Here is a unique opportunity to visit the great figures of the past on often momentous occasions in history, as they flick open their napkins and reach for the menu at some of the grandest banquets ever conceived. A rich collection of menu cards from historical feasts forms the basis of this journey back to an age of excess, via wartime culinary quirks and unusual gourmet delights, where kings and princes dined in style and politicians and presidents entertained one another with the fashionable food of the time. A Taste of the Past offers: * A unique insight into the sumptuous spectacle accompanying banqueting since the eighteenth century * Beautifully illustrated with historic menu cards collected form real events * Fascinating background and sample recipes * A glimpse into the unguarded world of the great and the good The menus themselves are delightfully decorated, and beautifully made. There is great variety in this book, from royal weddings to dinner at the captain's table, all brought to life with background information and featured recipes for one or two dishes in each chapter that the reader can re-create. Having sampled the lifestyle of the great and the good, readers too can dine like the world leaders of the past! Read Less