Cultural studies: food and society Books

**Shortlisted for the 2017 André Simon Food and Drink Book Awards****Shortlisted for the 2018 Fortnum & Mason Food Book Award**'The next Bill Bryson.’ New York TimesFood and travel writer Michael Booth and his family embark on an epic journey the length of Japan to explore its dazzling food culture. They find a country much altered since their previous visit ten years earlier (which resulted in the award-winning international bestseller Sushi and Beyond). Over the last decade the country’s restaurants have won a record number of Michelin stars and its cuisine was awarded United Nations heritage status. The world’s top chefs now flock to learn more about the extraordinary dedication of Japan’s food artisans, while the country’s fast foods – ramen, sushi and yakitori – have conquered the world. As well as the plaudits, Japan is also facing enormous challenges. Ironically, as Booth discovers, the future of Japan’s culinary heritage is under threat.Often venturing far off the beaten track, the author and his family discover intriguing future food trends and meet a fascinating cast of food heroes, from a couple lavishing love on rotten fish, to a chef who literally sacrificed a limb in pursuit of the ultimate bowl of ramen, and a farmer who has dedicated his life to growing the finest rice in the world… in the shadow of Fukushima.

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Book SynopsisOur future diet will be shaped by diverse forces. It will be shaped by novel technologies and the logic of globalisation, by geopolitical tensions and the evolution of cultural preferences, by shocks to the status quo - pandemics and economic strife, the escalation of the climate and ecological crises - and by how we choose to respond. It will also be shaped by our emotions. It will be shaped by the meat paradox.''Should we eat animals?'' was, until recently, a question reserved for moral philosophers and an ethically minded minority, but it is now posed on restaurant menus and supermarket shelves, on social media and morning television. The recent surge in popularity for veganism in the UK, Europe and North America has created a rupture in the rites and rituals of meat, challenging the cultural narratives that sustain our omnivory.In The Meat Paradox, Rob Percival, an expert in the politics of meat, searches for the evolutionary origins of the meat paradox, asking wTrade ReviewIn all the best ways, The Meat Paradox complicates the ongoing debate between omnivores and herbivores. It's a funny, reverent reminder that meat has always been central to our story as a society. -- Dan Barber, author of The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of FoodHow can humans simultaneously love animals and love to eat them? In The Meat Paradox, Rob Percival takes on this question, combining great story telling with the latest findings in fields ranging from psychology and neuroscience to anthropology and moral philosophy. Whether you are an omnivore, a vegetarian, or a vegan, this book is a page turner that will spin your head around. -- Hal Herzog, author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About AnimalsPassionate, sophisticated, urgently important and compulsively readable. Percival's enquiry dives into deep time, into other dimensions and ranges across the continents in a search not only for our relationship with meat, but our relationship with ourselves. It's an exhilarating and salutary record of our stuttering conversation with the non-human world, and a robust interrogation of our whole way of being. -- Charles Foster, author of Being a Human and Being a BeastThe Meat Paradox is utterly brilliant, in the range of its erudition, the power of its argument, its revelatory profundity and its compelling storytelling. -- Jay Griffiths, author of Why RebelA fearless exploration of the question that has shaped human evolution and could determine whether we survive as a species into the future: Should we eat animals? Making an important contribution to the debate that goes deep into the question of whether we humans evolved to be omnivores, The Meat Paradox asks whether we should continue eating meat in the face of the climate catastrophe. Percival takes a detailed look at the history and the arguments and ultimately answers the question of how to be an 'ethical omnivore'. -- Louise Gray, author of The Ethical Carnivore: My Year Killing to EatAn even-handed and nuanced exploration of our deeply complex moral relationships with other animals, The Meat Paradox is a compelling journey into the evolutionary past, potential future, and conflicted psyche of the planet's most dangerous and empathetic predator: us. -- Tovar Cerulli, author of The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian’s Hunt for SustenanceIn searching for the answers to a complicated question, this beautifully written book will take you to some unexpected and fascinating places. Written by someone who clearly cares deeply about animals and our planet, it provides much needed nuance in an often polarized debate. -- Tobias Leeneart, author of How to Create a Vegan World: a Pragmatic ApproachBrilliantly provocative, original, electrifying -- Bee Wilson * Financial Times *It's very much worth a read * Times Radio *The Meat Paradox is a fascinating book, part cultural history of meat, part manifesto, part pilgrimage. Percival is a gifted writer, marshalling evidence, weaving together interviews and offering descriptions that at times verge on the poetic. * Sunday Times *In this fascinating must-read for anyone interested in understanding and addressing exactly why morally troublesome behaviours vanish into the commonplace and every day, Percival grippingly guides the reader through the psychological complexity of our challenges, finding a middle ground in the debate and helping people decide where they may sit in the midst of it all. * Bristol Mag *[This] provocative book presents a challenge that most haven't even begun to confront - and few are ready to meet. * Guardian *Impressively nuanced * The Week *Rob Percival delves into our carnivorous history and culture and examines its deep connection to the human psyche. It's an erudite and entertaining excavation, but it also brings us to the present, prompting us to ask what relationship to animals, both wild and domesticated, we should choose now, in a warming world where very few of us need meat to survive. It's one of the big questions of our age, and Percival compellingly insists we mustn't shrink from it. * Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall *Rob Percival does for meat what David Graeber did for debt, drawing on a wealth of knowledge about the ways that humans have made life work in different times and places to redraw the lines of today's ethical debate. Fascinating and unsettling, this is a book about how we became what we are - and where we go from here. * Dougald Hine, co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project *In searching for the answers to a complicated question, this beautifully written book will take you to some unexpected and fascinating places. Written by someone who clearly cares deeply about animals and our planet, it provides much needed nuance in an often polarized debate. * Tobias Leenaert, author of How to Create a Vegan World: a Pragmatic Approach *The Meat Paradox exposes the deeply complex and haunting relationship we have with the animals we eat. As a livestock farmer, I've considered this as much as I've dared, but Rob opens the paradox to unblinking scrutiny. The meat debate is one of the most contested raging in the world at the moment, with opposing camps waging war. Rob demolishes the propaganda on both sides, and having exposed the paradox, refuses to provide a pat solution. This is an existential issue which demands that we consider deeply but perhaps can never fully resolve. * Helen Browning, author of Pig: Tales from an Organic Farm *An even-handed and nuanced exploration of our deeply complex moral relationships with other animals, The Meat Paradox is a compelling journey into the evolutionary past, potential future, and conflicted psyche of the planet's most dangerous and empathetic predator: us. * Tovar Cerulli, author of The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian’s Hunt for Sustenance *In all the best ways, The Meat Paradox complicates the ongoing debate between omnivores and herbivores. It's a funny, reverent reminder that meat has always been central to our story as a society. -- Dan Barber, author of The Third Plate: Field Notes on the Future of FoodHow can humans simultaneously love animals and love to eat them? In The Meat Paradox, Rob Percival takes on this question, combining great story telling with the latest findings in fields ranging from psychology and neuroscience to anthropology and moral philosophy. Whether you are an omnivore, a vegetarian, or a vegan, this book is a page turner that will spin your head around. -- Hal Herzog, author of Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat: Why It’s So Hard to Think Straight About AnimalsPassionate, sophisticated, urgently important and compulsively readable. Percival's enquiry dives into deep time, into other dimensions and ranges across the continents in a search not only for our relationship with meat, but our relationship with ourselves. It's an exhilarating and salutary record of our stuttering conversation with the non-human world, and a robust interrogation of our whole way of being. -- Charles Foster, author of Being a Human and Being a BeastThe Meat Paradox is utterly brilliant, in the range of its erudition, the power of its argument, its revelatory profundity and its compelling storytelling. -- Jay Griffiths, author of Why RebelA fearless exploration of the question that has shaped human evolution and could determine whether we survive as a species into the future: Should we eat animals? Making an important contribution to the debate that goes deep into the question of whether we humans evolved to be omnivores, The Meat Paradox asks whether we should continue eating meat in the face of the climate catastrophe. Percival takes a detailed look at the history and the arguments and ultimately answers the question of how to be an 'ethical omnivore'. -- Louise Gray, author of The Ethical Carnivore: My Year Killing to EatAn even-handed and nuanced exploration of our deeply complex moral relationships with other animals, The Meat Paradox is a compelling journey into the evolutionary past, potential future, and conflicted psyche of the planet's most dangerous and empathetic predator: us. -- Tovar Cerulli, author of The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian’s Hunt for SustenanceIn searching for the answers to a complicated question, this beautifully written book will take you to some unexpected and fascinating places. Written by someone who clearly cares deeply about animals and our planet, it provides much needed nuance in an often polarized debate. -- Tobias Leeneart, author of How to Create a Vegan World: a Pragmatic ApproachBrilliantly provocative, original, electrifying -- Bee Wilson * Financial Times *It's very much worth a read * Times Radio *The Meat Paradox is a fascinating book, part cultural history of meat, part manifesto, part pilgrimage. Percival is a gifted writer, marshalling evidence, weaving together interviews and offering descriptions that at times verge on the poetic. * Sunday Times *In this fascinating must-read for anyone interested in understanding and addressing exactly why morally troublesome behaviours vanish into the commonplace and every day, Percival grippingly guides the reader through the psychological complexity of our challenges, finding a middle ground in the debate and helping people decide where they may sit in the midst of it all. * Bristol Mag *[This] provocative book presents a challenge that most haven't even begun to confront - and few are ready to meet. * Guardian *Impressively nuanced * The Week *Rob Percival delves into our carnivorous history and culture and examines its deep connection to the human psyche. It's an erudite and entertaining excavation, but it also brings us to the present, prompting us to ask what relationship to animals, both wild and domesticated, we should choose now, in a warming world where very few of us need meat to survive. It's one of the big questions of our age, and Percival compellingly insists we mustn't shrink from it. * Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall *Rob Percival does for meat what David Graeber did for debt, drawing on a wealth of knowledge about the ways that humans have made life work in different times and places to redraw the lines of today's ethical debate. Fascinating and unsettling, this is a book about how we became what we are - and where we go from here. * Dougald Hine, co-founder of the Dark Mountain Project *In searching for the answers to a complicated question, this beautifully written book will take you to some unexpected and fascinating places. Written by someone who clearly cares deeply about animals and our planet, it provides much needed nuance in an often polarized debate. * Tobias Leenaert, author of How to Create a Vegan World: a Pragmatic Approach *The Meat Paradox exposes the deeply complex and haunting relationship we have with the animals we eat. As a livestock farmer, I've considered this as much as I've dared, but Rob opens the paradox to unblinking scrutiny. The meat debate is one of the most contested raging in the world at the moment, with opposing camps waging war. Rob demolishes the propaganda on both sides, and having exposed the paradox, refuses to provide a pat solution. This is an existential issue which demands that we consider deeply but perhaps can never fully resolve. * Helen Browning, author of Pig: Tales from an Organic Farm *An even-handed and nuanced exploration of our deeply complex moral relationships with other animals, The Meat Paradox is a compelling journey into the evolutionary past, potential future, and conflicted psyche of the planet's most dangerous and empathetic predator: us. * Tovar Cerulli, author of The Mindful Carnivore: A Vegetarian’s Hunt for Sustenance *

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Book Synopsis'Too ravishing for moral taste ...like lovers' kisses she bites - she is a pleasure bordering on pain, from the fierceness and insanity of her relish' wrote the poet Charles Lamb about the pineapple, the fruit that seduced the world. From the moment Christopher Columbus discovered it on a Caribbean island on 4 November 1493, the pineapple became an object of passion and desire, in a culinary romance that anthropologist Kaori O'Connor follows across time and cultures. The first New World explorers called the pineapple the apple with which Eve must have tempted Adam. Transported to Europe where it could only be grown in hothouses at vast expense, the pineapple became an elite mania, the fruit of kings and aristocrats. Soon established as the ultimate status symbol, London society hostesses would rent a pineapple at great cost for a single evening to be the centrepiece of their parties, and pineapples were as popular in the new American republic, where they were a sign of hospitality and a favourite of George Washington. Celebrated in art and literature, pineapples remained a seasonal luxury for the rich until fast shipping and then refrigeration meant they could be brought to the major markets of Europe and America, but these imported fruit were never as luscious as those eaten fresh and ripe in the tropics. Then the pineapple found its ideal home in Hawaii, the invention of canning made perfect golden fruit available and affordable all year round and the Fruit of Kings became the Queen of Fruits for all. Pineapple is a culinary love story enriched with vivid illustrations and irresistible recipes from around the world for eating and drinking the pineapple.Trade Review'Books in Reaktion's Edible series are paragons of their type; concise and flavourful, jammed with interesting facts, period photos and just a handful of recipes, in case you want to "do it yourself". I recommend these books to foodies and academics alike.' - Robert Sietsema, restaurant critic for The Village Voice 'Embellished with clever illustrations and a nice selection of historical and contemporary recipes ... [an] outstanding series of food volumes.' - Wall Street Journal

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Book Synopsis''In the black out visit a bright inn.'' So read stickers on the windows of Watney''s pubs all over London. In Brewing for Victory, Brian Glover shows in lively detail how beer and pub culture aided Britain''s community spirit during the Second World War. From ''Guinness for Strength!'' adverts to women shifting casks and packing coppers with hops, the effect the war had on brewing in England, and the effect brewing had on the war effort, is explored from every angle.Beginning at home in Britain and London, Glover tracks the course of tuns all the way out to the front line in the army, air force and navy. ''Brewing under the jackboot'' is also considered, with a chapter on breweries in British territory that had been captured by the Nazis, such as Guernsey. With over 70 illustrations showing war era adverts and bombed out boroughs with their pubs still standing, Brewing for Victory is a remarkable demonstration of the Blitz Spirit in action as the public, pubs and brewers worked togethTrade Review'An interesting book to read . as well as the excellent subject matter, the book is written in a manner and style which encourages the reader to read through to the end. The combination of factual description, anecdote and narrative is a winning style which makes the book a must for anyone interested in the history of beer, including bottled beer.' - Mike Peterson, What's Bottling 'Here is a lively history of breweries and public houses during the War, with a serious point to make as well.' - Forces News 'In Brewing for Victory, Brian Glover tells the heady and enlightening tale of how a drop of ale boosted the morale of everyone of drinking age throughout the dark days of 1939-45.' - Soldier MagazineTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgements 1. Enemy Behind the Lines 2. Ally on the Home Front 3. Blockhouse on the Home Front 4. Nation's Liquid Asset 5. The Blitz 6. Pubs in the Front Line 7. Miracle in the Mash Tun 8. No Beer Today 9. Better Than Bullets 10. Davy Jones' Delight 11. Brewing Under the Jackboot 12. The Pint in Peace Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisA shocking portrait of corporate corruption in America's food industry, its implications on democracy, and what we cando to improve it.

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Book SynopsisFor fans of Michael Pollan and Anthony Bourdain, this “surprising, flavorsome tour of ancient cuisines” (Kirkus STARRED)—from Neolithic bread to ancient Roman fish sauce—reveals why reviving the foods of the past is the key to saving the future.“A fascinating look at the people who are keeping these ancient food traditions alive against the odds, while offering a rough roadmap toward a more sustainable food ecosystem.”—EaterMany of us are worried (or at least we should be) about the impacts of globalization, pollution, and biotechnology on our diets. Whether it''s monoculture crops, hormone-fed beef, or high-fructose corn syrup, industrially-produced foods have troubling consequences for us and the planet. But as culinary diversity diminishes, many people are looking to a surprising place to safeguard the future: into the past.The Lost Supper explores an idea that is quickly spreadi

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Book SynopsisWith carbon farming, agriculture ceases to be part of the climate problem and becomes a critical part of the solution "This book is the toolkit for making the soil itself a sponge for carbon. It’s a powerful vision."—Bill McKibben "The Carbon Farming Solution is a book we will look back upon decades from now and wonder why something so critically relevant could have been so overlooked until that time. . . . [It] describes the foundation of the future of civilization."—Paul Hawken In this groundbreaking book, Eric Toensmeier argues that agriculture—specifically, the subset of practices known as "carbon farming"—can, and should be, a linchpin of a global climate solutions platform. Carbon farming is a suite of agricultural practices and crops that sequester carbon in the soil and in above-ground biomass. Combined with a massive reduction in fossil fuel emissions—and in concert with adaptation strategies to our changing environment— carbon farming has the potential to bring us back from the brink of disaster and return our atmosphere to the "magic number" of 350 parts per million of carbon dioxide. Toensmeier’s book is the first to bring together these powerful strategies in one place. Includes in-depth analysis of the available research. Carbon farming can take many forms. The simplest practices involve modifications to annual crop production. Although many of these modifications have relatively low sequestration potential, they are widely applicable and easily adopted, and thus have excellent potential to mitigate climate change if practiced on a global scale. Likewise, grazing systems such as silvopasture are easily replicable, don’t require significant changes to human diet, and—given the amount of agricultural land worldwide that is devoted to pasture—can be important strategies in the carbon farming arsenal. But by far, agroforestry practices and perennial crops present the best opportunities for sequestration. While many of these systems are challenging to establish and manage, and would require us to change our diets to new and largely unfamiliar perennial crops, they also offer huge potential that has been almost entirely ignored by climate crusaders. Many of these carbon farming practices are already implemented globally on a scale of millions of hectares. These are not minor or marginal efforts, but win-win solutions that provide food, fodder, and feedstocks while fostering community self-reliance, creating jobs, protecting biodiversity, and repairing degraded land—all while sequestering carbon, reducing emissions, and ultimately contributing to a climate that will remain amenable to human civilization. Just as importantly to a livable future, these crops and practices can contribute to broader social goals such as women’s empowerment, food sovereignty, and climate justice. The Carbon Farming Solution is—at its root—a toolkit and the most complete collection of climate-friendly crops and practices currently available. With this toolkit, farmers, communities, and governments large and small, can successfully launch carbon farming projects with the most appropriate crops and practices to their climate, locale, and socioeconomic needs. Toensmeier’s ultimate goal is to place carbon farming firmly in the center of the climate solutions platform, alongside clean solar and wind energy. With The Carbon Farming Solution, Toensmeier wants to change the discussion, impact policy decisions, and steer mitigation funds to the research, projects, and people around the world who envision a future where agriculture becomes the protagonist in this fraught, urgent, and unprecedented drama of our time. Citizens, farmers, and funders will be inspired to use the tools presented in this important book to transform degraded lands around the world into productive carbon-storing landscapes.Trade ReviewJournal of Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems- "Readers interested in carbon capture and climate mitigation will welcome this new resource, one of the most complete books on the market today that deals with what could be called 'carbon farming.' Although the focus is on perennial crops and systems often grouped under the topics of agroforestry, or more recently permaculture, the book also delves into creative and biodiverse annual cropping and livestock systems, new crops, and innovative designs all focused on the issue of carbon. Toensmeier is an applied ecologist with extensive experience in the Latin American tropics, and practices these principles in workshops, books, and at home. More than a reference volume, The Carbon Farming Solution is an easily read and interesting overview of this important frontier. … The appendixes to the book provide a wealth of data on species and relevant references that could keep anyone truly interested engaged for months in following up on sources and designing new systems based on these ideas. The Carbon Farming Solution is indeed a monumental project that will help guide tropical agricultural development for decades, and Toensmeier has provided a significant resource for those concerned about climate and the future.”Choice- "The terrestrial carbon pool is one of the most dynamic because it is directly affected by how people manage soils and implement cropping systems. The renewed interest in sequestering carbon into the soil reservoir creates a series of questions on how to introduce practices that are effective in increasing soil carbon along with providing plant resources to sustain the goods and services needed for a healthy ecosystem. In this volume, Toensmeier (Yale Univ.), co-author with David Jacke of Edible Forest Gardens, (v. 1) (CH, Jan'06, 43-2794), explores the carbon sequestration potential of different agroecological systems. He directly compares these systems, revealing the limitations of each and placing their dynamics in perspective. These include annual versus perennial systems and grasses and crops versus trees. As the subtitle indicates, the book uses a toolkit approach to help readers understand the value of selecting different practices and species appropriate to a given ecosystem. Included in the analysis of mitigation strategies are livestock systems and ways these can be managed in concert with plant systems to create viable agroecosystems to reduce the carbon footprint in agriculture. Summing Up: Recommended. All library collections.”Booklist- "To minimize climate change, environmental engineers have recently proposed several innovative, if controversial, schemes designed to soak up CO2 or even block sunlight altogether, including spraying aerosols in the upper atmosphere. Yet, according to permaculture expert Toensmeier, a more reliable and safer solution involves trading in conventional agriculture practices for a soil-management methodology known as carbon farming. In this weighty but well-organized handbook, Toensmeier offers a wealth of guidance on cutting-edge farming techniques that reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and capture carbon in vegetation and soils. As a successful model of what’s possible, Toensmeier cites Las Canadas, in Veracruz, Mexico, where food-cooperative owner Ricardo Romero restored 250 acres of degraded farmland within 10 years. In 5 lucidly written sections, Toensmeier covers the science of carbon sequestration, perennial crop cultivation, and key financing tips. On the coattails of the recent, successful Paris Climate Summit, Toensmeier provides invaluable information and inspiration to farmers and agricultural entrepreneurs as well as everyone interested in environmentally positive farming as part of the effort to protect food sources and mitigate global warming.”Library Journal- "Toensmeier (Perennial Vegetables) contends that shifting agricultural practices can help mitigate climate change and advocates for carbon farming, i.e., using a suite of perennial crops and practices that simultaneously seclude carbon in the soil while maintaining the amounts of crops needed globally for food, materials, and energy. The author delineates the different types of systems that are best at sequestering carbon and also provides strategies for livestock management, supplying general information on practices such as rainwater harvesting and terrace farming that will help guarantee the successful implementation of this type of farming. A large section is devoted to perennial crops that Toensmeier maintains would be strong candidates for carbon farming. VERDICT: Both small- and large-scale farmers will find ways to apply methods that segregate carbon and therefore lessen the deleterious effects of climate change in this comprehensive title.”“Agriculture is currently a major net producer of greenhouse gases, with little prospect of improvement unless things change markedly. In The Carbon Farming Solution, Eric Toensmeier puts carbon sequestration at the forefront and shows how agriculture can be a net absorber of carbon. Improved forms of annual-based agriculture can help to a degree; however to maximize carbon sequestration, it is perennial crops we must look at, whether it be perennial grains, other perennial staples, or agroforestry systems incorporating trees and other crops. In this impressive book, backed up with numerous tables and references, the author has assembled a toolkit that will be of great use to anybody involved in agriculture whether in the tropics or colder northern regions. For me the highlights are the chapters covering perennial crop species organized by use—staple crops, protein crops, oil crops, industrial crops, etc.—with some seven hundred species described. There are crops here for all climate types, with good information on cultivation and yields, so that wherever you are, you will be able to find suitable recommended perennial crops. This is an excellent book that gives great hope without being naïve and makes a clear reasoned argument for a more perennial-based agriculture to both feed people and take carbon out of the air.”--Martin Crawford, director, The Agroforestry Research Trust; author of Creating a Forest Garden and Trees for Gardens, Orchards, and Permaculture “Scientific observations and models are building an increasingly dire picture of the obstacles that must be crossed on the road to achieving climate and ecological health and stability on a planet filled with humans. The relentlessly hopeful (but not naively optimistic) author of The Carbon Farming Solution reminds us that our planet is still rich in biological resources and that humanity is capable of astonishing feats of creativity and collaborative action; the picture painted here in word and image depicts both the barriers and paths through them. Eric Toensmeier draws upon both the scientific literature and the world’s ethnobotanical knowledge bank to construct a logical and compelling road map for future research and investment to reinvent agriculture. But reason and facts alone are insufficient to sustain a global and long-term agenda; passion is required. In the end, it is the perennial plants (and their human and microbial partners) themselves—lovingly portrayed here in their glorious diversity and elegant functionality—that steal the show and our hearts. This ‘Who’s Who’ of wild or orphaned potential crops can inspire a new generation of plant lovers and gardeners to become the convention-questioning, dedicated, passionate, hopeful scientists, farmers, and leaders that the movement requires.”--David Van Tassel, PhD, senior scientist, The Land Institute“These are exciting times for soil carbon! What was once an obscure topic mainly of interest to agronomists and gardeners is now viewed by many people as a key to solving multiple challenges in the 21st century, including climate change, hunger, and drought. For urgent times, we need an urgent agriculture. That’s exactly what we get in Eric Toensmeier’s new book—a detailed, practical explanation of how to increase carbon in our soils, written with passion and skill by a leader in regenerative agriculture. We know what to do, and with The Carbon Farming Solution we know how to do it. Let’s get going!"--Courtney White, author of Grass, Soil, Hope and Two Percent Solutions for the Planet“Eric Toensmeier has done it again! The Carbon Farming Solution is a detailed vision that will become the go-to reference guide for everyone who is interested in an accessible toolkit showcasing global agroecological carbon farming in action. This indispensable book needs to be put in the hands of all climate-change policy makers, agrarians, and people who eat food, drink water, and breathe air. Mr. Toensmeier’s book is not ground-breaking—it is ground-healing!”--Brock Dolman, director, Permaculture Program and WATER Institute at Occidental Arts and Ecology Center“The Carbon Farming Solution is a book we will look back upon decades from now and wonder why something so critically relevant could have been so overlooked until that time. We are told we have a choice between chemical/GMO agriculture if we want to feed the world, or we can see children starve and adopt organic agriculture as a romantic and sentimental pursuit. Really? Toensmeier describes a future that is in alignment with how life works, a scientific and sophisticated agricultural understanding of husbandry and biology that surpasses the productivity of industrial agriculture. What is phenomenal about these land-use solutions is that they are the only way we can bring carbon back home if we are to reverse climate change. The title is accurate but humble: The Carbon Farming Solution describes the foundation of the future of civilization.”--Paul Hawken, author of Blessed Unrest“Eric Toensmeier presents a convincing argument that carbon farming is crucial to addressing global issues of the 21st century including climate change, food and nutritional insecurity, eutrophication and contamination of water, and dwindling of soil biodiversity. Implemented in a transparent manner and with payments of just and fair price based on the true societal value, carbon farming is also pertinent to alleviating poverty and addressing several Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Carbon farming as a strategy is in accord with the “4 pour 1000” initiative of the French Government presented during the COP-21 Summit in Paris on December 1, 2015 and The Carbon Farming Solution is a befitting tribute to the 2015 International Year of Soils.”--Dr. Rattan Lal, Distinguished University Professor of Soil Science and director of The Carbon Management and Sequestration Center, The Ohio State University; President Elect, International Union of Soil Sciences“The Carbon Farming Solution is a book whose time has come. This detailed documentation of regenerative practices from around the world, including principles and methods, provides a practical guide for others to follow and expand upon as humanity takes on the ‘Great Work of Our Time’—to restore the Earth’s natural systems to ecological health. The Carbon Farming Solution is of enormous importance.”--John D. Liu, founder and director, Environmental Education Media Project (EEMP)“If we seriously put our minds to it, we could easily provide ourselves with enough food, forever; and do so in ecologically sound ways; and at the same time—a huge bonus!—trap enough carbon in the soil to tip the battle against global warming. The methods are those of agroecology—including organic farming in general, and permaculture in particular; and as Eric Toensmeier excellently describes, farmers worldwide are already on the case. So this book offers what governments at present spectacularly do not: hope.”--Colin Tudge, author of Good Food for Everyone Forever and Why Genes Are Not Selfish and People Are Nice“Eric Toensmeier has done a hugely impressive job putting together this magnum opus. It is packed with an enormous amount of information about seven hundred plant species that have a role to play in saving the planet from land degradation and climate change, while at the same time improving the lives of millions of poor farmers, especially in the tropics and sub-tropics. The Carbon Farming Solution covers species for every use and every situation that can be assembled in infinite agroecological combinations. On top of that, the cultivation of these crops can lead to new industries in the production of food, medicines, cosmetics, and materials—creating wealth and employment. This information should be absorbed by everyone engaged in agriculture; everyone concerned about the future of the world and the well-being and health of its people; and everyone interested in protecting biodiversity. Indeed, The Carbon Farming Solution offers a path to a bright new world!”--Professor Roger Leakey, vice chairman of the International Tree Foundation and author of Living with the Trees of Life“Eric Toensmeier is one of North America’s most inventive and scientifically-minded permaculture experimenters. In this book, he offers nothing less than a new vision for world agriculture that is more resilient, supports traditional farmers, and also helps relieve the global climate crisis. The Carbon Farming Solution offers an encyclopedic but also highly readable view of new and old carbon-trapping farming methods that can be applied around the world, and a profile of the highly adaptable, soil-enhancing perennial plant species that may just be the key to a livable human future.”--Brian Tokar, director of the Institute for Social Ecology and author of Toward Climate Justice: Perspectives on the Climate Crisis and Social Change“The Carbon Farming Solution is an excellent reference book that convincingly explains the potential of farming practices based on perennial crops for carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation and adaptation. The numerous photographs and charts included help illustrate the food-security and multi-functionality attributes of agroforestry and other such farming systems. In addition to professionals who work on food security and climate stabilization issues, undergraduate and graduate students of these topics will find the book useful.”--Dr. P. K. Ramachandran Nair, Distinguished Professor in the School of Forest Resources and Conservation, University of Florida“Dealing with climate change requires action on many fronts, and this book is the toolkit for making the soil itself a sponge for carbon. It’s a powerful vision, one that I’ve seen playing out in enough places to make me very hopeful it can presage major changes in our species’ use of the land.”--Bill McKibben, author of Deep Economy“In The Carbon Farming Solution, Eric Toensmeier admirably harnesses available data with traditional wisdom to propose a practical response to climate change. Toensmeier’s solution-oriented ideas combine his clear understanding of ecology, agriculture, and the magnitude of the challenge we face with a set of agriculture-based solutions that are suited to various livelihoods, communities, and systems of production. This book will surely be a benchmark in policy-relevant knowledge.”--Dr. Cheikh Mbow, senior scientist on climate change and development, World Agroforestry Centre

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Book Synopsis“A thorough, lively work of on-the-ground reportage. ... Friedman shares a remarkable story. —Wall Street JournalAcclaimed “chef writer” Andrew Friedman introduces readers to all the people and processes that come together in a single restaurant dish, creating an entertaining, vivid snapshot of the contemporary restaurant community, modern farming industry, and food-supply chain. On a typical evening, in a contemporary American restaurant, a table orders their dinner from a server. It’s an exchange that happens dozens, or hundreds, of times a night—the core transaction that keeps the place churning. In this book, acclaimed chef writer Andrew Friedman slows down time to focus on a single dish at Chicago’s Wherewithall restaurant, following its production and provenances via real-time kitchen and in-the-field reportage, from the moment the order is placed to when the finished dish is delivered to the table.As various components of this one dish are prepared by the kitchen team, Friedman introduces readers to the players responsible for producing it, from the chefs who conceived the dish and manage the kitchen, to the line cooks and sous chefs who carry out the actual cooking, and the dishwashers who keep pace with the dining room.Readers will also meet the producers, farmers, and ranchers, who supply the restaurant, as Friedman visits each stop in the supply chain and profiles the key characters whose expertise and effort play essential roles in making the dish possible—they will walk rows of crops that line Midwestern farms, feel the chill of the cooler where beef dry-ages, harvest grapes at a Michigan winery, ride along with a delivery-truck driver, and hear the immigration sagas prevalent amongst often unseen and unheralded farm and restaurant workers.The Dish is a rollicking ride inside every aspect of a restaurant dish. Both a fascinating window onto our food systems, and a celebration of the unsung heroes of restaurants and the collaborative nature of professional kitchen work, The Dish will ensure that readers never look at any restaurant meal the same way again. Masterful. ... Friedman excels at bringing the dining room to boisterous life with vivid, telling details. ... This will sate gastronomes and casual foodies alike. — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

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Book SynopsisA Book of English Food is an elegant compendium of brilliant recipes adapted from the cookery books of the 1920s and 1930s by Arabella Boxer, with beautiful new illustrations by Cressida Bell.Arabella Boxer''s Book of English Food describes the delicious dishes - and the social conditions in which they were prepared, cooked and eaten - in the short span between the two World Wars when English cooking suddenly blossomed.The food in these wonderful recipes comes from the great country houses, where little had changed since Victorian times, the large houses in London and the South, where fashionable hostesses vied with each other to entertain the most distinguished guests at their tables, and less grand establishments, like those in Bloomsbury where the painters and writers of the day contrived to lead cultured and civilised lives on little money.Containing 200 recipes, drawn from cookery books, magazines of the period, family sourcesTrade ReviewA captivating exploration and celebration of the flowering of English cooking in the 1920s and 30s * Financial Times *A treasury of social gossip . . . immensely enjoyable and useful * Spectator *That rare thing, a cookery book with an argument: viz, that English cookery was once both good and independent of the cuisines of her neighbours . . . a rollicking good read * Observer *A book which celebrates a gastronomy which we would be unwise to forget. It's a rediscovery of British food remembered from before the War * Derek Cooper *I recommend it, not only for its excellent food but also for the superb introductions and details of social history in the great houses with their shimmering hostesses * Evening Standard *

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Book SynopsisHow does food make you feel?If it''s a source of guilt, shame, or punishment, have you ever stopped to ask why?We''ve become so used to the concept of ''good'' and ''bad'' foods that we barely notice the drastic statement we''re making when we say we are a bad person for eating something sweet. In FOOD THERAPY, Pixie Turner presents a new approach to our relationship with food. Instead of focusing on rules, reduction and restriction, this practical book will help you uncover the psychological roots of your eating habits - and introduce you to a new mindset that will free you from a destructive relationship with food. Whether you struggle with disordered eating, body image problems, or feel trapped by diet culture, Pixie''s experience as a registered nutritionist and psychotherapist allows her to guide you through how your feelings affect what you eat. By showing how our eating habits are often an attempt at solving underlying problems, and how to faTrade ReviewEssential reading for your mental and physical health - I am beyond happy that this book finally exists. Anything Pixie Turner touches will make you feel better, and reading this book is like seeing a new therapist. There isn't a human being on this Earth who doesn't need to read this book. The only thing that could make this book better is if I had been able to read it when I was a lot younger -- Sofie Hagen, author of HAPPY FAT and host of WHO HURT YOU

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Book SynopsisIn this book, accompany Sonal Ved on a journey of taste through the various timelines across the Indian subcontinent. We go from the banks of the Indus in 1900 bc to the great kingdoms of the north many centuries later; from the time of the Mauryansto when the Mughal Sultanate reigned supreme. Meet the Europeans merchants desperate to trade in Indian treasures, be it the deep-blue indigo or the pricey pepper.On this trip discover answers to such questions as What are the origins of chutney or of the fruit punch, and how are they connected to India? Who taught us how to make ladi pav and kebabs, and how did the Burmese khow suey land up on the wedding menus of Marwaris?

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Book SynopsisThis is a beautiful study of the rich history of our food, its fads and its fashions to be combined with a practical cookbook of over xxx recipes from the reigns of George III and Queen Victoria

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Book SynopsisNEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLERFrom the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Salt Sugar Fat comes a gripping (The Wall Street Journal) exposé of how the processed food industry exploits our evolutionary instincts, the emotions we associate with food, and legal loopholes in their pursuit of profit over public health. The processed food industry has managed to avoid being lumped in with Big Tobacco-which is why Michael Moss''s new book is so important.-Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of HabitEveryone knows how hard it can be to maintain a healthy diet. But what if some of the decisions we make about what to eat are beyond our control? Is it possible that food is addictive, like drugs or alcohol? And to what extent does the food industry know, or care, about these vulnerabilities? In Hooked, Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative reporter Michael Moss sets out to answer these questions and to find the true perilTrade ReviewExcellent... blends investigative reporting, science and foodie writing to argue that the processed food industry is no different from tobacco companies * New York Times *Chilling ... succeed[s] brilliantly in evidencing the systematic venality of corporate junk food and drink interests * The Guardian *Gripping * Wall Street Journal *Hooked shows how food manufacturers have taken advantage of our habits, our biology, our psychological quirks, and our ignorance to transform foods into addictive substances. He takes us into laboratories and courtrooms, kitchens and legislatures-and shows us how we can win our freedom back * Charles Duhigg, author of The Power of Habit *Michael Moss delivers again with a deep, well-written investigation into food addiction and mass food production. With so many companies competing for our attention, dollars, and stomachs, it's more important than ever to educate ourselves about food and arm ourselves against efforts to get us hooked. This is a very important read for anyone who cares about their health * Sylvia Tara, author of THE SECRET LIFE OF FAT *No one has done more to reveal the intentional and underhanded ways in which food companies manipulate our desires and eating habits than Michael Moss. In Hooked, he shows how these ongoing crimes must be challenged and stopped. A must-read for anyone who cares about food, general well-being, and justice * Mark Bittman, author of ANIMAL, VEGETABLE, JUNK *Hooked is smoothly written, with just the right amount of fascinating scientific detail * NPR *Pulitzer Prize-winning investigative journalist Moss is a powerhouse when it comes to research and analysis, and much like his contemporary Michael Lewis, he possesses the ability to maintain a solid narrative arc ... He explores the often devious and potentially dangerous ways that manufacturers manipulate foods to trigger addictive behavior, spark sense memories of foods from our childhoods, and treat addiction and dependence as a corporate strategy ... Another clear-eyed inquiry into the companies that feed us, hook us, and leave us wanting more * Kirkus Reviews *Moss brings the same keen-eyed, lucid reporting to Hooked, illuminating the science of addiction to show that processed food is a drug ... If knowledge is power, then Hooked provides the facts we need to free ourselves from remaining unwitting conspirators in Big Food's ruse * San Francisco Chronicle *

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Book SynopsisDiscover the fascinating (and sometimes downright odd ) ways that people and nations celebrate...

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Book SynopsisAs the world's most popular beverage, tea has fascinated us, awakened us, motivated us, and calmed us for well over two thousand years.Trade Review"It's this unveiling of both the sordid and sublime elements of tea's evolution that make the book such a fantastically riveting read--one served best with a bottomless cup of your most beloved blend." --Conscious Choice magazine"(…) an engaging and offbeat exploration of the rise of tea around the world." --Tea: A Magazine"Martin uses both anecdotes and practical information to tell the story of tea's route through history." --Fresh Cup magazine

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Book SynopsisIs worldwide famine just around the corner? And do I really have to go vegan?‘A provocative vision.’ Sunday Times In 2017, the number of people going hungry in the world increased, for the first time in a decade. Pesticide-resistant bugs lay waste to crops across the globe, from bananas to potatoes. Food production releases billions of tons of carbon into the world, and it’s only getting worse. The writing is on the wall: our food system must change. But no one can agree on how. With his trademark counterintuition, Anthony Warner reveals that we have the ability to make a world where no one starves. And one where we don’t feel guilty about tucking in.Trade Review‘A provocative vision.’ * Sunday Times *‘This is an important book, and a good one. It’s ambitious and well-researched and timely… Food science can be a dry topic, but Warner manages to make it an entertaining one.’ -- Spectator on The Angry Chef

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Book SynopsisThe newest volume of the eclectic biannual anthology from the Greenhorns, a grassroots network for recruiting, promoting and supporting new American farmersThe New Farmer's Almanac, Vol. V is an antidote to the repeating story of helplessness in the face of climo-politico-econo-corona-chaos. In these pages, dozens of contributing writers and artists report from the seas, the borders, the woods, the fields, and the hives. Farmers, poets, grocers, gardeners, architects, activists, agitatorsall join forces to re-vision the future of food systems and land use. This is our Grand Land Plan.The solutions unfurl before us. First, recovery: farmers and food networks reflect on local resiliency and logistics from the time of COVID-19. Next, resistance: we invite readers to consider arguments for land reform, for the localization of food systems, for policy change in the forest and on the farm, for solidarity and sovereignty. We share reporting on restor

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Book SynopsisThe newest volume of the eclectic biannual anthology from Greenhorns, a grassroots network for recruiting, promoting, and supporting new American farmers.The New Farmer''s Almanac Volume VI: Adjustments and Accommodations seeks to recognize our own collective agency in the face of sizable uncertainties. The morphing climate, ongoing culture of land dispossession, continuing global pandemic, shifting and intensifying weather patterns, and migrations of all speciesspurned by political and environmental upheavalare considered within. There is adaptability in each bloom of algae; tiny particles of inspiration can enliven lives and farm systems; the natural currents and connected sentience of the living earth moves genetic material. Dynamic flux and rapid change remain possible.The power of the forcesthe river, the windare summoned and given thanks, like our ancestors did. Here, we tune to the potential of the commons. Contributors from around the Trade Review"If you are not yet addicted to the New Farmer's Almanacs, this edition will do it. Reading it from a deep familiarity with Maine and New Mexico, I learned and enjoyed alot about those places, among many others. A marvelous collection of poetry, essays, and images, it will inspire the agricultural and ecological activism for which the Greenhorns are known."—Lucy Lippard, author of Undermining: A Wild Ride Through Land Use, Politics, and Art in the Changing West"The New Farmers Almanac offers a much-needed pulse on the reflections and ruminations of land-based people and projects—our challenges, joys, sorrows, and hopes. I always look forward to the Almanac's yearly compilation of art, poetry, and essays from voices old and new. It is heartening to know that there are so many engaged in good, thoughtful, and creative work in the world."—Tao Orion, author of Beyond the War on Invasive Species: A Permaculture Approach to Ecosystem Restoration"I love the Greenhorns and their New Farmer's Almanac. The Almanac is a perennial source of inspiration, featuring diverse perspectives and very eclectic information. I recommend it for anyone involved in or aspiring to agrarian adventures or ecological action."—Sandor Ellix Katz, Fermentation Revivalist and New York Times bestselling author of The Art of Fermentation, Wild Fermentation, and Sandor Katz's Fermentation Journeys"The New Farmer’s Almanac is a revolutionary compendium of the newest and most thoughtful thinking about land and food. Published biennially, this series is essential reading and reference for anyone who shares the idea that food production is due for a shift in power — away from agribusiness and back into the hands of farmers. It is also fascinating lampside reading for anyone who loves poetic literature about the land."—Megan Prelinger, Co-founder of the Prelinger Library and author of Inside the Machine: Art and Invention in the Electronic Age "The New Farmer's Almanac points the way forward by contextualizing the past, celebrating resilience and upholding imagination as a powerful force."—Maine Organic Farmers & Gardeners Association"Perhaps the greatest difference between The New Farmer's Almanac and its predecessors is in its multiplicity. Instead of having one voice dictate the forecast for the year, The New Farmer's Almanac grows organically from the voices of the farmers that contribute to it."—Bangor Daily News"The Greenhorns’ Almanac is a glorious gallimaufry of assembled wisdom and agrarian rejoicing. It harkens back to an era of hand-powered platen presses, handwritten letters, and good conversation. A welcome addition to any farmer's or gardener's mantle, or attractively splayed in a beam of sunlight on a summer porch."—Patrick Kiley, Publication Studio

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Book SynopsisWith cities becoming so vast, so entangled and perhaps so critically unsustainable, there is an urgent need for clarity around the subject of how we feed ourselves as an urban species. Urban food mapping becomes the tool to investigate the spatial relationships, gaps, scales and systems that underlie and generate what, where and how we eat, highlighting current and potential ways to (re)connect with our diet, ourselves and our environments.Richly explored, using over 200 mapping images in 25 selected chapters, this book identifies urban food mapping as a distinct activity and area of research that enables a more nuanced way of understanding the multiple issues facing contemporary urbanism and the manyfold roles food spaces play within it. The authors of this multidisciplinary volume extend their approaches to place making, storytelling, in-depth observation and imagining liveable futures and engagement around food systems, thereby providing a comprehensive picture of our dail

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Book SynopsisThis 3rd edition of Food Policy in the United States offers a timely update to the leading textbook dedicated to all aspects of food policy in the United States.This book begins with the economic interests of farmers and food producers and then moves on to also examine nutrition policy, food justice, food security and the environment. Finding motivation in real-world controversies and debates, chapters cover domestic agriculture, international agricultural trade, food and beverage manufacturing, food retail and restaurants, food safety, dietary guidance, food labelling, advertising and federal food assistance programs for the poor. Building on the success of the second edition, which received the Distinguished Quality of Communication award from the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association (AAEA), this new edition has been revised and updated, offering greater attention both to food justice issues and to economic methods. It covers policy changes since the 2018

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisThis book is an ethnographic work on excess. Based on a decade-long field work of a single food substance â sweets â it follows sweet-making in sweetshops, domestic spaces, fairs, festivals and its representation in recipe books to understand how caste, religion, science and law inform the life of a food item with an extremely short shelf life. It shows how food items of conspicuous consumption find a meaning in everyday lives of people through its socio-cultural meanings - ritual, pride of craftsmanship, heritage and cultural identity. It also shows how sweets continue to be a ubiquitous part of âBengaliâ diet in a geography that has been witness to acute hunger, starvation, food movements and social welfare programmes to ensure food security. A multi-sited ethnography on sweetness in diverse settings and its associated meanings in West Bengal and Bangladesh, this book explores everyday workplace hierarchies between artisans reveal how caste and religion inform the choice of who is hired into this line of work. It also highlights how discourses on food safety and the overpowering presence of World Trade Organisation has affected the life of the Bengali mishti.The volume will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of ethnography, sociology, history, and South Asian studies. And if you, dear reader, love mishti, you will love this, too!

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Book SynopsisThis book examines the history, archaeology, and anthropology of Mexican taste. Contributors analyze how the contemporary identity of Mexican food has been created and formed through concepts of taste, and how this national identity is adapted and moulded through change and migration.wing on case studies with a focus on Mexico, but also including Israel and the United States, the contributors examine how local and national identities, the global market of gastronomic tourism, and historic transformations in trade, production, the kitchen space and appliances shape the taste of Mexican food and drink. Chapters include an exploration of the popularity of Mexican beer in the United States by Jeffrey M. Pilcher, an examination of the experience of eating chapulines in Oaxaca by Paulette Schuster and Jeffrey H. Cohen, an investigation into transformations of contemporary Yucatecan gastronomy by Steffan Igor Ayora-Diaz, and an afterword from Richard Wilk. Together, the contributors demonstTrade ReviewThis ambitious volume brings together an international group of scholars to explore cultural and historical factors that have shaped both the taste of Mexican foods, as well as Mexicans' tastes. * Heather Paxson, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA *This is an original work that makes a significant contribution to the discussion on taste and its cultural and political construction. * Rachel Black, Connecticut College, USA *A welcome addition to an engaging and timely topic. Its interdisciplinary approach has the potential to extend and build upon existing scholarship in thoughtful and critical ways. * Emma-Jayne, University of Wales Trinity Saint David, USA *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction: The Politics of Taste and Identity Matters of Taste. The Politics of Food and Identity in Mexican Cuisines Steffan Igor Ayora-Diaz Section I. Tasting the Past in Mexican Foods 1. A Touch of Pre-Colombian Maya Flavor Lilia Fernández-Souza 2. Gastronomy and the Origins of Republicanism in Mexico Sarah Bak-Geller Corona 3. Alcohol Consumption Patterns among Different Social Groups during Yucatan’s Gilded Age Héctor Hernández Álvarez and Guadalupe Cámara Gutiérrez 4. The Flavors of Corn: A Unique Combination of Tradition and Nature Mario Fernández-Zarza and Ignacio López Moreno Section II. The Identity and Politics of Mexican Foods – And the Politics of Identity 5. A Taste for Agave: The Emerging Practices and Politics of Mezcal Connoisseurship Ronda Brulotte 6. Making and Changing Yucatecan Taste in Yucatán: Innovation and Persistence in Yucatecan Gastronomy Steffan Igor Ayora-Diaz 7. The Life Delicious: Taste and Politics in Merida, Yucatan Gabriela Vargas-Cetina 8. To Eat Chapulines in Oaxaca, Mexico: One Food, Many Flavors Jeffrey H. Cohen and Paulette Schuster Section III. Taste and Displacement. Mexican Food in the World of Consumption 9. The Taste of Oaxaca: It’s to Die for! Ramona L. Pérez 10. Dos Equis and Five Rabitt: Beer and Taste in Greater Mexico Jeffrey M. Pilcher 11. Diffused Palates: The Evolution of Culinary Tastes of Jewish Mexicans Living in Israel Paulette Schuster 12. Defining Sanitized Taste and Culinary Tourism in Cozumel, Mexico Christine Vassallo-Oby Postface Is there Mexican food? Taste and the Politics of Cultural Identity Richard Wilk Index

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Book SynopsisThe first detailed A-Z of herbs, and their medicinal, magical and culinary properties. All three areas of study, in one book.

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Book SynopsisThe quiet revolution of mega-farming that is threatening our countryside, farms and food.This eye-opening book . . . deserves global recognition' Hugh Fearnley-WhittingstallDevastating . . . demands reading and deserves the widest possible audience' Joanna LumleyHe is informed enough to be appalled, and moderate enough to persuade us to take responsibility for the system that feeds us' Guardian: Book of the WeekFarm animals have been disappearing from our fields as the production of food has become a global industry. We no longer know for certain what is entering the food chain and what we are eating. We are reaching a tipping point as the farming revolution threatens our countryside, health and the quality of our food wherever we live in the world.From the antibiotics routinely given to industrially farmed animals to the chemicals that are killing our insect populations, Farmageddon is a fascinating and terrifying investigative journey behiTrade ReviewLymbery brings to this essential subject the perspective of a seasoned campaigner – he is informed enough to be appalled, and moderate enough to persuade us to take responsibility for the system that feeds us * Guardian: Book of the Week *This meaty account makes a distinctive and important contribution, eschewing the narrowly domestic focus of many of its predecessors in favour of a global investigation ... An engaging read - and it also gives a full enough picture of the situation in the UK to preclude any smugness on the part of the British reader. Anyone after a realistic account of our global food chain, and the changes necessary for a sustainable future, will find much to get their teeth into here -- Felicity Cloake * New Statesman *There’s no end to techno-idiocy in pursuit of profit. But far more concerning is Lymbery’s contention that the wastefulness of feeding human-edible plants and fish to animals is not just absurd but catastrophic. The main reason for hacking down the remaining South American forest is to grow soy to feed the pigs and chickens of China * Evening Standard *Heartbreaking * Irish Times *This eye-opening book, urging a massive rethink of how we raise livestock and how we feed the world, deserves global recognition -- Hugh Fearnley-WhittingstallA devastating indictment of cheap meat and factory farming. Don’t turn away: it demands reading and deserves the widest possible audience * Joanna Lumley *This incredibly important book should be read by anyone who cares about people, the planet, and particularly, animals -- Jilly CooperOffers the kind of realistic and compassionate solutions on which our prospects for a truly sustainable world depend -- Jonathon Porritt

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Book SynopsisJust as the Canada's rich past resists any singular narrative, there is no such thing as a singular Canadian food tradition. This new book explores Canada's diverse food cultures and the varied relationships that Canadians have had historically with food practices in the context of community, region, nation and beyond.Based on findings from menus, cookbooks, government documents, advertisements, media sources, oral histories, memoirs, and archival collections, Edible Histories offers a veritable feast of original research on Canada's food history and its relationship to culture and politics. This exciting collection explores a wide variety of topics, including urban restaurant culture, ethnic cuisines, and the controversial history of margarine in Canada. It also covers a broad time-span, from early contact between European settlers and First Nations through the end of the twentieth century.Edible Histories intertwines information of Canada's 'foodwaysTrade Review'I can think of no comparable work in any national historiography comprising such a broad range of cutting-edge research in the field of food studies... The editors have done a splendid job.' -- Jeffrey M. Pilcher Labour/Le Travail vol 73:2014 'Impressive collection of papers... Edible Histories, Cultural Politics provides remarkable, insightful, and eminently readable servings for students, academics, and interested general readers.' -- Gillian Crowther Canadian Historical Review, vol 95:01:2014Table of ContentsTable of Contents Preface Introduction I Cultural Exchanges and Cuisines in the Contact Zone 1. 'Fit for the table of the most fastidious epicure': Culinary Colonialism in the Upper Canadian Contact Zone 2. 'The snipe were good and the wine not bad': Enabling Public Life for Privileged Men 3. The Role of Food in Canadian Expressions of Christianity II Regional Food Identities and Traditions 4. Pine-clad hills and spindrift swirl: The Character, Persistence, and Significance of Rural Newfoundland Foodways 5. Stocking the Root Cellar: Foodscapes in the Peace River Region 6. Rational Meals for the Traditional Family: Nutrition in Quebec School Manuals, 1900-1960 III Foodways and Memories in Ethnic and Racial Communities 7. 'We Didn't Have A Lot of Money, But We Had Food': Ukrainians and Their Depression-Era Food Memories 8. Feeding the Dead: The Ukrainian Food Colossi of the Canadian Prairies 9. Toronto's Multicultured Tongues: Stories of South Asian Cuisines IV Gendering Food in Cookbooks and Family Spaces 10. More than 'just' Recipes: Mennonite Cookbooks in Mid-twentieth Century North America 11. Gefilte Fish and Roast Duck with Orange Slices: A Treasure for my Daughter and the Creation of a Jewish Cultural Orthodoxy in Postwar Montreal 12. 'Tutti a Tavola!' Feeding the Family in Two Generations of Italian Immigrant Households in Montreal V Single Food Commodities, Markets, and Cultural Debates 13. John Bull and Sons: The Empire Marketing Board and the Creation of a British Imperial Food System 14. Spreading Controversy: The Story of Margarine in Quebec VI Protests, Mindful Eating, and the Politics of Food 15. The Politics of Milk: Canadian Housewives Organize in the 1930s 16. 'Less Inefficiency, More Milk': The Politics of Food and the Culture of the English-Canadian University, 1900-1950 17. The Granola High: Eating Differently in the 1960s and 1970s 18. 'Meat Stinks/Eat Beef Dyke!': Coming out as a Vegetarian in the Prairies VII National Identities and Cultural Spectacles 19. Nationalism on the Menu: Three Banquets on the 1939 Royal Tour 20. Food Acts and Cultural Politics: Women and the Gendered Dialectics of Culinary Pluralism at the International Institute of Toronto, 1950s-1960s VIII Marketing and Imposing Nutritional Standards 21. Vim, Vigour and Vitality: 'Power' Foods for Kids in Canadian Popular Magazines, 1914-1954 22. Making and Breaking Canada's Food Rules: Science, the State, and the Government of Nutrition, 1942-1949 23. 'A National Priority': Nutrition Canada's Survey and the Disciplining of Aboriginal Bodies, 1964-75

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Book SynopsisDinah Lenney is a member of the core faculty of the Bennington Writing Seminars, and the author or editor of four books, including The Object Parade (2014). Her essays and reviews have been published in the Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, and The Washington Post among other publications.Trade ReviewLenney’s book, part of the publisher’s Object Lessons series about the ‘hidden lives of ordinary things,’ is a fluid, involving memoir of her experience of coffee, a pleasurable tour of her memories, reflections, and research on the topic … The result is a winning combination of enthusiasm and naïveté, which allows the reader to explore recent research about coffee and its physiological effects, the more esoteric corners of coffee connoisseurship and fandom, and the cultural attitudes to coffee shown by her friends and family without ever feeling lectured ... This deft memoir-cum-meditation is as savory and stimulating as its subject. * Los Angeles Review of Books *Where Lenney really shines… is in her ability to interweave environmental, sociopolitical, and cultural concerns with reflections on time, womanhood, and family. Her lyrical prose is as invigorating as a strong jolt of caffeine. * Alta *True to its subject, this book is a real stimulant: the prose is caffeinated, zany yet serene and habit-forming. Chock full of odd facts, poignant autobiographical vignettes, comic touches, and wistful philosophical insights, it is a delicious brew, all in all, and as fine and accomplished an example of that contemporary form, the extended mosaic essay, as we are likely to encounter. * Phillip Lopate, author of To Show and To Tell: The Craft of Literary Nonfiction (2013) *If there's ever been a more perfect pairing of author and subject matter, I can't recall it. Dinah Lenney was meant to write this book. I could say this is not just a book about coffee, but we knew that already. So what I will say is that it's about all that coffee represents; being awake, being cozy, being able to savor what's in your cup as well as what's in your life. Lenney's mastery of these lessons comes from her mastery of the fleeting moment, the quiet revelation, the unlikely holiness of even the most ordinary objects and everyday rituals. She's more than an observer of the world in her midst, she's a precise and careful excavator of the ground beneath her feet. How lucky we are to dig alongside her. * Meghan Daum, author of The Unspeakable: And Other Subjects of Discussion (2014) and The Problem With Everything: My Journey Through the New Culture Wars (2019) *An expert brew of research, memoir, and introspection, this lovely and satisfying book delivers many pleasures also found in a perfect cup of espresso. Reading Dinah Lenney, one's brain and heart feel quickened. Lenney's writing throughout is moving, intimate, eager, graceful, discerning, tender. The generosity of her self-examining candor and the warmth with which she admits us into her life play off beautifully against her natural reporter's curiosity. And happily, the salutary effects of Lenney's excellent prose last much longer than the buzz of mere caffeine. * Amy Gerstler, author of Scattered at Sea (2015) *Dinah Lenney is a treasure. The acuity of her eye, the precision of her voice: Reading Coffee is like savoring the notes, the nuances, of a finely brewed cup. Energizing and engaging, full of deft and unexpected narrative turns, this book reminds us of the depths inherent in the simplest pleasures, as well as the ongoing relationships and daily interactions that add up to a life. * David L. Ulin, author of Sidewalking: Coming to Terms with Los Angeles (2015) *Reading Dinah Lenney's frenetic ditty on coffee mimics the thing itself: one tries to quit it, but can't; one tries to put it down, only to pick it up again for stimulus, for agitation, for one more lasting epiphany! * Mark Yakich, Gregory F. Curtin, S.J., Distinguished Professor of English at Loyola University New Orleans, USA, and author of Poetry: A Survivor’s Guide (Bloomsbury, 2015) and Spiritual Exercises (2019) *Table of ContentsPrologue 1. The Impossibility of the Task 2. My Mother Is Coming, My Mother Is Coming The Questionnaire 3. Coffee-Milk From the Coffee Diaries #1 4. My Emerging Palate A Coffee Story (Third-Hand) 5. What We Talk About When We Talk About Coffee (Teresa Was Right) 6. Coffee in Brooklyn 7. Twenty-Two Hands... A Coffee Story (First-Hand) Rules Shmules (Just a Few, in No Particular Order) These Things About Coffee Are True From the Coffee Diaries #2 8. Serious Business 9. Shouldn’t Coffee Taste Like Coffee? (If You Say So) 10. Coffee in Paris 11. Extending the Metaphor 12. All the Things You Are 13. The Power of Suggestion 14. One More Prompt 15. Am I Blue From the Coffee Diaries #3 16. A Word About Tea A Riddle (Excellent Advertising) From the Coffee Diaries #4 17. Reunion Coffee and My Father From the Coffee Diaries #5 From the Coffee Diaries #6 18. Coffee and Catastrophe From the Coffee Diaries #7 19. Coffee in Echo Park 20. Coffee and the Jews Coffee and Dad 21. The Widow 22. Altered States From the Coffee Diaries #8 From the Coffee Diaries #9 From the Coffee Diaries #10 Epilogue Acknowledgements My Coffee Book Fort (Further Reading) Index

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Book SynopsisObject Lessons is a series of short, beautifully designed books about the hidden lives of ordinary things.While wine drunk millennia ago was the humble beverage of the people, today the drink is inextricable with power, sophistication, and often wealth. Bottles sell for half a million dollars. Point systems tell us which wines are considered the best. Wine professionals give us the language to describe what we taste.Agricultural product and cultural commodity, drink of ritual and drink of addiction, purveyor of pleasure, pain, and memory - wine has never been contained in a single glass. Drawing from science, religion, literature, and memoir, Wine meditates on the power structures bound up with making and drinking this ancient, intoxicating beverage.Object Lessons is published in partnership with an essay series in The Atlantic.Trade ReviewA beautifully written, soulful narrative that goes straight into the heart and soul of the complexities, joys, and wisdom of wine. * Alice Feiring, author of To Fall in Love, Drink This: A Wine Writer's Memoir *Meg Bernhard’s Wine is a beautiful gem of a book, thankfully free of what we find in so much wine writing. This wine book is anything but typical. Bernhard covers a lot of ground in a short number of pages with her unique mix of memoir, travel writing, natural history, sensory science, and reporting on the social issues surrounding wine. But the beating heart of this book is Bernhard’s experiences working at Spanish wineries and in the vineyards of Castilla-La Mancha and Catalonia, which she memorably brings to life. * Jason Wilson, author of Godforsaken Grapes and creator of the newsletter “Everyday Drinking” *Table of ContentsPreface 1. Winter 2. Spring 3. Summer 4. Fall Epilogue Acknowledgements Works Consulted Glossary Works Cited Index

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Book SynopsisIndia imposes stringent criminal penalties, including life imprisonment in some states, for cow slaughter, based on a Hindu ethic of revering the cow as sacred. And yet India is among the world's leading producers of beef, leather, and milk, industries sustained by the mass slaughter of bovines. What is behind this seeming contradiction? What do bovines, deemed holy in Hinduism, experience in the Indian milk and beef industries? Yamini Narayanan asks and answers these questions, introducing cows and buffaloes as key subjects in India's cow protectionism, rather than their treatment hitherto as mere objects of political analysis. Emphasizing human–animal hierarchical relations, Narayanan argues that the Hindu framing of the cow as "mother" is one of human domination, wherein bovine motherhood is simultaneously capitalized for dairy production and weaponized by right-wing Hindu nationalists to violently oppress Muslims and Dalits. Using ethnographic and empirical data gathered across India, this book reveals the harms caused to buffaloes, cows, bulls, and calves in dairying, and the exploitation required of the diverse, racialized labor throughout India's dairy production continuum to obscure such violence. Ultimately, Narayanan traces how the unraveling of human domination and exploitation of farmed animals is integral to progressive multispecies democratic politics, speculating on the real possibility of a post-dairy society, based on vegan agricultural policies for livelihoods and food security.Trade Review"A thoroughly researched and highly innovative scholarship at the frontier of new political developments and Anthropocenic challenges. This book will push you to think about those dimensions usually clouded by refracting syllables. The Brahminical nationalist assumptions of dairy as strength and hominid centrism of the globe have received a thorough challenge by Narayanan. Much awaited credit is honored to fellow nonhuman animals who have participated in nation-building by sweat, blood, milk, skin, flesh, and soul for the believers. A successful project that manages to deliver the message with aplomb and sincerity. Narayanan has delivered a timely call to action."—Suraj Yengde, author of Caste Matters"Yamini Narayanan' Mother Cow, Mother India addresses the unsettling questions we have needed, but failed, to ask about connections among race, gender, religion, caste, and species, never losing sight of all the individuals involved. Her devastating critique of the Indian invocation of cow as "mother" exposes how, in the interests of nationalism and capitalism, the idea of mother, like the cow herself, is being continually exploited. Every gift a scholar needs to bring to such demanding and incisive work—compassion, courage, persistence, exhaustive research, and political acumen—Narayanan brings to this amazing and compelling book."—Carol J. Adams, author of The Sexual Politics of Meat"Mother Cow, Mother India is a highly sophisticated and empathetically engaged analysis of the cows, buffaloes, and their calves at the heart of India's cow protection politics. Narayanan skillfully elicits in the reader a deep sensitivity to the animals' whose lives, experiences, and deaths are caught up in the dairy and beef industries within a fraught landscape of human politics and violence. This work is nothing short of groundbreaking. It is truly the first of its kind – a great gift to the worlds of both animal studies and South Asia studies, not to mention the global animal advocacy movement."—Kathryn Gillespie, author of The Cow with Ear Tag #1389"Yamini Narayanan's exposé of the cruelty entrenched within the industrialised capitalist Indian dairy animal-agriculture system and how it is advanced and supported by Hindutva bovine politics is commendable."—Sagari R. Ramdas, The Wire"These analyses underscore the centrality of caste and communal politics to meat-eating practices in India, even while seeking to argue that there are other historical, political and socioeconomic factors involved."—Kaashif Hajee, The CaravanTable of Contents0. Introduction 1. Dairy Politics and India's Milk Nationalisms 2. Breeding Bovine Caste 3. Milking 4. Gaushalas: Making India "Pure" Again 5. "Save Cow, Save India" 6. Trafficking 7. Slaughter 8. Envisioning Post-Dairy Futures

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Book SynopsisChocolate has long been a favorite indulgence. But behind every chocolate bar we unwrap, there is a world of power struggles and political maneuvering over its most important ingredient: cocoa. In this incisive book, Kristy Leissle reveals how cocoa, which brings pleasure and wealth to relatively few, depends upon an extensive global trade system that exploits the labor of five million growers, as well as countless other workers and vulnerable groups. The reality of this dramatic inequity, she explains, is often masked by the social, cultural, emotional, and economic values humans have placed upon cocoa from its earliest cultivation in Mesoamerica to the present day. Tracing the cocoa value chain from farms in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, through to chocolate factories in Europe and North America, Leissle shows how cocoa has been used as a political tool to wield power over others. Cocoa's politicization is not, however, limitless: it happens within botanical parameters set by the crop itself, and the material reality of its transport, storage, and manufacture into chocolate. As calls for justice in the industry have grown louder, Leissle reveals the possibilities for and constraints upon realizing a truly sustainable and fulfilling livelihood for cocoa growers, and for keeping the world full of chocolate.Trade Review"In this fascinating analysis, Kristy Leissle explores the rich history of the global cocoa sector and the changing dynamics of the chocolate confectionery industry. It will be an essential resource for anyone wanting to promote a more sustainable future for cocoa."—Stephanie Barrientos, University of Manchester "Kristy Leissle's book offers an insightful critique of power relations in the world of cocoa. Addressing issues that are often not known or misunderstood in the public arena, this clear and compelling text is a must-read for students, scholars and activists."—Amanda Berlan, De Montfort University "A concise analysis of the inequalities that pervade an industry of 5m growers, spread across the tropics."—Financial Times "You will never look at chocolate in the same way again."—GeographicalTable of ContentsContents Abbreviations Figures and Tables Acknowledgments 1 Introduction 2 World Cocoa Map 3 Stages of Sweet 4 Power in the Market 5 Economics on the Ground 6 Trade Justice 7 Governing Quality 8 Sustainable Futures Notes Selected Readings Index

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Book SynopsisLONGLISTED FOR THE ANDRÉ SIMON AWARD 2021 'Truffle Hound, like a truffle, charms by seducing us' Mark Kurlansky A captivating exploration into the secretive and sensuous world of truffles, the elusive food that has captured hearts, imaginations, and palates worldwide. The scent of one freshly unearthed white truffle in Barolo was all it took to lead Rowan Jacobsen down a rabbit hole into a world of secretive hunts, misty woods, black-market deals, obsessive chefs, quixotic scientists, muddy dogs, maddening smells, and some of the most memorable meals ever created. Truffles attract dreamers, schemers, and sensualists. People spend years training dogs to find them underground. They plant forests of oaks and wait a decade for truffles to appear. They pay £2,170 a pound to possess them. They turn into quivering puddles in their presence. Why? Truffle Hound is the fascinating account of Rowan's quest to find out, a journey that would lead him from Italy to Istria, Hungary, Spain, England, and North America. Both an entertaining odyssey and a manifesto, Truffle Hound demystifies truffles—and then remystifies them, freeing them from their gilded cage and returning them to their roots as a sacred offering from the forest. It helps people understand why they respond so strongly to that crazy smell, shows them there’s more to truffles than they ever imagined, and gives them all the tools they need to take their own truffle love to the next level. Deeply informed, unabashedly passionate, rakishly readable, Truffle Hound will spark Britain’s next great culinary passion.Trade Review[A] pacy travelogue-cum-foodie manual * Spectator *With a dose of romanticism that inevitably comes with truffles, Jacobsen teaches even this jaded truffle-hunter a thing or two. It is less a book about food than an incitement to passion. * John Wright, author of The Forager's Calendar *Rowan Jacobsen’s Truffle Hound, like a truffle, charms by seducing us—with the odd people he calls “post-modern hunter gatherers," and, best of all, the irresistible professional truffle-hunting poodles. He presents a world well worth the visit -- Mark Kurlansky[H]ere are the Winesap, the Pound Sweet, the Maiden’s Blush and Black Twig, rendered in a vivid prose rarely seen outside of the wine list . . . For anyone who’s willing to get swept up in the grand romance of food, this handsome volume will make for seductive reading. * Morning Edition, NPR, on APPLES OF UNCOMMON CHARACTER *One of the most remarkable single-subject books to come along in a while . . . Jacobsen covers oysters in exhaustive detail, but with writing so engaging and sprightly that reading about the briny darlings is almost as compulsive as eating them . . . There may be no more pleasurable food than a raw oyster, there almost certainly is no better guide. * Los Angeles Times on A GEOGRAPHY OF OYSTERS *Written in an accessible style by a hard-core ostreaphile, A Geography of Oysters is a fun read, inviting you to join Jacobsen on his quest for an oyster-rich life. Yes, please! * Washington Post on A GEOGRAPHY OF OYSTERS *I always love a truffle book—and this one is a terrific addition to the oeuvre—but what is special about Truffle Hound is its investigation of many truffles from many places. For all those who think of truffles in binary terms, as in T. melanosporum (black truffles) and T. magnatum (white truffles), Truffle Hound will be a revelation * Eugenia Bone, author of Mycophilia and contributor to Fantastic Fungi (the film and the book) *You don’t have to be a foodie, a forester or a mycologist to enjoy Truffle Hound, it’s that yummy * Buzz Mag *

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Book SynopsisThis collection presents critical and action-oriented approaches to addressing food systems challenges across places, spaces, and scales. With global case studies, it explores the interconnections between the social and ecological dynamics of food systems, exploring efforts to co-construct more equitable and sustainable food systems for all.

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Book Synopsis'A galloping journey through thousands of years of Chinese culinary history . . . a timely reminder that the country's modern cuisine is the delicious fruit of a rich, ancient and perhaps surprisingly multicultural tradition' FUCHSIA DUNLOP, SPECTATOR'A tasty portrait of a nation' SUNDAY TELEGRAPH'A splendid introduction to the complex history of China' GUARDIAN'A terrific read . . . Jonathan Clements writes with erudition and humour' DAILY MAIL'This book is itself a feast, each chapter a sumptuous course'Frederik L. Schodt, author of My Heart Sutra'Witty and insightful' Derek Sandhaus, author of Drunk in China****************The history of China - not according to emperors or battles, but according to its food and drink.The Emperor's Feast is the epic story of a nation and a people, told through one of its most fundamental pillars and successful exports: food. Following the journeys of different ingredients, dishes and eating habits over 5,000 years of history, author and presenter Jonathan Clements examines how China's political, cultural and technological evolution and her remarkable entrance onto the world stage have impacted how the Chinese - and the rest of the world - eat, drink and cook.We see the influence of invaders such as the Mongols and the Manchus, and discover how food - like the fiery cuisine of Sichuan or the hardy dishes of the north - often became a stand-in for regional and national identities. We also follow Chinese flavours to the shores of Europe and America, where enterprising chefs and home cooks created new traditions and dishes unheard of in the homeland.From dim sum to mooncakes to General Tso's chicken, The Emperor's Feast shows us that the story of Chinese food is ultimately the story of a nation: not just the one that history tells us, but also the one that China tells us about itself.

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Book SynopsisOne of The Times Books of the Year 2020Shortlisted for The Fortnum & Mason Food & Drink Awards 2021, Debut Food Book_____________'Fascinating and entertaining - a pleasure to read.' Claudia RodenHave you ever stopped to wonder how our most beloved foods came to be the way they are now? As a nation of food-lovers we have been munching on fruit and veg, drinking tea and coffee and adorning our dishes with oils and spices for generations, but how did this happen? What is the history of our favourite foodstuffs?In this series of enlightening and highly entertaining essays, award-winning food writer Mark Riddaway travels back through the centuries to tell the fascinating, surprising and often downright bizarre stories of some of the everyday ingredients found at London's Borough Market.Discover how the strawberries we eat today had their roots in a clandestine trip to South America by a French spy whose surname happened to be Strawberry, why three-quarters of Britain's late-18th-century intake of tea was sold on the black market, and what Sigmund Freud found so fascinating about eel genitalia.From the humble apples and onions that we've grown on these shores for centuries, to more exotic ingredients like cinnamon and bananas that travel from across the world to finesse our food, Borough Market: Edible Histories offers a chance to digest the charming stories behind every last morsel.Trade ReviewThe story of Borough Market mirrors the British food revolution. This book tells that story; deliciously, ingredient by ingredient. -- William SitwellThis is the perfect book for those moments when you find yourself in the kitchen wondering about how a particular ingredient found its way into our everyday culinary lives. It's as enticing as Borough Market always is, as witty as Mark Riddaway always is, and packed with the kind of knowledge I love. -- Angela CluttonFascinating and entertaining - a pleasure to read. -- Claudia RodenIt's so important that Borough and the food community are supported, and what better way of spreading the word than through the stories and histories of a most historic market that has become a unique beacon of good things. -- Jeremy LeeThis book is for lovers of food and markets and history. It's also a book that everyone who eats should read. It is fascinating, informative and entertaining. Mark Riddaway effortlessly guides us though Borough, telling the story of the market and its produce with ease and grace. -- Kay Plunkett-HoggeMark Riddaway's Edible Histories is thoroughly researched and engagingly written and belongs on the shelf of anyone interested in food history. Even if you are not interested, this is the book that will get you started. -- Mark Kurlansky

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Book SynopsisThe tomato gets no respect. Never has. Lost in the dustbin of history for centuries, accused of being vile and poisonous, subjected to being picked hard-green and gassed, even used as a projectile, the poor tomato has become the avatar for our disaffection with industrial foods - while becoming the most popular vegetable in America (and, in fact, the world). Each summer, tomato festivals crop up across the country; the Heinz ketchup bottle, instantly recognizable, has earned a spot in the Smithsonian; and now the tomato is redefining the very nature of farming, moving from fields into climate-controlled mega-greenhouses the size of New England villages. Supported by meticulous research and told in a lively, accessible voice, Ten Tomatoes That Changed the World seamlessly weaves travel, history, humor, and a little adventure (and misadventure) to follow the tomato's trail through history. A fascinating story complete with heroes, con artists, conquistadors, and-no surprise-the Mafia, this book is a mouth-watering, informative, and entertaining guide to the food that has captured our hearts for generations.

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Book SynopsisWinner, 2019 IACP Award for Best Book of the Year in Food MattersNamed one of the Best Food Books of the Year by The New Yorker, Smithsonian, The Boston Globe, The Guardian, and moreMAD Dispatches: Furthering Our Ideas About Food Good food is the common ground shared by all of us, and immigration is fundamental to good food. In nineteen thoughtful and engaging essays and stories, You and I Eat the Same explores the ways in which cooking and eating connect us across cultural and political borders, making the case that we should think about cuisine as a collective human effort in which we all benefit from the movement of people, ingredients, and ideas. An awful lot of attention is paid to the differences and distinctions between us, especially when it comes to food. But the truth is that food is that rare thing that connects all people, slipping past real and imaginary barriers to unify humanity through deliciousness. Don’t believe it? Read on to discover more about the subtle (and not so subtle) bonds created by the ways we eat. Everybody Wraps Meat in Flatbread: From tacos to dosas to pancakes, bundling meat in an edible wrapper is a global practice. Much Depends on How You Hold Your Fork: A visit with cultural historian Margaret Visser reveals that there are more similarities between cannibalism and haute cuisine than you might think. Fried Chicken Is Common Ground: We all share the pleasure of eating crunchy fried birds. Shouldn’t we share the implications as well? If It Does Well Here, It Belongs Here: Chef René Redzepi champions the culinary value of leaving your comfort zone. There Is No Such Thing as a Nonethnic Restaurant: Exploring the American fascination with “ethnic” restaurants (and whether a nonethnic cuisine even exists). Coffee Saves Lives: Arthur Karuletwa recounts the remarkable path he took from Rwanda to Seattle and back again.Trade Review“These essays—by an all-star lineup of writers . . . are concrete and eye-opening, touching on how food affects (and is affected by) migration, immigration, war, flight, history, and home.” —The New Yorker, The Best Food Books of 2018“You and I Eat the Same . . . will engross you, open up your mind, and inspire a feeling of interconnectedness.”—Bon Appétit “An impressive collection of essays and stories about how food connects people across political lines and cultural borders. . . . René Redzepi penned the foreword, and . . . promotes the idea of venturing outside one’s culinary comfort zone. Hear, hear!”—Smithsonian, The Ten Best Books About Food of 2018 “Each one of its stories [shed] light on the ways food can establish common ground. . . . A gentle manifesto. Buy it for anyone for whom food means more than ‘what’s for lunch.’ ”—The Guardian, The 20 Best Food Books of 2018 “A welcome message.”—Boston Globe, The Best Cookbooks of 2018 “This collection of 18 thought-provoking essays and stories . . . demonstrates how food and cooking connect communities and the power of immigration in a global food community. It’s a lovely way to discover how international the love of fried chicken really is, and the value in getting out of your comfort zone.”—Plate, The Year’s Best Books About Food and Restaurants “A laser-accurate shot of urgency. . . . Ying stitches together a memorable anthology of stories and essays with the goal of delivering a simple message: Humanity is on top of its game when it’s inclusive, and exhibit A is our culinary history.”—Austin Chronicle “Explore[s] the ways in which immigration is key to creating good food. It argues that cuisine is a shared global, collective human endeavor enhanced by the sharing of ideas, people, and ingredients. Food is essential in bringing us together.”—Epicurious “This book looks to food to connect and heal us.”—NewWorlder.com, Essential Reading “This incredible collection of stories, research, and ideas proves that food touches everything . . . and had me reaching for my notebook to write down all the aha moments about the power of food to change the world.”—José Andrés “This collection of essays and reflections reminds us that what we eat and how is not only an expression of our identity, but it can also constitute a link to connect to other people and cultures.”—Fabio Parasecoli, professor of food studies at NYU“These essays—by an all-star lineup of writers . . . are concrete and eye-opening, touching on how food affects (and is affected by) migration, immigration, war, flight, history, and home.” —The New Yorker, The Best Food Books of 2018“You and I Eat the Same . . . will engross you, open up your mind, and inspire a feeling of interconnectedness.”—Bon Appétit “An impressive collection of essays and stories about how food connects people across political lines and cultural borders. . . . René Redzepi penned the foreword, and . . . promotes the idea of venturing outside one’s culinary comfort zone. Hear, hear!”—Smithsonian, The Ten Best Books About Food of 2018 “Each one of its stories [shed] light on the ways food can establish common ground. . . . A gentle manifesto. Buy it for anyone for whom food means more than ‘what’s for lunch.’ ”—The Guardian, The 20 Best Food Books of 2018 “A welcome message.”—Boston Globe, The Best Cookbooks of 2018 “This collection of 18 thought-provoking essays and stories . . . demonstrates how food and cooking connect communities and the power of immigration in a global food community. It’s a lovely way to discover how international the love of fried chicken really is, and the value in getting out of your comfort zone.”—Plate, The Year’s Best Books About Food and Restaurants “A laser-accurate shot of urgency. . . . Ying stitches together a memorable anthology of stories and essays with the goal of delivering a simple message: Humanity is on top of its game when it’s inclusive, and exhibit A is our culinary history.”—Austin Chronicle “Explore[s] the ways in which immigration is key to creating good food. It argues that cuisine is a shared global, collective human endeavor enhanced by the sharing of ideas, people, and ingredients. Food is essential in bringing us together.”—Epicurious “This book looks to food to connect and heal us.”—NewWorlder.com, Essential Reading “This incredible collection of stories, research, and ideas proves that food touches everything . . . and had me reaching for my notebook to write down all the aha moments about the power of food to change the world.”—José Andrés “This collection of essays and reflections reminds us that what we eat and how is not only an expression of our identity, but it can also constitute a link to connect to other people and cultures.”—Fabio Parasecoli, professor of food studies at NYU

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Book SynopsisWhether you keep a single milk cow or care for a large herd, you’ll benefit from this comprehensive guide to calving. With expert advice gained from decades of hands-on experience, Heather Smith Thomas shows you how to effectively handle a variety of common situations likely to arrive before, during, and after calving. From spotting pregnancy issues and monitoring routine births to easing difficult deliveries and treating postpartum complications, you’ll gain the knowledge and confidence to safely handle a wide variety of calving procedures.

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Book SynopsisIn his insightful book, Holy Shit: Managing Manure to Save Mankind, contrary farmer Gene Logsdon provides the inside story of manure — our greatest, yet most misunderstood, natural resource. He begins by lamenting a modern society that not only throws away both animal and human manure, worth billions of dollars in fertilizer value, but that spends a staggering amount of money to do so. This wastefulness makes even less sense as the supply of mined or chemically synthesized fertilizers dwindles and their cost skyrockets. In fact, he argues, if we do not learn how to turn our manures into fertilizer to keep food production in line with the increasing population, our civilization, like so many that went before it, will inevitably decline. With his trademark humor, years of experience writing about both farming and waste management, and uncanny eye for the small but important details, Logsdon artfully describes how to manage farm manure, pet manure and human manure to make fertilizer and humus. He covers the field, so to speak, discussing topics like: How to select the right pitchfork for the job and use it correctly How to operate a small manure spreader How to build a barn manure pack with farm animal manure How to compost cat and dog waste How to recycle toilet water for irrigation purposes, and How to get rid ourselves of our irrational paranoia about feces and urine. Gene Logsdon does not mince words. This fresh, fascinating and entertaining look at an earthy, but absolutely crucial subject, is a small gem destined to become a classic of our agricultural literature. Trade ReviewPublishers Weekly- Common sense and just the right amount of folksy humor make this treatise on feces a pleasure to read whether or not you've ever knowingly come within 50 miles of a compost heap. Logsdon writes for a wide scope: how to recognize a manure spreader for those who don't know; the finer points of old-fashioned pitchfork tines, for readers who actually use them. In addition to lots of clear DIY instructions for utilizing waste, Logsdon, a blogging farmer in Ohio, draws from his boyhood experience during the days of the privy, his Amish neighbors, and his understanding of how ancient China saw agricultural productivity rates the likes of which we've never had in the U.S. Ultimately, the real coup here is that this book overcomes the yuck factor and illustrates how, as with many things American, we've taken a natural, healthy, efficient system and replaced it with something expensive, toxic, and marketable - in this case, chemical fertilizers. As food locavores gain visibility and popularity, so too should the rear end of sustainable farming practices.“Holy Shit is a national treasure, a book so right it rings the Liberty Bell on every other page. What carries this book along is how Logsdon disarms you with his wit, his country charm, and his experience—this book would mean next to nothing had it come from a research department at a university. However, reading about Gene on his family’s farm, spreading manure on the fields, or putting down additional bedding in the chicken coop, makes his answers to our wrongly perceived problems seem like the only answers. I can see many, many people taking issue with what Logsdon has written, and if he didn’t have experience—both his own and human history dating back thousands of years—Logsdon might be banished to the outhouse. However, history is with Logsdon, and we would all do well to get to know manure a little more intimately. Who would have thought our salvation could come through shit?”--Todd Simmons, MatterDaily"In the revolution Gene Logsdon envisions, we need pitchforks, but not to mount the barricades. And what a joyful, reverent, irreverent, hard-working, down-to-earth, realistic, Whitmanesque, animal-loving, microbe-nurturing, compost-making, farmer-sensical, manure-pitching revolution it is!"--Woody Tasch, author of Inquiries into the Nature of Slow Money: Investing as if Food, Farms, and Fertility Mattered"In our family we have a standard joke that every conversation, even around the dinner table, eventually winds up about manure. And Gene Logsdon, in his naughty and inimical style, has captured the essence of soil building, pathogen control, food ecology, and farm economics by explaining the elegantly simple symbiosis between manure and carbon. What a great addition to the eco-food and farming movement. Logsdon's deep bedding approach for livestock housing, elegantly explained and defended, is the primary fertility engine that drives all of us beyond organic farmers. Read and heed."--Joel Salatin, Author of You Can Farm and The Sheer Ecstasy of Being a Lunatic Farmer"With a combination of deep knowledge, longtime farming experience, and great humor, Gene Logsdon tells us everything we don't know about human and animal wastes, and what to do about it. As the author writes, 'Sooner or later we have to live in the same world as our colons.' Not to mention the wastes of all the animals we raise for food! This is the book to read if you give a crap about crap."--Sim Van der Ryn, Author of The Toilet Papers"No one knows more about the backside of agriculture (and the front side, and everything in between) than Gene Logsdon, truly one of the shrewdest practitioners and wisest observers of farming and agriculture. He doesn't care much for social taboos or politeness, and challenges us to see land, animals, ourselves, and yeah, shit, as parts of one system--whole and undefiled--and maybe discover the Holy in the excremental. This is Logsdon at his best; Holy Shit is a national treasure."--David Orr, Paul Sears Distinguished Professor of Environmental Studies and Politics, and Senior Adviser to the President, Oberlin College"This could very well be one of the most important books ever written. Few people realize that the subject of excrement is so critically important, complex, and timely. Thankfully, Gene Logsdon has provided humanity with a literary gift that addresses this most basic and fundamental subject with wisdom, humor, poetry and reverence. Holy Shit belongs in every bathroom in every home. The book is great. I love it."--Joseph Jenkins, Author of The Humanure Handbook"Gene Logsdon is one of only three people I know who are able to make a living exclusively out of writing what should be common sense. Here he has done it again."--Wes Jackson, President of The Land InstituteTable of Contents1. Manure : the hot new farm commodity 2. The nitty-gritty of the shitty 3. Bedding lessons from the strawstack days 4. The manure pack 5. The pitchfork : the real symbol of America 6. Hauling and spreading manure 7. No more poop coops 8. Thar's gold in them thar horse stalls 9. Sheep and goat manures are... well...cleaner 10. Of milk and manure 11. Pigs can potty-train themselves 12. Guano and other offbeat manures 13. Meditations on a meadow muffin 14. Cat litter and dog dung 15. Oh my goodness, manure on your garden? 16. The anti-bowel movement 17. How I came to find divine materials in manure 18. Dealing with our dread of human excrement 19. Applying treated human biosolids to farmland 20. Do we want farmers or robots?

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Book SynopsisAn Eater Best Food Book of 2023A Smithsonian Best Food Book of 2023From the New York Times-bestselling author of Cod and Salt, a delectable look at the cultural, historical, and gastronomical layers of one of the world's most beloved culinary staplesfeaturing original illustrations and recipes from around the world.As Julia Child once said, It is hard to imagine a civilization without onions. Historically, she's been rightand not just in the kitchen. Flourishing in just about every climate and culture around the world, onions have provided the essential basis not only for sautés, stews, and sauces, but for medicines, metaphors, and folklore. Now they''re Kurlansky''s most flavorful infatuation yet as he sets out to explore how and why the crop reigns from Italy to India and everywhere in between. Featuring historical images and his own pen-and-ink drawings, Kurlansky begins with the science and history of the only sulfuric acidspewing plant, then digs through its twenty varieties and the cultures built around them. Entering the kitchen, Kurlansky celebrates the raw, roasted, creamed, marinated, and pickled. Including a recipe section featuring more than one hundred dishes from around the world, The Core of an Onion shares the secrets to celebrated Parisian chef Alain Senderens's onion soup eaten to cure late-night drunkenness; Hemingway's raw onion and peanut butter sandwich; and the Gibson, a debonair gin martini garnished with a pickled onion. Just as the scent of sautéed onions will lure anyone to the kitchen, The Core of an Onion is sure to draw readers into their savory stories at first taste.

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Book Synopsis'A gorgeously evocative family drama that takes you from sunny Australia to the beautiful Tuscan countryside - I couldn't put it down!' - Paige ToonOne coin for love, one for marriage, one to return to Rome.Two days ago, Lara Foxleigh tossed three gold coins into the Trevi Fountain. Now, she is caring for a cranky old man and living in a picturesque villa, half a world away from her home and the concerns of her loving but cloying family.Soon, it seems as if those wishes she made in Rome just might be coming true, and she may even be able to help heal a fifteen-year-old tragedy.Until Lara's past threatens to destroy everything she loves...Three Gold Coins is a masterfully written celebration of food, family, triumph over adversity, and love - a deliciously imperfect life.Trade ReviewI loved it - a perfect blend of sweet and spice. * Jenny Colgan on THE TEA CHEST *You will want to move into the wonderful world of Josephine Moon's The Tea Chest - it is so self-assured, so beautifully written, so evocative with its sense of place and smell. Really glorious on every level. And what a cracking story. * Cathy Kelly on THE TEA CHEST *A gorgeously evocative family drama that takes you from sunny Australia to the beautiful Tuscan countryside - I couldn't put it down! -- Paige Toon

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Book SynopsisLook. Swirl. Sniff. Taste. Savour. Whether you're tasting a refreshing white or an aromatic red, these well-known steps are the only proper way to take the first sip of wine. How did wine surpass all other beverages to achieve global domination? In Wine, Marc Millon travels back to the origins of modern man to find the answer, discovering that this heady drink is intertwined with the roots of civilization itself. Wine traces the long history of the most complex, mysterious and magical of the world's beverages. It takes us from the Transcaucasus some 8,000 years ago across the Mediterranean Sea and throughout Europe with classical civilization, to the New World with the conquistadors, on to the distant lands of Australia and New Zealand and now to the burgeoning economies of India and China, where wine culture has exploded in the past decade. Wine explains winemaking techniques past and present, looking at every part of the process from vine-growing to bottling and marketing, as well as exploring the culture - and character - of wines around the world. Crisp and concise, it is the perfect introduction for novices while offering an engaging chronicle for experts.Table of ContentsIntroduction 1 The Grape: The Triumph of Vitis vinifera 2 Across Wine-dark Seas: A Brief Overview of the Spread of Viticulture 3 The Great Vineyards of Europe 4 A World of Wine 5 From Grape to Glass 6 Final Thoughts Recipes Bibliography Websites and Associations Acknowledgements Photo Acknowledgements Index

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Book SynopsisSugar is one of the most beloved substances consumed by humans, and also one of the most reviled. It has come to dominate our diets - whether in candy, desserts, soft drinks or even bread and pasta sauces - for better and for worse. This fascinating history of this addictive ingredient reveals its incredible value as a global commodity and explores its darker legacies of slavery and widespread obesity.Sugar's past is chock-full of determined adventurers: relentless sugar barons and plantation owners who worked alongside plant breeders, food processors, distributors and politicians to build a business based on our cravings. Exploring both the sugar cane and sugar beet industries, Andrew F. Smith tells story after story of those who have made fortunes and those who have met their demise because of sugar's simple but profound hold on our palates. Delightful and surprisingly action-packed, this book offers a layered and definitive tale of sugar and the many people who have been caught in its spell, from barons to slaves, and from chefs to the countless among us born with that insatiable devil - the sweet tooth.

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Book SynopsisWith its unique aroma and heady buzz - the perfect accompaniment to even the spiciest tacos - tequila has won its way into drinkers' hearts worldwide. There are few places on earth besides Mexico that have the climate and terrain to evolve the agave plant from which tequila is made, and there are even fewer people who have the patience to wait the seven years or more that it takes 'the tree of marvels' to grow. Tequila is a lively history of this potent and popular drink.Mayans, Olmecs and Aztecs fermented a drink called pulque from the sap of the agave. It was reserved for pregnant women and priests - and their sacrifices. Later the Mexicans began to use distillation to make tequila and mescal and since its humble beginnings as a local firewater, it has exploded into global popularity. Ian Williams visits countless tequila producers, distributors and connoisseurs to tell the story of how tequila started in the agave lands of Mexico, became an icon of youthful inebriation and then developed into a truly artisanal product which today draws the most discerning drinkers. Including recipes for cocktails, as well as advice on the buying, storing, tasting and serving of tequila, mescal and other agave spirits, this book will delight beverage aficionados and anyone interested in the history of Mexico and its unique drinking culture.

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Book SynopsisDo you know your onions? From large, sweet onions to shallots, garlic, chives and leeks, the allium family contains some of the most popular vegetables in the world. Shy of the spotlight - except when repelling vampires, preserving mummies, curing heart disease or predicting the future - this lowly yet universal family of plants has been a friend to mankind from earliest times. Onions and Garlic follows the trail of these cherished plants through history and across the globe, tracing their story back to the earliest civilizations of the Fertile Crescent and the recipes of ancient Mesopotamia. Traders spread onion varieties through Central Asia and from there they moved across the world, as civilizations from the ancient Romans and Greeks to the Koreans and Japanese found this humble family of vegetables an indispensable part of their cuisines - and of their culture.The book reveals the close relationship between the allium and human worlds: the Welsh have proudly adopted the leek as their national symbol; in many societies, garlic has long been identified as a magical herb with supernatural origins; while onions symbolized the simple peasant life to French painters of the nineteenth century. Celebrated, denigrated, avoided or sought-after, the story of the allium family is filled with fine cuisine and art, peasants and kings, colonization and conquest, magic and medicine. But most of all, it's the story of a very ordinary vegetable.

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