The Taste of War

In a time of war, there are many constants. Death, disease, and destruction are usually the first answers one would give if presented with what is common to war. Famine, however, is another valid answer. In Lizzie Collingham's "A Taste of War", hunger and its association with World War II are given an in-depth examination.

It is a serious historical text divided into four sections. The first section is dedicated to the major belligerents (Japan and Germany), detailing what drove them to the path of aggressive warfare and how hunger and the fear of such in the short and long term impacted their decisions. The second section of the text analyzes how the nations involved in the conflict coped with ensuring continued food supplies in the face of the military actions of other nations and the impact this had on shipping and food distribution.

The third section goes into detail about all the political decisions that were involved in the subjects of food rationing, help provided to allies, and how food shortage and abundance altered politics. The final section is an epilogue, detailing the aftermath of the Second World War. The final section both covers the immediate aftermath of the war period and comments on how it set the tone of food politics going forth into the near future.

In my own reading, I had several conclusions of my own. First, this book would be great material for those wanting to know just how food was deemed essential not only to feed troops but also the home fronts of all sides. It even covers neutrals who were affected in the short and long term. Agronomy and the science of food preparation were advanced by this period of history, and this text covers this in generous levels of detail. Finally, while I was not surprised by how food played a role in geopolitics, the sheer scope food played on major political shifts in the nations of both the Allied and Axis was made far clearer after I had finished reading.

The text is generally straightforward. It's neither too simplistic nor overly technical. It's a specialist history text rather than general, though it would be an excellent complementary text for research for those doing wider World War II studies. The author does tend to make some conclusions towards the end for how food science will be affected in future generations based on the historical precedents they discuss. Your mileage may vary concerning these conclusions, though they are still worth consideration.

For those who believe this would be a good addition to their library, this text can be purchased on Amazon in Kindle, hardcover, and softcover.