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bustecap's review
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
Very informative on how monopoly foods are causing issues or will soon and how to embrace and utilize a greater diversity through different versions of wheat, corn, sheep, coffee, etc.
This is a scientific read and if you are already familiar with a few types of food I would recommend skipping the chapter(ex: bananas) as there are many others that you will be captivated and learn from.
This is a scientific read and if you are already familiar with a few types of food I would recommend skipping the chapter(ex: bananas) as there are many others that you will be captivated and learn from.
kapow151's review
informative
slow-paced
4.0
I saw this at a bookstore and decided it was right up my alley. Food history and the importance of food diversity? Sign me up. There's a lot of information packed into this. I found myself more interested in some sections than others and skimming through some parts. It's appreciated that Saladino does not entirely focus on the Western world, but this is a truly global look at disappearing foods.
alicezehner's review
3.0
This is a good book with some interesting stories about foods I’ve never heard of. The narrative is solid enough but I found myself struggling through the last few chapters. Ultimately, his argument doesn’t warrant thirty something sub-arguments.
On a positive note, it’s inspired a food-book binge
On a positive note, it’s inspired a food-book binge
pio_near's review
4.0
My thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an unbiased review.
4.5 for sure!
Truly a book written for those who grow, cook or enjoy food as well as history buffs! Exploring thru a wide variety of food-types, Saladino delivers to us the unvarnished truth of how human consumption is changing the biodiversity of the planet, and potentially setting up humanity for a fall.
The way he explains how monocultures have grown to such staggering amounts, hoe it has created a scarcity of diversity in the food we consume, and how that is a shakey solution at best is both well documented and entertaining! Think of it as a planet earth special... just about food. From wheat to coffee, fish to cheese and pigs and all in between, there is much to be said about those nutritional warriors fighting to keep diversity in our food!
Full of illuminating statistics and amazing firsthand accounts, this will go down as a touchstone for future food writing, and producing to be sure!
4.5 for sure!
Truly a book written for those who grow, cook or enjoy food as well as history buffs! Exploring thru a wide variety of food-types, Saladino delivers to us the unvarnished truth of how human consumption is changing the biodiversity of the planet, and potentially setting up humanity for a fall.
The way he explains how monocultures have grown to such staggering amounts, hoe it has created a scarcity of diversity in the food we consume, and how that is a shakey solution at best is both well documented and entertaining! Think of it as a planet earth special... just about food. From wheat to coffee, fish to cheese and pigs and all in between, there is much to be said about those nutritional warriors fighting to keep diversity in our food!
Full of illuminating statistics and amazing firsthand accounts, this will go down as a touchstone for future food writing, and producing to be sure!
complex_simplicity01's review
informative
inspiring
slow-paced
4.5
Great book- everyone should be more aware of what we’ve done to food and how to reconnect with things that nourish our body.
margaret21's review against another edition
5.0
An ambitious, immersive and important book. Saladino has made a tour of the world's vanishing foods - its animals, vegetables, crops, and shown us why it matters so much that retaining diversity in the food chain matters so much. Disease can rampage through a single variety at horrifying speed, and if that variety is all we have, the consequences are obvious. Too many of our foodstuffs are in too few hands. The cultures that are injected into our cheeses worldwide to make them what they are are in the hands of some 5 suppliers. The cattle we breed are - worldwide - largely a single breed. Seeds worldwide are in the hands of just four corporations So many of the foods we rely on were once developed in response to local conditions - the soil and the climate. Now, most foods are grown as a a one-size-fits-all. Whereas foodstuffs used to be so different and varied from one country and region to the next, now the entire world derives 50 % of its calorie-intake from just three foods: wheat, corn and rice. Saladino shows us that besides this being so dangerous - an epidemic could wipe away a foodstuff completely, it's also impoverishing our diets, and the rich variety of local foods. He discusses globalisation, the crippling effects of war.
This engaging and readable books takes us with Dan Saladino as he visits hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, Bere barley growers in Orkney, German lentil growers, apple growers in Kazakhstan .... and so many more. Each adventure was full of interest, and left me with a desire to try the foods and drink he sampled. It also left me with a determination to do what I can to support the remaining foods being saved by passionate and committed producers. The most important book I'll read this year.
This engaging and readable books takes us with Dan Saladino as he visits hunter-gatherers in Tanzania, Bere barley growers in Orkney, German lentil growers, apple growers in Kazakhstan .... and so many more. Each adventure was full of interest, and left me with a desire to try the foods and drink he sampled. It also left me with a determination to do what I can to support the remaining foods being saved by passionate and committed producers. The most important book I'll read this year.