The Food Movement, Culture, and Religion

This book explores the cultural and religious politics of the contemporary food movement, starting from the example of Jewish foodies, their zeal for pig (forbidden by Jewish law), and their talk about why ignoring traditional precepts around food is desirable.  Focusing on the work of Michael Pollan, Jonathan Schorsch questions the modernist, materialist, and rationalist worldview of many foodies and discusses their lack of attention to culture, tradition, and religion.  

“Jonathan Schorsch offers an enlightening and often thought-provoking reflection on how contemporary debates about food shape our thinking about culture, religion, ethics, politics and identity.  … A passionate advocacy for the wisdom of Jewish tradition and an intellectual feast, it is to be enjoyed by anybody interested in how food choices shape our identities and the role of food in intercultural and interreligious interactions.” (Maria Diemling, Common Ground, 2019)

“This book is a vital contribution to a growing body of critical literature that seeks to create space within the food movement for diverse voices and perspectives. … The Food Movement, Culture, and Religion offers a clear path for altering the food movement to be more inclusive of Jewish and all cultural foodways.” (Adrienne Krone, Reading Religion, readingreligion.org, September, 2018)

“A slim but densely packed volume... This book is a vital contribution to a growing body of critical literature that seeks to create space within the food movement for diverse voices and perspectives... provide[s] keen insight into the structures that are relegating religious foodies to the fringes, and an understanding that cultural and religious traditions are not at odds with the goals of the food movement.” (Adrienne Krone, Allegheny College, review for the American Academy of Religion (AAR), U.S.)



“What a breath of fresh air. A necessary and spirited correction of the assumption that food choices are simply rational, secular decisions about what foods are good for our waistlines, our local economies or for animal welfare. If food is both sacred and culturally relevant, we need a broader context for reflecting on these issues and Jonathan generously and wisely provides a nuanced discussion open to all faiths and cultures. Read this book as an adventure in critical and compassionate thinking about food and its many roles in nourishing cultural and religious diversity, rather than succumbing to already rampant neo-liberal capitalism.” (Gary Paul Nabhan, W.K. Kellogg Endowed Chair in Sustainable Food Systems, University of Arizona, USA)

“Should we endorse a vision of the human being as omnivorous?  Using the crucial issue of Jews’s reluctance to eat pigs as a main example, Jonathan Schorsch gives us a superb analysis of the contemporary food movement and its efforts to resist the erosion of local mores, based on legitimate traditions and concerns.” (Pierre Birnbaum, University of Panthéon-Sorbonne, France)

“Absolutely superb! This book is timely, important, thought-provoking, and eminently readable.  I strongly commend it to everyone who eats.” (Nigel Savage, Founder and Director, Hazon, New York, USA)

“Schorsch’s book is a striking intervention into contemporary food debates. Well written and erudite but also passionate, this book made me think in new ways about old questions about food taboos, about choice vs. tradition, and cosmopolitan vs. local eating. Would be great for classroom discussion and debate.” (David Sutton, Southern Illinois University, USA)

Jonathan Schorsch is Professor of Jewish Religious and Intellectual History at the Universität Potsdam and founder of the Jewish Activism Summer School, Germany.