Spanning centuries and continents, Acquired Tastes explores the extraordinary journeys of specific recipes as they moved from one culture to another - carried and transmitted by eight remarkable individuals. Their stories unfold against the social and culinary backdrop of their time, revealing the unique - and often serendipitous - journeys these dishes and drinks have taken.
Drawing on decades of immersion in food culture and historical research, James Chatto, W.L. Martin, and Joseph Sproule share the intimate biographies of their subjects and the evolution of their recipes. The wide-ranging collection includes Queen Bona Sforza’s introduction of Renaissance Italian lasagne into Poland, Fujianese merchant Chen Zhenlong’s smuggling of the sweet potato from Manila to China, the international ovation for concert pianist Jan Smeterlin’s flourless chocolate cake, and U.S. Navy doctor Lucius W. Johnson’s role in popularizing the Cuban Daiquiri, among others. In telling these lively stories and including all the recipes, the authors uncover motivations for culinary exchange at the personal level, ranging from exhibitionism to famine relief, and from anti-colonial propaganda to the simple and generous impulse to share something delicious.

James Chatto is one of Canada’s best-known writers on food and drink. He has authored and co-authored seven books including, The Seducer’s Cookbook and A Matter of Taste, and is an award-winning journalist, editor, and restaurant columnist .

W.L. Martin studied art history and Near Eastern history and has worked as a teacher and school administrator. Martin has published A Kitchen in Corfu, a socio-culinary study of the island, and has several articles and books in the works.

A historian of the early modern Baltic, Joseph Sproule completed his PhD at the University of Toronto and has taught there for over a decade. He has authored numerous articles in his field and pursued research or academic studies in nine countries.