Hype restaurants. Allrecipes. The Great British Bake Off. Food dominates our every waking minute. In this dazzling cultural history, acclaimed food writer Ruby Tandoh traces the story of how—and why—we’ve all became foodies.

“Who isn’t a food person these days? … Foodie-ism has become more than just a subculture, it is the culture.”

How, in the space of a few decades, has food gone from “fact of life” to “national past time”; something to be thought about—and talked about—24/7? 

In this startlingly original, deeply irreverent cultural history, Ruby Tandoh traces how our culinary tastes have been transformed; how they’ve been pulled into supermarket aisles and seduced by Michelin stars, transfixed by Top Chefs and shaped by fads. All Consuming is a deep dive into the social, economic, cultural, legislative, and demographic forces that have reshaped our relationship with food.

From the rise of the food writer to the dream of the modern dinner party; from the unlikely adoption of bubble tea to the advent of the TikTok restaurant critic, in these essays, Tandoh questions how our tastes have been shaped—and how much they are, in fact, our own.