Food and Cooking on Early Television in Europe: An Introduction

Abstract

This chapter introduces the volume through a discussion of key concepts related to early food television in Europe, such as gender, class, national identity, celebrity, education and entertainment on television, food television genres, and cooking shows. It highlights the importance of the audience in early television research. It provides historical and social background to the development of television in Europe and the importance of food and cooking for national broadcasters in the first two or three decades after the war. It describes the gap this collection is addressing and its significance for food media and history studies.