The Incredible Story of Cooking

The Incredible Story of Cooking: From Prehistory to Today, 500,000 Years of Adventure is written by Benoist Simmat and illustrated by Stéphane Douay and published by NBM Graphic Novels. This book illustrates the evolution of food and cooking, exploring development from cavemen using a fire, to culinary styles around the world, to modern health concerns.

Benoist Simmat is a French journalist and writer.  Readers who enjoyed his previous release, Wine: A Graphic History,  will definitely enjoy this one too.  Stéphane Douay complements Simmat’s historical storytelling with detailed and expressive artwork. The book is both informative, with explanations of food preparation and culture cooking styles, and funny, with  characters occasionally addressing the reader directly with comments and asides.  My previous read from NBM was The British Invasion, which discussed pop culture and history in a scrapbook format. The Incredible Story of Cooking also looks at historical trends, and has the same overview feel, but the format is more of the familiar comic book style, with full scenes and character dialogue.

The Incredible Story of Cooking is aimed at food enthusiasts, with an engaging blend of historical content and appealing artwork. Personally, I was most interested in the section about Chinese cooking and health. The important of the five tastes in balance is part of what inspired our card game Takeout. (Obviously the cold drink part is American expat style, not traditional Chinese style)

This graphic novel has received praise from comics reviewers for such a thorough  portrayal of culinary history. No Flying No Tights notes that the book “spans the development of cooking from the prehistoric era to modernity.” The Arts STL describes it as “a lively look at cooking and its role in history and culture from the emergence of the very first humans to the present day.” Slings & Arrows notes that “Douay’s cartooning is deliberately simple throughout, and covers massive differences in culture extremely well.”

The Incredible Story of Cooking is a fun and informative look at food across time and cultures.