Williamsburg Regional Library

Vegetables, a biography, Evelyne Bloch-Dano ; translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan

eng

Includes bibliographical references

no index present

non fiction

Vegetables

bibliography

666235059

Evelyne Bloch-Dano ; translated by Teresa Lavender Fagan

a biography

From Michael Pollan to locavores, Whole Foods to farmer's markets, today cooks and foodies alike are paying more attention than ever before to the history of the food they bring into their kitchens--and especially to vegetables. Whether it's an heirloom tomato, curled cabbage, or succulent squash, from a farmer's market or a backyard plot, the humble vegetable offers more than just nutrition--it also represents a link with long tradition of farming and gardening, nurturing and breeding. In this charming new book, those veggies finally get their due. In capsule biographies of eleven different vegetables--artichokes, beans, chard, cabbage, cardoons, carrots, chili peppers, Jerusalem artichokes, peas, pumpkins, and tomatoes--Evelyne Bloch-Dano explores the world of vegetables in all its facets, from science and agriculture to history, culture, and, of course, cooking. From the importance of peppers in early international trade to the most recent findings in genetics, from the cultural cachet of cabbage to Proust's devotion to beef-and-carrot stew, to the surprising array of vegetables that preceded the pumpkin as the avatar of All Hallow's Eve, Bloch-Dano takes readers on a dazzling tour of the fascinating stories behind our daily repasts

A little history -- "Good to eat, good to think about" -- A matter of taste -- Some vegetable histories -- The cardoon and the artichoke -- The Jerusalem artichoke -- Cabbage -- The parsnip -- The carrot -- The pea -- The tomato -- The bean -- The pumpkin -- The chili pepper

adult