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Andrew Caldwell
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Their Last Suppers: Legends of History and Their Final Meals Kindle Edition

by Caldwell Andrew (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 60 ratings
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A journey through over 2000 years of culinary history and the final repasts of famous figures—with recipes included.

Part historical narrative and part grilling guide and cookbook, Andrew Caldwell’s Their Last Suppers guides history buffs and gourmands alike through gastronomically inspired biographical accounts of more than twenty legendary personalities. Recipes are included (though the author has decided to skip the pork blood beverages drunk by the Spartans).

Unearthing recipes as far back as 323 B.C., Caldwell, aka the History Chef, provides insight into two thousand years of culinary lore. Each historical figure’s profile includes a brief description of pursuits and accomplishments as well as little-known anecdotes, popular foods of his or her time period, recipes for the figure’s actual last meal, and cooking tips. Because the kitchens of Montezuma, Caesar, and other notables profiled within the book were often very basic, Caldwell brings their fare into modern kitchens, although he strongly believes that, whenever possible, grills and open fires should be used for most dishes and therefore provides specific preparation tips throughout.

From the Titanic’s twelve-course tasting menu to personal recipes for Princess Diana’s Favorite Watercress Soup, Elvis Presley’s Fried Peanut Butter and Banana Sandwich, Julius Caesar’s Ambrosia, Cleopatra’s Hummus, and Stone Crab a la Kennedy, historians and foodies alike will relish the trivia and tastings paired within this unique and entertaining book.
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  1. Print length
    228 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC
  5. Publication date
    September 14, 2010
  6. File size
    5133 KB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
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Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Andrew Caldwell has worked as a classical chef in Bermuda, Mexico, and the United States. He has managed a number of resorts and overseen the development of more than 40 restaurants around the globe. A keen historian, Caldwell has visited many of the sites in this book to ensure its accuracy. He resides in Orlando, Florida, and maintains an online presence at www.thehistorychef.net.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B004GUS7FU
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Andrews McMeel Publishing, LLC; Illustrated edition (September 14, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 14, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5133 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 228 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.8 3.8 out of 5 stars 60 ratings

About the author

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Andrew Caldwell

Andrew Caldwell

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Hi my name is Andrew Caldwell,I have written a trilogy of historical cook books,the first one of which 'Their Last Suppers' is available in hardcopy on Amazon and at all good book stores around the country.As an ex-head chef and avid historian who has lived all over the World I have been able to combine both my passions into the books.To qualify for the books you had to be a headline maker whose sudden demise shook the world of the time ...from Julius Caesar to Elvis and Princess Diana I assemble little known facts and tell a story culminating in the recipe for their last meal.All the menus are fun and easy to prepare,and give the reader great dinner party tips and ideas....I hope you'll enjoy this book ,it's got all the right ingredients for a great read!

Customer reviews

3.8 out of 5 stars
3.8 out of 5
60 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Melanie Moore
5.0 out of 5 stars Fun and informative!
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2022
Verified Purchase
The only disappointment with this book is that it is too short! I really loved reading it and sharing it with my husband and my mother. Although I knew some of the different historical backgrounds, this book taught me a lot that I didn’t know. I’m already planning a themed party complete with authentic recipes!
One person found this helpful
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Saqra
5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book!
Reviewed in the United States on September 5, 2023
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Fun for theme parties!
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Savannah
4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting
Reviewed in the United States on January 6, 2014
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I didn't have real high expectations because I got this at a big discount but I really found it rather interesting.
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Tiffany A. Harkleroad
3.0 out of 5 stars Fatally flawed, but so much potential
Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2011
Verified Purchase
Ever wonder what a person's last meal was? We often hear of death row inmates requesting a special last meal. Many people never realize that their last meal is in fact the last, but it is still interesting to see what they had. Explore the final repast of many people throughout history, including Marylin Monroe, Abraham Lincoln, and Adolph Hitler.

The premise of this book is brilliant, being one part history book and one part cookbook. I think this idea is so clever, and particularly like that some of the more antiquated recipes are adapted for current preparation. Each chapter talks about a specific historical figure, gives a bit of backstory, then discusses the final meal before giving recipes from the menu. It sounds like a no fail book.

Unfortunately, I have some pretty serious problems with the book. Within the first two pages of the introduction, I found multiple typos and grammatical errors. Normally, I am not a stickler for these, and rarely do I mention them in reviews, but when you are talking recipes with precise measurements, typos in any section of the book make me very nervous. I would be livid if I bought pricey ingredients for a recipe, only to have it ruined by a typo. Finding them so early in the text make me have a critical eye, and as a result, I found a lot of flaw with both the historic and culinary aspects of the book.

Historically, the book seems to tout quite a few inaccuracies as truths, and contains no proof of research in the form of citations or footnotes. This is a huge error when writing any type of historical work. Even if the book is not attempting to be a strict, serious, scholarly historical work, if history is part of the selling point for the book, you should do historical research properly. Similarly, I found some of the recipes to be incomplete, instructionally, and generally poorly written/explained. I do not think I would feel comfortable attempting most of the recipes in this book.

The book is a bit of a let down. Wonderful idea, but poorly executed. With a bit better editing, and a considerable overhaul to the historical research, this book has the potential to be wonderful, appealing to historians and foodies alike.
5 people found this helpful
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R PRIUS
1.0 out of 5 stars Where's The Beef?
Reviewed in the United States on February 10, 2012
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This was a clever concept for a book, but the end results were disappointing. I'm not sure how this was researched, but my best guess is that the author dreamed up most of the so-called meals based on what was historically known about foods eaten at the time and then came up with recipes and menus.
The author designed this book to provide a brief profile of each subject such as Napoleon, Cleopatra, Hannibal and provide a menu for their last meal along with recipes for some of the dishes served. While some of the profiles are whitty (case in point: the captain of the Titanic who is portrayed as someone who kept messing up only to be promoted). I have no idea if the claims re: the unfortunate Titanic captain are accurate or not, but I suspect there was a record of what was served on the Titanic on that fateful night. Ditto for Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley; there was probably some information kicking around. However, no where in this book are sources credited, so I have no idea as to where this information was obtained. When it comes to Hannibal or Cleopatra, the same problem exists.
The bottom line is that this book isn't all that interesting or informative. It promises a lot, but it doesn't deliver and doesn't appear to be well researched or thought out. The recipes that are in the book don't sound particularly appealing so I doubt if I'd try any. Sad because I really wanted to like this book.
3 people found this helpful
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C. Yates
2.0 out of 5 stars Their Last suppers
Reviewed in the United States on May 26, 2011
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This is a quick read for anyone intestered in the restaurant business or cookbook collector. Read about Marilyn Monroe and her favorite dishes along with a few pages of history with her and the Kennedy family; Elvis's love affair with peanut butter and banana deep fried sandwiches and other famous persons in history and what they would typically eat at a meal or what they actually ate at their last mean. Open your restaurant and serve it all. Their Last Suppers: Legends of History and Their Final Meals
One person found this helpful
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DorothyJ
5.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for the amateur cook and history buff.
Reviewed in the United States on June 3, 2014
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If you like cookbooks and also history then this book is perfect for you. I like that you are given a backstory of each of the legends of history as well as recipes for not only their last meals but their favorite meals as well. They are so many little tidbits that I did not know about, like did you know that Hitler was a vegetarian? Or that but before Custard's last stand , Custard's famous golden locks were shorn off and he was the only soldier not scalped? These little facts of information as well as all the yummy recipes that I plan on cooking up make the book worth checking out.
2 people found this helpful
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Randal J. Sanders
5.0 out of 5 stars This author would be a great history teacher.
Reviewed in the United States on May 27, 2011
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This book was a quick and enjoyable read. The recipes are more interesting then ones that I would want to try and prepare. What I enjoyed more were the hooks. I knew about these people in history but the author had found little know titbits that made history more enjoyable and understandable. I would love to spend an evening with this guy, this book is the next best thing. I hope he writes more.
One person found this helpful
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