Farmbrarian

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Food, by necessity, plays a massive role in today’s world. Historically, it has played an even larger role in culture and in people’s everyday lives. Take for example the hunter-gatherer, whose only worries were food and safety. Even during the bulk of the 20th century the vast majority of the world was still somehow involved in food production. Considering all points in between, author Tom Standage, in his book An Edible History of Humanity, traces mankind’s path by looking through its stomach.

The book amounts to a collection of food related stories throughout the history of man. It is both interesting and informative, as history always provides powerful lessons. Standage tells of the start of agriculture, when food was the initial form of wealth. Grains can be stored, so if you harvested and stored more of them than anyone else, you had more of the thing of most value. Until such divisions emerge (rich vs poor, haves vs have-nots, etc.) society as we know it can’t exist. It was truly food over all else that has determined culture throughout history. Later in the book, Standage reminds us that it was Napoleon who said, “If only I have bread, it will be child’s play to beat the Russians” (145). Food has indeed been a powerful weapon that has determined history.

Those with an interest in history will find this book an intriguing read (along with his other book A History of the World in Six Glasses). Anyone well versed on the topic may be disappointed by the book’s lack of depth. Overall, it is a rather enjoyable, though somewhat abridged look at the historical power of food.

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Where Our Food Comes From traces the path of Nikolay Vavilov, a Russian scientist who embarked on a mission to collect and store seeds from around the world. According to Nabhan, Vavilov was the first to fully articulate the connections between food diversity, health and food security–all of which are hot topics in agriculture and nutrition (23). Vavilov’s journey and contribution to science and agriculture was certainly profound.

The book follows Vavilov’s path, a small part of which was recently retraced by Nabhan himself. Entwined in the story is that of the WWII era communist government of the Soviet Union, which was ultimately responsible for Vavilov’s premature death, despite his extraordinary and successful efforts to preserve plants for future generations.

A clear picture of Vavilov’s life is painted, but the book reads a bit like a history lesson. Hopefully the book inspires others to continue Vavilov’s life work, however it is unlikely to provide much in the way of entertainment.

Quotes:

• “Today, America educates its rural youth to aspire to be anything but a farmer” (137).
• “[Vavilov is] the man who more than anyone else in history helped humankind appreciate where our food has come from” (190).