Tim Hayward on the strange shame of brown food
- Posted on September 19, 2026
- By Financial Times
- 1 Views
- 1 min read
In brief
The rise of color photography fundamentally shifted food journalism, creating an aesthetic bias against naturally brown dishes. Culinary traditions like roasts, stews, and rich sauces became victims of visual expectations, forcing food writers and chefs to justify or visually alter these classic preparations. This cultural phenomenon reveals how photographic technology shaped dining aesthetics and challenged the inherent beauty of traditionally brown comfort foods that require no visual enhancement to deserve celebration.
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Tim Hayward on the strange shame of brown food
Colour photography transformed food writing — and left magazines forever trying to brighten the roasts, stews, cakes and sauces that need no apology
