This engrossing history of the domestic kitchen in New Zealand covers 10 decades that saw culinary traditions accommodate extraordinary changes in technology and the irresistible process of globalization. Each chapter surveys the external influences on households and their kitchens, samples the dishes prepared during the decade, and discusses the structure of meals. A study of kitchen equipment and design then closes each chapter, cumulatively revealing more innovation in these aspects than in what people ate.
Kitchens
is the culmination of a 10-year research and writing project by anthropologist Helen Leach, supported by the Marsden Fund of the Royal Society of New Zealand, focusing on the material culture of cooking by New Zealanders.