'Standage's previous book, A History of the World in 6 Glasses, theorized that the titular six drinks were reflections of the eras in which they were created. Standage also uncovers the aspects of food distribution that underlay such historic events as the Napoleonic Wars and the fall of the Soviet empire.'- Mark Knoblauch, Booklist Standage traces this ever-evolving story through Europe, Asia, and the Americas and casts human progress as an elaboration and refinement of this foundation. This allowed some people to abandon agriculture organized communities and cities. 'Earliest civilizations appeared on earth when farmers banded together and exploited their excess crops as a means of trade and currency. Cogent, informative and insightful.'- Kirkus Reviews He takes the long view to illuminate and contextualize such contemporary issues as genetically modified foods, the complex relationship between food and poverty, the local food movement, the politicization of food and the environmental outcomes of modern methods of agriculture. 'concentrates specifically on the intersections between food history and world history.' But history isn't Standage's only concern. And it's not just one food lifting and guiding history, but what Adam Smith might have called the 'invisible fork' of food economics.'- New Scientist With Standage it is not what changes in food that matters, but rather what food changes. The emphasis on food as a cultural catalyst differentiates Standage from Michael Pollan, whose plants' eye view of the world keeps the consumables central. Using this approach he demonstrates how changes in food production, technology and consumption have dragged humanity forwards from its hunter-gatherer days. But instead of casting backwards for one thread to stitch everything together, Standage sensibly casts a net, writing not a history of any one food but a history through food. A few, in fact, since he highlights a dozen foods and spices with outsize personalities. Tom Standage could have written a similar 'noun' book. Barnum appeal in this: you are aware codfish or whatever didn't really transform the universe by itself, but part of the fun is being taken in by the audacious cleverness of tying all of history to one foodstuff. 'Never mind the contradictions, you can buy books proving that curry, oranges, salt or beef each single-handedly made our world modern. This is an extraordinary and well-told story, a much neglected dimension of history.'- Financial Times 'A fascinating history of the role of food in causing, enabling and influencing successive transformations of human society. 'Tom Standage does an admirable job of showing the ‘invisible fork' behind the fate of nations.'- Nature Media Issues, Communication & Journalism.Computer Science & Information Technology.

An edible history of humanity