Nobel banquets : a century of culinary history (1901-2001)
By, Soderlind, Ulrica
Publisher: World Scientific
Class No.: 001.440904
Accession No.: 025343
Year: 2005
Pages: 318 p.

The Nobel Banquets is not about Alfred Nobel's personal dining habits; it is about his gift to mankind the five original Nobel Prizes and the festivities that are arranged every year to celebrate them.

There is hardly any other banquet in the world that is as famous as the Nobel Banquet which many would give a fortune to attend. It is held on December 10 in Stockholm every year. Countless articles and books have been written describing what the guests eat and drink, the table decorations and the serving ceremonies, the placing lists and of course the Nobel laureates themselves.

This comprehensive book presents not only all the known facts about the Nobel banquet menus but also many unknown details, both about the Nobel banquets themselves and about the traditional banquets held at the Royal Court by the King and Queen of Sweden on December 11 in honour of the laureates. The main focus is on the food and drink that have been served annually for more than a century. The gastronomic man is at the centre. The composition and contents of each banquet are listed and analysed. Today, the guiding principle is that the menus should have a touch of Scandinavia. The reader is given interesting insights into the work in the kitchens, the decanting of the wines and the special challenges that the waiters and waitresses face.

The Nobel Banquets contains many photographs. It is a goldmine for gourmets and for anyone interested in knowing more about all the effort that goes into these fabulous festivities.