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The study of food has become a dominant genre of archaeological research. This comprehensive, well-researched, and interesting book synthesizes the major archaeological discussions and debates surrounding the production, distribution, and consumption of food, and offers a creative and theoretically grounded framework for investigating past food activities. Anthropologist Hastorf (Berkeley) moves beyond the traditional archaeological emphasis on the behavioral and technical aspects of food to highlight its role in defining identity, fostering economic exchange, promoting political power, and transforming the broad human social experience. Symbolic and structuralist approaches are an especially strong theoretical thread that holds Hastorf's arguments together. The author's particular background in archaeobotanical analysis is evident throughout the text, and greatly enhances the presentation of food studies. From gendered patterns of eating in Neolithic Anatolia, to culinary practices in Mayan households, to food production in the Andes, to political feasting in Mississippian villages, Hastorf uses examples and case studies to explore the broad range of food activities and to underscore the centrality of food in shaping social action. Given the prominence of food activities in the archaeological record, this book is an important and relevant read for all archaeologists.Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries.