This book traces the history of food and famine in Ireland from the 16th to the early 20th century. It is concerned with what people ate and drank, and how consumption patterns changed over time. It explores the economic and social forces that lay behind these changes, as well as individual motives affecting taste, preferences, and acceptability. It considers the reasons why potatoes became such a major component of diet of the poor during the 18th century at the same time as the diets of the middling and upper classes became more varied. The book is also concerned with nutrition, paying parti ... More

This book traces the history of food and famine in Ireland from the 16th to the early 20th century. It is concerned with what people ate and drank, and how consumption patterns changed over time. It explores the economic and social forces that lay behind these changes, as well as individual motives affecting taste, preferences, and acceptability. It considers the reasons why potatoes became such a major component of diet of the poor during the 18th century at the same time as the diets of the middling and upper classes became more varied. The book is also concerned with nutrition, paying particular attention to the nutritional components of the foods most commonly consumed. It explores the connections between diets, nutrition, health, and disease. The book looks at the relationship between the food supply and the growth of population, and government policy towards food supply. Finally, it considers the vulnerability of Ireland to famine over the centuries, the reality of famine when it occurred, and the causes of mortality and disease during the Great Famine.