Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them
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- Create Date：2022-02-10 10:19:35
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Dan Saladino
- ISBN：B093FBM74X
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Summary
A prominent broadcaster’s pathbreaking tour of the world’s vanishing foods and his argument for why they matter now more than ever
Over the past several decades， globalization has homogenized what we eat， and done so ruthlessly。 The numbers are stark: Of the roughly six thousand different plants once consumed by human beings， only nine remain major staples today。 Just three of these—rice， wheat， and corn—now provide fifty percent of all our calories。 Dig deeper and the trends are more worrisome still:
The source of much of the world’s food—seeds—is mostly in the control of just four corporations。 Ninety-five percent of milk consumed in the United States comes from a single breed of cow。 Half of all the world’s cheese is made with bacteria or enzymes made by one company。 And one in four beers drunk around the world is the product of one brewer。
If it strikes you that everything is starting to taste the same wherever you are in the world， you’re by no means alone。 This matters: when we lose diversity and foods become endangered， we not only risk the loss of traditional foodways， but also of flavors， smells， and textures that may never be experienced again。 And the consolidation of our food has other steep costs， including a lack of resilience in the face of climate change， pests， and parasites。 Our food monoculture is a threat to our health—and to the planet。
In Eating to Extinction， the distinguished BBC food journalist Dan Saladino travels the world to experience and document our most at-risk foods before it’s too late。 He tells the fascinating stories of the people who continue to cultivate， forage， hunt， cook， and consume what the rest of us have forgotten or didn’t even know existed。 Take honey—not the familiar product sold in plastic bottles， but the wild honey gathered by the Hadza people of East Africa， whose diet consists of eight hundred different plants and animals and who communicate with birds in order to locate bees’ nests。 Or consider murnong—once the staple food of Aboriginal Australians， this small root vegetable with the sweet taste of coconut is undergoing a revival after nearly being driven to extinction。 And in Sierra Leone， there are just a few surviving stenophylla trees， a plant species now considered crucial to the future of coffee。
From an Indigenous American chef refining precolonial recipes to farmers tending Geechee red peas on the Sea Islands of Georgia， the individuals profiled in Eating to Extinction are essential guides to treasured foods that have endured in the face of rampant sameness and standardization。 They also provide a roadmap to a food system that is healthier， more robust， and， above all， richer in flavor and meaning。
Over the past several decades， globalization has homogenized what we eat， and done so ruthlessly。 The numbers are stark: Of the roughly six thousand different plants once consumed by human beings， only nine remain major staples today。 Just three of these—rice， wheat， and corn—now provide fifty percent of all our calories。 Dig deeper and the trends are more worrisome still:
The source of much of the world’s food—seeds—is mostly in the control of just four corporations。 Ninety-five percent of milk consumed in the United States comes from a single breed of cow。 Half of all the world’s cheese is made with bacteria or enzymes made by one company。 And one in four beers drunk around the world is the product of one brewer。
If it strikes you that everything is starting to taste the same wherever you are in the world， you’re by no means alone。 This matters: when we lose diversity and foods become endangered， we not only risk the loss of traditional foodways， but also of flavors， smells， and textures that may never be experienced again。 And the consolidation of our food has other steep costs， including a lack of resilience in the face of climate change， pests， and parasites。 Our food monoculture is a threat to our health—and to the planet。
In Eating to Extinction， the distinguished BBC food journalist Dan Saladino travels the world to experience and document our most at-risk foods before it’s too late。 He tells the fascinating stories of the people who continue to cultivate， forage， hunt， cook， and consume what the rest of us have forgotten or didn’t even know existed。 Take honey—not the familiar product sold in plastic bottles， but the wild honey gathered by the Hadza people of East Africa， whose diet consists of eight hundred different plants and animals and who communicate with birds in order to locate bees’ nests。 Or consider murnong—once the staple food of Aboriginal Australians， this small root vegetable with the sweet taste of coconut is undergoing a revival after nearly being driven to extinction。 And in Sierra Leone， there are just a few surviving stenophylla trees， a plant species now considered crucial to the future of coffee。
From an Indigenous American chef refining precolonial recipes to farmers tending Geechee red peas on the Sea Islands of Georgia， the individuals profiled in Eating to Extinction are essential guides to treasured foods that have endured in the face of rampant sameness and standardization。 They also provide a roadmap to a food system that is healthier， more robust， and， above all， richer in flavor and meaning。
Reviews
Irene
，
Even if you've read other books about this topic （and are a Michael Pollan fan）， this is well worth reading。 Saladino travels around the world meeting farmers and artisans dedicated to rescuing local varieties of plants and animal breeds that have been displaced by monocultures and the animals that yield the most milk， eggs or meat for the least amount of resources， to the detriment of， well， the plants， the animals， and everything on a sociocultural and nutritional scale。 Not everything will be Even if you've read other books about this topic （and are a Michael Pollan fan）， this is well worth reading。 Saladino travels around the world meeting farmers and artisans dedicated to rescuing local varieties of plants and animal breeds that have been displaced by monocultures and the animals that yield the most milk， eggs or meat for the least amount of resources， to the detriment of， well， the plants， the animals， and everything on a sociocultural and nutritional scale。 Not everything will be new information （the sections about bananas， cheese， coffee and tea I was mostly familiar with）， but the bits that are， are really interesting。 This book is a call to decolonise farming and food production， to go back to our literal roots， not only to avoid a global food shortage catastrophe that may result from entire food groups being wiped out by a single disease， but to add nutritional and genetic variety back in， to incorporate foraged local foods to our diets whenever possible and to immerse ourselves in our local food cultures。 A great read。 。。。more
Marije
，
na artikel nrc
Nancy Dardarian
，
I loved this book， I want everyone I know to read it。
Katherine
，
Author Dan Saladino explains the well-meaning blunders made during the Green Revolution after WWII while quoting and echoing the lessons of biologists like Rachel Carson and E。 O。 Wilson。 Take a tour through the history of food， isolated communities around the globe， and 'The Ark of Taste'， an online compendium of less common foods that provide a glimmer of hope toward saving agricultural biodiversity and microbiome-sustaining dietary variety。 Historical， linguistic， and literary connections spi Author Dan Saladino explains the well-meaning blunders made during the Green Revolution after WWII while quoting and echoing the lessons of biologists like Rachel Carson and E。 O。 Wilson。 Take a tour through the history of food， isolated communities around the globe， and 'The Ark of Taste'， an online compendium of less common foods that provide a glimmer of hope toward saving agricultural biodiversity and microbiome-sustaining dietary variety。 Historical， linguistic， and literary connections spice up this fascinating read。 A highly-recommended read for older teens and laymen interested in the future of food。 。。。more
Bagus
，
These days， the expression “You are what you eat” has acquired more popularity。 It entered the English lexicon through the publication of Victor Lindahr’s 1942 book You Are What You Eat: How to Win and Keep Health with Diet。 But long before that in 1826， the French lawyer and politician Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote in his The Physiology of Taste， "Dis-moi ce que tu manges， je te dirai ce que tu es。" [Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are]。 Brillat-Savarin who is now wi These days， the expression “You are what you eat” has acquired more popularity。 It entered the English lexicon through the publication of Victor Lindahr’s 1942 book You Are What You Eat: How to Win and Keep Health with Diet。 But long before that in 1826， the French lawyer and politician Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin wrote in his The Physiology of Taste， "Dis-moi ce que tu manges， je te dirai ce que tu es。" [Tell me what you eat and I will tell you what you are]。 Brillat-Savarin who is now widely regarded as an early gastronome did not mean his phrase literally but rather gave a hint that the food one eats often has effects on one’s state of mind and health。 On a rather similar note， Dan Saladino also brings us into some reflections about the foods and drinks we consume in this modern life。As a journalist and presenter on BBC Radio 4’s “The Food Programme”， Dan Saladino has many opportunities to travel and observe many staples and drinks that people create traditionally around the world。 Partly travelogues and partly essay collection， this book present a harsh reality of our food industry in the 21st century that lost its diversity in just a few centuries that passed after the Industrial Revolution。 The food diversity that has been lost was caused partly by monocultures， due to the demand of modern consumption that commoditises foods， leaving little room for varieties with less endurance for global consumption。 In one way， our global supply chain system allows us to taste foods and beverages originated from other parts of the world， but at the same time， it also homogenises our interaction with foods with increasing standards。 As someone trained in linguistics， I was taught by my lecturer that language extinction is a normal phenomenon， especially when there’s cultural assimilation that leads to the gradual abandonment of native languages in favour of a more common lingua franca。 Think of how English is widely spoken in the twenty-first century and its position as an international language of communication。 Reading Dan Saladino’s arguments that stand against food homogenisation， one question appeared in my mind: How is food homogenisation compared to the cultural assimilation that caused language extinction？ In some regards， food homogenisation could also be viewed partly as cultural assimilation since foods signify one’s culture and heritage， with a history that could be traced to time immemorial。 And this could also be seen as a popular view that favours one culture over another。 But beyond its cultural attribution， foods also influence our health and states of mind as Brillat-Savarin told us two centuries ago。Dan Saladino begins his introduction to the world rarest foods by taking us into some foods consumed by the world’s remaining hunter-gatherers。 This is by no means an invitation to revoke our modern food production system that has been influenced a lot by the Green Revolution introduced by agricultural scientist Norman Borlaug in the 1950s。 Rather， Dan Saladino is keen to show the many pearls of wisdom that exist in hunter-gatherer societies with regards to how they interact with nature and how they cultivate their foods。 One striking example is the interaction between the Hadza people who live near Lake Eyasi in Tanzania with a wild bird species called the greater honeyguide （strangely， its binomial name is Indicator indicator）。 Hadza men whistle， strike trees and sometimes shout in a distinctive chatter that attracts the honeyguide to lead the Hadza hunters to locate a bee nest。 The Hadza men will return with the liquid honey to their home， while the honeyguide consumes beeswax that was left at the tree。 There are many such stories collected from all parts of the world by Dan Saladino in a range of topics that touch upon subjects of cereal， vegetable， meat， fish， fruit， cheese， alcohol， stimulants， and sweets。 It’s a book that surely needs to be read by gastronome， climate activists， people from all walks of life， to get the gist of how our interaction with foods has changed a lot in a really short period of human existence。 There is a wisdom in the Slow Food movement， founded by Carlo Petrini in Italy in 1986 which strives to preserve traditional and regional cuisine and encourage farming and livestock characteristics that fit with the local ecosystem。 Many landrace varieties have disappeared and been replaced by monocultures。 The landrace breed that is often evolved over a long period of time to adapt to its natural surrounding has slowly lost its place with the introduction of commodities to fulfil the global market needs。 Along with Mark Bittman’s Animal， Vegetable， Junk: A History of Food， from Sustainable to Suicidal， this is the kind of book that might convince people to source their foods locally and to start looking for more diverse and organic options to sustain our food security in the foreseeable future。Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for providing the electronic advance reading copy。 。。。more
Sharen
，
This book takes you on a round the world look at foods that are no longer available and explains to us clearly why that matters。 Saladino takes very hard facts and puts them into a story that helps us understand the perils of our own making。 This heavily historic and scientific topic could have easily gotten bogged down but Saladino writes the details in a way that weaves all the hard data into an easy to follow storyline。 He has also organized the chapters into logical groupings of foods and ke This book takes you on a round the world look at foods that are no longer available and explains to us clearly why that matters。 Saladino takes very hard facts and puts them into a story that helps us understand the perils of our own making。 This heavily historic and scientific topic could have easily gotten bogged down but Saladino writes the details in a way that weaves all the hard data into an easy to follow storyline。 He has also organized the chapters into logical groupings of foods and keeps one major food item the highlight of one chapter。 Saladino takes us back into history to explain why a particular food item was important and then connects that to why it matters to us now。 Of course with all things humans have wrecked in this world， colonization， big corporations and climate change are clearly putting our food sources into peril as well。 I was not aware of the homogenization of most of our world-wide （！） food production and how a lack of diversity puts the food supply into great danger with each new fungus or blight or disease。 Saladino narrates the book himself and does a good job。 Not all authors make for good narrators but his voice and modulations were easy to listen too。 Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for an early version of this book in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Adriana
，
I don't really know much about food production， distribution， or history beyond what I need to know to pick the best I can at the supermarket。 I'm also aware that climate change and industry have changed the food available。 What I didn't know was to what extent the homogenization of humanity's diet has expanded and the dire straights in which some of the basic elements of my （and most people's） diets are in。 Saladino does a brilliant job of very interestingly presenting the history of different I don't really know much about food production， distribution， or history beyond what I need to know to pick the best I can at the supermarket。 I'm also aware that climate change and industry have changed the food available。 What I didn't know was to what extent the homogenization of humanity's diet has expanded and the dire straights in which some of the basic elements of my （and most people's） diets are in。 Saladino does a brilliant job of very interestingly presenting the history of different foods along with how we got to where we're at with them and the dangers they face。 It never feels like a lecture or a boring slough through facts and figures。 It's a celebration of food as told by an individual passionate about the topic he's discussing。 How great is he at presenting his information？ I am now obsessed with saving an artisanal fish in Japan that's only made by the last man who knows how to make it and is sure to disappear when he's unable to continue。 I don't even like fish！I'm walking away from this for a greater appreciation for all the food I eat and hope to taste one day。 I laughed， cried， and walked away with lots of information I plan to think on and discuss with anyone willing to listen。 I also have a list of places I need to visit in hopes of supporting the local food and maybe helping these rare foods stick around for a while longer。 The fact that the book is narrated by the author is the cherry on top of how perfect I found this book。 You can hear his passion， excitement， and anxiety over the topics he discussed over the course of the book and get pulled into it with him。 He really does make you feel for the food that's in danger of being lost forever， be it over global warming， cultural changes， industrialization， or the plethora of incredible reasons why we're slowly losing the food diversity humanity has depended on for millennia。Extremely happy （if slightly worried） thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the early listen！ 。。。more
Sydney Young
，
This audiobook for EATING TO EXTINCTION is a natural next level book for readers/listeners of BRAIDING SWEETGRASS and THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES， as well as LAB GIRL and THE STORY OF MORE。 While it is hard to heard about losing beloved diverse food sources and the natural gathering in ways that will soon be lost to us， and how it will have large eco effects， the good news is that there are stories of humans efforts to save diversity， there is some hope if we will pay attention and make better effo This audiobook for EATING TO EXTINCTION is a natural next level book for readers/listeners of BRAIDING SWEETGRASS and THE HIDDEN LIFE OF TREES， as well as LAB GIRL and THE STORY OF MORE。 While it is hard to heard about losing beloved diverse food sources and the natural gathering in ways that will soon be lost to us， and how it will have large eco effects， the good news is that there are stories of humans efforts to save diversity， there is some hope if we will pay attention and make better efforts。 Still， this is the type of audiobook that I like to listen to one chapter at a time。 The book is dense and gives much to chew on， from many different food sources， fruits， grains， vegetables， meats， and even analyzing modern causes of the pandemic spread and other effects of world events。 In fact， each chapter is fascinating in its own way， from efforts that scientists took to save important varieties of seedlings from being destroyed in a war， to hunter/gatherer techniques， to marine sanctuaries。 A note about the audio。 My copy has a tiny sound to it， but I enjoyed the narrator's reading， once I got used to that sound。 I am uncertain if it was the app I was using or the copy， but feel I must mention that part。 Also， my copy did not have chapter names， which is needed， in case the listener gets lost （or falls asleep） and needs to back up， or is interested in jumping around。 Since this was an advance copy in an advance listener app， this issue may be taken care of with the publication of the audio book。 Otherwise， I found the product excellent， in this deeply researched and well-told non fiction offering。 。。。more
Manda
，
I received a copy of this audiobook from NetGalley。 All thoughts are my own。This was a fascinating book that I think more people should read。 I kept trying to see how each food that was going extinct could affect me。 I don’t eat many of the foods/drinks that were talked about but I know that one extinction can be a chain reaction。 Learning about the history of some of the endangered goods was eye opening。 I will buy a copy of this book so I can reference it later on。
Carly-Ann Rigby
，
I have been listening to Eating to Extinction by Dan Saladino （read by Saladino himself） for a while。 I listen to it when I'm walking and I've found myself circling blocks and repeating loops in order to consume more of it。 Sometimes I circle chapters and loop back on passages to hear parts of it more than once。This is not a light or easy read， but it is an extremely fascinating one。 Saladino walks the reader through a sometimes overwhelming amount of information about the food we eat， its origi I have been listening to Eating to Extinction by Dan Saladino （read by Saladino himself） for a while。 I listen to it when I'm walking and I've found myself circling blocks and repeating loops in order to consume more of it。 Sometimes I circle chapters and loop back on passages to hear parts of it more than once。This is not a light or easy read， but it is an extremely fascinating one。 Saladino walks the reader through a sometimes overwhelming amount of information about the food we eat， its origins， sustainability and threats to or by its existence in the world。"Over the past several decades， globalization has homogenized what we eat， and done so ruthlessly。 The numbers are stark: Of the roughly six thousand different plants once consumed by human beings， only nine remain major staples today。 Just three of these—rice， wheat， and corn—now provide fifty percent of all our calories。 Dig deeper and the trends are more worrisome still:The source of much of the world’s food—seeds—is mostly in the control of just four corporations。 Ninety-five percent of milk consumed in the United States comes from a single breed of cow。 Half of all the world’s cheese is made with bacteria or enzymes made by one company。 And one in four beers drunk around the world is the product of one brewer。"Some of my favourite parts include details of how some of most common foods came to be what they are now， stories of people who have committed their lives to protecting and working to establish a future for historical foods， and the ideas and suggestions that are provided when the reader inevitably asks themselves "but what can *I* do？！？""If it strikes you that everything is starting to taste the same wherever you are in the world， you’re by no means alone。 This matters: when we lose diversity and foods become endangered， we not only risk the loss of traditional foodways， but also of flavors， smells， and textures that may never be experienced again。 And the consolidation of our food has other steep costs， including a lack of resilience in the face of climate change， pests， and parasites。 Our food monoculture is a threat to our health—and to the planet。"Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them will be out on February 1st and it would be an interesting read for anyone who is curious about the current and future states of the food we eat and the world we live in。 Thank you to NetGalley， MacMillan Audio and Farrar， Straus and Geroux Books for the opportunity to listen to this advanced copy。 。。。more
Sarah
，
If ever there was a rallying cry for people to fight against the homogenization of food around the world， this is it。 Saladino shares stories from all over the globe about an incredibly wide array of foods that teeter on the edge of extinction。 Every kind of food from vegetables， to beverages， to animals and their byproducts， is effected by reduction of number species， and if changes aren’t made the consequences could be catastrophic。Despite the grim nature of the subject all hope is not lost。 T If ever there was a rallying cry for people to fight against the homogenization of food around the world， this is it。 Saladino shares stories from all over the globe about an incredibly wide array of foods that teeter on the edge of extinction。 Every kind of food from vegetables， to beverages， to animals and their byproducts， is effected by reduction of number species， and if changes aren’t made the consequences could be catastrophic。Despite the grim nature of the subject all hope is not lost。 The foods mentioned all have champions， people working to save the biodiversity we’ve lost with globalization and are working to save traditional， diverse foods and production methods。 There are many more endangered foods than those mentioned， but this can be inspiration for others to fight to save their own traditional foodways。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Tim
，
A series of short but fascinating accounts of endangered foods and food making techniques， and the people fighting to preserve them。 These foods aren’t just of historical interest but， as Saladino clearly argues， could be vital in our efforts to feed humanity in a rapidly changing world。 Be prepared， though， for some sad tales of what is being lost。
Tim Joseph
，
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 divers 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！ 。。。more
Karen
，
So much great material！ Our food system has become so homogenized; we're losing out on our food history and the variety we should crave。 Biodiversity is essential， not only for historical reasons， but for our health and the health of the planet。 I loved hearing about so many people all over the world making immense efforts to sustain or bring back the diversity in foods。 When the end goal is only quantity without an emphasis on quality， we end up with foods that lack flavor and nutrients。 Next t So much great material！ Our food system has become so homogenized; we're losing out on our food history and the variety we should crave。 Biodiversity is essential， not only for historical reasons， but for our health and the health of the planet。 I loved hearing about so many people all over the world making immense efforts to sustain or bring back the diversity in foods。 When the end goal is only quantity without an emphasis on quality， we end up with foods that lack flavor and nutrients。 Next time you're grocery shopping， look for varieties you haven't tried and help encourage stores to carry a wider variety of foods， thereby helping those growing the foods to continue their work。Thanks to Macmillan Audio and NetGalley for the ALC in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Nok Pkp
，
Fascinating book about rare food。 Full of interesting facts and history of its。 It's feel like travel the world to a tiny corner of that foods。 Writer show us an important of foods source and it diversity。 The future of us depend on food diversity too。 Fascinating book about rare food。 Full of interesting facts and history of its。 It's feel like travel the world to a tiny corner of that foods。 Writer show us an important of foods source and it diversity。 The future of us depend on food diversity too。 。。。more
McKenzie
，
I am a self-proclaimed foodie。 I love reading about the history of different food， watching cooking shows， and testing out new recipes on my poor unsuspecting roommate。 This book interested me because it discusses biodiversity and the decline of diversity in our own diets。 It's interesting to think about how a majority of our seeds come from four major corporations and the changes it is having on our environment and health。 This remind me of why I continue to push my mother to buy heirloom seeds I am a self-proclaimed foodie。 I love reading about the history of different food， watching cooking shows， and testing out new recipes on my poor unsuspecting roommate。 This book interested me because it discusses biodiversity and the decline of diversity in our own diets。 It's interesting to think about how a majority of our seeds come from four major corporations and the changes it is having on our environment and health。 This remind me of why I continue to push my mother to buy heirloom seeds for her garden whenever I can。 The range of foods discussed is quite wide， ranging from honey to roots。 It's filled with stories and information that will pique the interest of any food lover。 Thank you to the author， Farrar， Straus， and Giroux， and Netgalley for providing me with an eARC of this book。 All thoughts and opinions are my own。 。。。more
Hannah
，
Excellent book。 Saladino documents all the unusual grains， wild foods， fruits， vegetables， meats， fish， cheese， even beers and wines and stimulants that are at risk of extinction because they've been abandoned in favor of a more homogenized， white-bread diet。 Crops have been bred for increased yield rather than taste， and we've lost most of our diversity in the process。 This could be catastrophic in the event of diseases （like rust for coffee or Fusarium head blight for wheat）， pests， or climate Excellent book。 Saladino documents all the unusual grains， wild foods， fruits， vegetables， meats， fish， cheese， even beers and wines and stimulants that are at risk of extinction because they've been abandoned in favor of a more homogenized， white-bread diet。 Crops have been bred for increased yield rather than taste， and we've lost most of our diversity in the process。 This could be catastrophic in the event of diseases （like rust for coffee or Fusarium head blight for wheat）， pests， or climate change。 （Or all three， which is our likely future scenario， since climate change encourages more fungi and pests。） The upshot is that we need to start growing ancient crops and raising some of the older breeds of animals if we want to have a food supply in the future。 。。。more
marta the book slayer
，
I'm just as a surprised as you are that a book about food didn't excite me as much as I assumed it would。 I think this stems from two things （and really maybe they are the same thing）: 1。 the topics felt a bit repetitive despite focusing on different food 2。the style of writing was hard for me to pay attention to for long periods of time。 The book is structured into different types of food: wild （honey， bear root， etc）， cereal， vegetables， meat， seafood， fruit， cheese， alcohol， stimulants， and s I'm just as a surprised as you are that a book about food didn't excite me as much as I assumed it would。 I think this stems from two things （and really maybe they are the same thing）: 1。 the topics felt a bit repetitive despite focusing on different food 2。the style of writing was hard for me to pay attention to for long periods of time。 The book is structured into different types of food: wild （honey， bear root， etc）， cereal， vegetables， meat， seafood， fruit， cheese， alcohol， stimulants， and sweets。 That's a lot of information to cramp into a book！！！ I enjoyed the way it was broken down and truth be told a lot of this food I have never even heard of （probably because it's going extinct）。 My main issue was that a lot of the times the history of the food was very similar。 It prevailed at some point in time， was used by the region's people， a "better" alternate was introduced that was easier to grow， people found that it was more susceptible to diseases/ required pesticides/ lacked nutrients， someone out there preserved a couple of seeds， and someone else has since been growing the food and trying to restore the historical way of eating。 The first time you read this structure you say to yourself wow that is crazy that really just a couple of seeds can make all the difference or what am i even eating， how many foods have i lost that really have all the nutrients i need。 After a while of this same story， it feels too repetitive and you get bored。 As you know history has a way of repeating itself， and although I found the categorization of different food originally a helpful way of breaking up the story maybe it would have been easier to digest （pun fully intended） if the story of foods that shared similar histories were grouped instead。 That way I could focus more on what the food actually is and the value of it instead of following the same story outline。 While reading this I ended up kind of finding it a bore。 It felt hard for me to pay attention and fully understand what I need to grasp from each chapter。 For this reason I would suggest you take this in small chunks， maybe only focus on one story a day。 Due to the looming deadline of providing feedback， I rushed through this a bit and didn't have such a pleasant reading experience。 Overall， I think this would be one I would like to revisit in print。 I definitely think this is a topic not discussed often and as I focus more on women's health it is interesting to hear how creative we have to be with our diets in order to get all the nutrients we need - when in reality some of these ancient and rare foods would supplement our bodies。 I would also be lying if at times I were not salivating at the descriptions of the food。 I got a little sad by the fact that I might never be able to give those foods a try， unless they are saved and shared amongst everyone （which is my hope）。Thank you Farrar， Straus and Giroux and NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased and honest review 。。。more
Mo
，
Essential reading for anyone interested on how important our food is not only to us but also to the planet and our futures。 This is one book that will remain on my bookshelf for re reading over and over。
Руслан
，
A really intriguing book， which will be interesting not only for the loving food， but for anyone who is interested in biodiversity。 The book really gives a broad look， explains the significance of different cultures， foods， gives historical remarks， and explains how the industry affects the environment。 I recommend！
Doc Martin
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Another one of my top rated reads of 2021。 The book charts the decline in diversity of our food， and the fact that so many foods have become endangered。 Today the source of much of the world’s food and seeds are in the control of just four corporations。 Food diversity under the ‘Green Revolution’ has been sacrificed in favour of designed mono-crops that grow quickly and produce more。 An attempt to oversimplify nature。 However， the impact of climate change， especially warmer， wetter weather is ma Another one of my top rated reads of 2021。 The book charts the decline in diversity of our food， and the fact that so many foods have become endangered。 Today the source of much of the world’s food and seeds are in the control of just four corporations。 Food diversity under the ‘Green Revolution’ has been sacrificed in favour of designed mono-crops that grow quickly and produce more。 An attempt to oversimplify nature。 However， the impact of climate change， especially warmer， wetter weather is making these modern mono genetic crops more susceptible diseases that are spreading round the world。 Time to be worried by the level of food uniformity and the fact that we have abandoned thousands of highly adapted and resilient varieties。 Thankfully， the book is fully of the stories from pioneering individuals and communities around the world fighting for food diversity and preserving their food traditions。As the world focuses on the race to net zero at COP26 we must not forget the complex relationships between biodiversity， climate change and inequality。 。。。more
Oliwier
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