Food and Architecture: At the Table

Food and Architecture is the first book to explore the relationship between these two fields of study and practice. Bringing together leading voices from both food studies and architecture, it provides a ground-breaking, cross-disciplinary analysis of two disciplines which both rely on a combination of creativity, intuition, taste, and science but have rarely been engaged in direct dialogue.

Each of the four sections - Regionalism, Sustainability, Craft, and Authenticity - focuses on a core area of overlap between food and architecture. Structured around a series of ’conversations’ between chefs, culinary historians and architects, each theme is explored through a variety of case studies, ranging from pig slaughtering and farmhouses in Greece to authenticity and heritage in American cuisine. Drawing on a range of approaches from both disciplines, methodologies include practice-based research, literary analysis, memoir, and narrative. The end of each section features a commentary by Samantha Martin-McAuliffe which emphasizes key themes and connections.

This compelling book is invaluable reading for students and scholars in food studies and architecture as well as practicing chefs and architects.

Samantha L. Martin-McAuliffe is a lecturer at the School of Architecture at University College Dublin, Ireland.