal of Foodways & Culture (2016-Present)

Ethnology: An International Journal of Cultural and Social Anthropology (2001-Present)

Ethnos: Journal of Anthropology (1999-Present)

Family Economics and Nutrition Review (1992-2004)

Food and Drink (2006-2019)

Food & Foodways: Explorations in the History and Culture of Human Nourishment (1997-Present)

Food, Culture & Society: An International Journal of Multidisciplinary Research (2001-Present)

Gastronomica: The Journal of Food and Culture (2001)

Global Food Security (2012-Present)

International Journal of Food Studies (2001-Present)

International Journal of Hospitality Management (1995-Present)

Journal of American Ethnic History (2001-Present)

Journal of Consumer Culture (2001-Present)

Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies (2001-Present)

Journal of Ethnic Foods (2014-Present)

Journal of Foodservice Business Research (2002-Present)

The Journal of Nutrition (1996-Present)

Tourism and Hospitality Management (2001-Present)

U.S. Newsstream
U.S. Newsstream provides access to over 1,000 news sources with coverage stretching back into the 1980s. These sources include the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune, and the Wall Street Journal.
Britannica Academic
Contains the text of the Encyclopaedia Britannica plus additional articles & images. Includes Britannica's World Data Analyst & World Atlas. Full text.
Academic Video Online
Streaming video titles spanning subjects including, but not limited to: anthropology, business, counseling, film, health, history and music. Over 14,000 videos are exclusive.

CIA World Factbook (U.S. Central Intelligence)
Profiles of every nation in the world. Each profile includes demographic, political, and economic data.
more...less...
Statistical information on each country includes land and water area, boundaries, elevations, population, birth & death rates, life expectancy, ethnic groups, GDP, inflation rate, unemployment rate, exports, imports, transportation, the military and more.
BBC News Country Profiles
History, politics, and economic background; includes audio or video clips from BBC archives.
National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) is a program of studies designed to assess the health and nutritional status of adults and children in the United States.
The Sifter
A publicly available database, useful for finding and comparing historical and contemporary writing on food and food-related topics.
What's on the Menu?
Maintained by the New York Public Library, this site is a repository of restaurant menus dating as far back as 1850.

See below a number of podcasts relating to food culture, history, and society.