Chapter I Introduction; Chapter II Early Poetry: Feeding as Good Breeding; Chapter III Eating and the New Ethos; Chapter IV Adab, or the Text as a Banquet; Chapter V Food for Satire and Parody; chapter VI Alimentary Metaphors;

Considers how Arab and Islamic culinary culture may be represented in literary forms. Scholars of the medieval Islamic period are keenly aware of the importance of food and wine as themes in literature. Van Gelder's witty and subtle approach teases the most out of texts as well as enabling the reader to enjoy a panorama of medieval Arabo-Islamic culture from a most unexpected, yet immediately appreciable, perspective.