An internationally renowned food historian, Barbara Santich is the author of The Original Mediterranean Cuisine (1995), perhaps the only PhD thesis to have been turned into a cookbook. She has also written the award-winning Looking for Flavour (1996, new edition 2009); What the Doctors Ordered: 150 Years of Dietary Advice in Australia (1995); McLaren Vale: Sea & Vines (1998); and In the Land of the Magic Pudding: A Gastronomic Miscellany (2000). Her latest book, Bold Palates: Australia's Gastronomic Heritage (2012) was short-listed in the Non-fiction category of the 2013 Prime Minister's Literary Awards in Australia. Barbara began her food writing career with contributions to Australian Gourmet and Epicurean magazines, and has since been a regular columnist for various Australian newspapers and magazines. She has also published in a wide range of Australian and international publications, including the New York Times and the Guardian. At the University of Adelaide, Barbara introduced courses in food writing, and also initiated and taught courses for the Master in Arts in Gastronomy, at that time one of the few programs worldwide to focus on the history and culture of food and drink.