A Delicious History of cake
Cake is one of the most beloved treats in the world. It’s hugely adaptable and made from recipes of a variety of ingredients and methods. Often served as a celebratory dish on ceremonial occasions, cake’s influence is far-reaching and this is deeply rooted in history. Unlike other sweet foodstuffs like chocolate, cake has a past that stretches back for millennia.
One person who has extensively studied the development of this popular delicacy is Dr Alysa Levene. The author of Cake: A Slice of History, she reveals the development of cake from antiquity through its rapid evolution in the 18th Century to the Second World War. It’s a story of myths, rituals, technology and, of course, mass consumption.
How important has cake been throughout human history?
I think that’s a really interesting question. Cake really isn’t important at all nutritionally, but symbolically it seems to have had an enormous importance. For so much of human history people barely had enough to eat, so cake was either impossible to achieve or just the last priority on their minds. However, the idea of something that was sweet, special and something that’s more than just a snack seemed to be important. It was, and is, a rallying point for communities, social functions and family occasions. Therefore, it was even more important than I thought when I started conceiving the idea of the book.
