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The first civilizations were built on barley and wheat in the Near East, millet and rice in Asia, and corn and potatoes in the Americas. Why farming created a strictly ordered social hierarchy in contrast to the loose egalitarianism of hunter-gatherers is, as Tom Standage reveals, as interesting as the details of the complex cultures that emerged, eventually interconnected by commerce. Trade in exotic spices in particular spawned the age of exploration and the colonization of the New World.
Food's influence over the course of history has been just as prevalent in modern times. In the late eighteenth century, Britain's solution to food shortages was to industrialize and import food rather than grow it. Food helped to determine the outcome of wars: Napoleon's rise and fall was intimately connected with his ability to feed his vast armies. In the twentieth century, Communist leaders employed food as an ideological weapon, resulting in the death by starvation of millions in the Soviet Union and China. And today the foods we choose in the supermarket connect us to global debates about trade, development, the environment, and the adoption of new technologies.
Encompassing many fields, from genetics and archaeology to anthropology and economics—and invoking food as a special form of technology—An Edible History of Humanity is a fully satisfying discourse on the sweep of human history.
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
July 9, 2009 -
Formats
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OverDrive Listen audiobook
- ISBN: 9781400193080
- File size: 289395 KB
- Duration: 10:02:54
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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The three most important "natural" grains in the world--corn, wheat, and rice--are, in fact, entirely unnatural and would not exist in anything like their present form without the shaping hands of humans. Standage's wide-ranging scientific and cultural history of the food we eat brings a host of fresh perspectives like that one, as well as some unnecessary tangents. George K. Wilson is entirely pleasant to listen to as he reads the narrative without embellishment, but his use of cloying accents when reading historical quotations is not successful. It's a poor choice that detracts from an otherwise enjoyable work. D.B. (c) AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine -
August 31, 2009
Standage provides an intriguing history of how hunger has shaped civilizations and prompted technological advancements. Starting with hunter-gatherer societies, Standage traces the evolution of cuisines and addition of new ingredients to the current debates over organic and industrialized food systems. With a gentle and deep voice, George K. Wilson guides listeners through the thought-provoking theses with the tone of a knowledgeable and sincere tour guide. His emphasis and deliberate delivery help keep the prose engaging while giving sufficient aural direction for listeners to understand the relevance of a particular sentence or paragraph. A Walker hardcover.
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