nazi cuisine: food, power and ideology under the Third reich

Antoine Dreyfus

Le Cherche Midi, 256 pages, 2025

Why you should look at it:

√ A chilling new lens on Nazi ideology

√ Uncovers the dark roots of modern food culture

√ Rigorous history and gripping narrative

An unprecedented historical investigation, Les nazis à table/Nazi Cuisine examines the central role of food within Nazi ideology—from the “purification” of the table to the regime’s pioneering promotion of organic, healthy, and locally sourced food.

Traumatized by the famine of World War I, the Nazi leadership elevated food to a matter of national priority. This obsession fueled territorial expansion and became, according to several historians, one of the ideological drivers behind the extermination of Europe’s Jews considered to be “useless mouths.”

In their pursuit of the “new man,” the Nazis imposed strict control over the body: encouraging a National Socialist cuisine, advancing organic agriculture, waging campaigns against tobacco and alcohol, and conducting nutritional experiments within death camps. Food also served a rigid social and communal function, reinforcing gender roles by placing women and cooking at the heart of the household.

Drawing on meticulous research and previously unexplored archives, Les nazis à table offers a striking new perspective on this tragic era, revealing the unsettling and paradoxical legacy the regime has left on contemporary food practices.

Antoine Dreyfus is a French award-winning freelance journalist and investigative reporter who has covered major world events. A former correspondent for leading French newspapers, he has produced documentaries for major TV networks and authored several books. His work combines rigorous historical research with compelling storytelling.