An Edible History Of Humanity

An Edible History Of Humanity

In An Edible History of Humanity, Tom Standage, the bestselling author of A History of the World in 6 Glasses, brilliantly shows us how foods have transformed human culture through the ages. Charting a series of changes—caused, enabled or influenced by food—Standage gives an altogether more profound meaning to this seemingly simple, but essential, component of our lives. The first civilizations were built on barley and wheat in the Near East, millet and rice in Asia, 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 18th century, Britain’s solution to food shortages was to industrialize and import food rather than grow it. Food has also helped to determine the outcome of wars. Indeed, in Standage’s words, “Starvation destroys an army more often than does battle, and hunger is more savage than the sword…. For most of human history, food was literally the fuel of war.” Napoleon’s rise and fall was intimately connected with his ability to feed his vast armies. In the 20th 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 findings from a wide variety of fields, ranging from genetics and archaeology to anthropology and economics, An Edible History of Humanity is a fully satisfying discourse on the sweep of human history.

Hardcover: 304 pages

Publisher: Walker & Company ( May 01, 2009 )

Item #: 82-5711

ISBN: 9780802715883

Product Dimensions: 6.125 x 9.25 x 0.72 inches

Product Weight: 18.0 ounces