Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them
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- Create Date：2023-01-23 06:51:47
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Dan Saladino
- ISBN：1250863090
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Summary
A New York Times Book Review Editors’ Choice
“What Saladino finds in his adventures are people with soul-deep relationships to their food。 This is not the decadence or the preciousness we might associate with a word like ‘foodie，’ but a form of reverence 。 。 。 Enchanting。” —Molly Young， The New York Times
Dan Saladino’s Eating to Extinction is the 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—provide 50 percent of all our calories。 Dig deeper and the trends are more worrisome still: 95 percent of milk consumed in the United States comes from a single breed of cow， while one in four beers drunk around the world is the product of one brewer。
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。 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 the rest of us have forgotten or didn’t 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 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 species now considered crucial to the future of coffee。
Throughout this original and entertaining book， Saladino shows that when foods become endangered， we risk the loss of not only traditional foodways， but also flavors， smells， and textures that may never be experienced again。 And the consolidation of our foods 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 response， Saladino provides a road map to a food system that is healthier， more robust， and， above all， richer in flavor and meaning。
“What Saladino finds in his adventures are people with soul-deep relationships to their food。 This is not the decadence or the preciousness we might associate with a word like ‘foodie，’ but a form of reverence 。 。 。 Enchanting。” —Molly Young， The New York Times
Dan Saladino’s Eating to Extinction is the 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—provide 50 percent of all our calories。 Dig deeper and the trends are more worrisome still: 95 percent of milk consumed in the United States comes from a single breed of cow， while one in four beers drunk around the world is the product of one brewer。
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。 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 the rest of us have forgotten or didn’t 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 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 species now considered crucial to the future of coffee。
Throughout this original and entertaining book， Saladino shows that when foods become endangered， we risk the loss of not only traditional foodways， but also flavors， smells， and textures that may never be experienced again。 And the consolidation of our foods 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 response， Saladino provides a road map to a food system that is healthier， more robust， and， above all， richer in flavor and meaning。
Reviews
Erin
，
20+ years ago， I read the book Zero， about the mathematical concept （single-subject nonfiction being all the rage at the time） and I noticed that an entire lack of any coverage of the history of the number in the Far East。 This book， I'm happy to say， covers its subject globally。Each chapter of this fascinating book made me eager to eat a new food， and to look forward to a time when I can grow my own garden to make a small dent in the world of monoculture。 I've been idly concerned about the Cave 20+ years ago， I read the book Zero， about the mathematical concept （single-subject nonfiction being all the rage at the time） and I noticed that an entire lack of any coverage of the history of the number in the Far East。 This book， I'm happy to say， covers its subject globally。Each chapter of this fascinating book made me eager to eat a new food， and to look forward to a time when I can grow my own garden to make a small dent in the world of monoculture。 I've been idly concerned about the Cavendish banana's imminent demise for a while; this book gave me a whole host of additional foods to be worried about！ 。。。more
Maggie Lauderdale
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thought provoking and well written—i enjoyed gaining a larger appreciation for the importance of food variety and landraces！
Kat Goldin
，
I think this was an interesting read， but it was very long and （sadly） repetitive。 Which is the nature of the problem with losing diversity…but I wonder if it would’ve worked better in a shorter or maybe altogether different format that could allow each story to shine。
Jillian
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i learned a lot from this book， but the organization does feel like a collection of magazine articles versus a book。 that's not a bad thing， but it does take a bit longer to read as it's so episodic。 i learned a lot from this book， but the organization does feel like a collection of magazine articles versus a book。 that's not a bad thing， but it does take a bit longer to read as it's so episodic。 。。。more
Liv
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4。5
Bibiana
，
Very good book up there with books you must read。 However， it made Mr sad & mad that we humans really fuck stuff up all the time。 And have probably have since the dawn of time。 Will we stop all this insane madness or will be all die out because we think we know it all？ Another very good read & a total Debbie Downer。
Derrick
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Good book。 Love the premise and the history tied into the book。 After a while， however， it started to feel repetitive as each food seemed to have taken the nearly same path to near extinction to the last one。
Stephen Ho
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Great learning material - made me want to discover different types of food and pay more attention to my ingredients
Shane
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The effect of corporations and bludgeoning nature has led to a loss of variety: both genetically and socially。
Richard
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The journey created in this book is a worldwide escape into the crevices of hope， love， passion， and history。 The finding of knowledge， as great as it is， belies the fear that the monotony of our agricultural system will undermine the need to diversify our diets。 As our world prevents the diversification of the bodies and minds of humans， our future （and the world and its plants and animals） might be much scarier than our past。 Will anyone rise up to say health and humanity is more important tha The journey created in this book is a worldwide escape into the crevices of hope， love， passion， and history。 The finding of knowledge， as great as it is， belies the fear that the monotony of our agricultural system will undermine the need to diversify our diets。 As our world prevents the diversification of the bodies and minds of humans， our future （and the world and its plants and animals） might be much scarier than our past。 Will anyone rise up to say health and humanity is more important than standardization and profit？ What a beautiful and important book and I am sorry for the overused but totally applicable expression。 。。。more
Rebecca Secula
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Incredible book。 Every story was interesting and engaging。 I recommend it to everyone who eats！
Melanie Gillman
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I enjoyed this a lot。 The book covers a lot of different foods from different countries， so some of the topics feel brief — my only complaint is I wish I could’ve gotten more info/more of a deep dive about some of the foods！
Angel Williamson-Salois
，
Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by Dan Saladino。。。Imma start with the fact that thia guys last name is Saladino， and he's writing about food is fantastic。Y'all， this book rocked my world。 Dan Saladino travels the world， and discusses with all different cultures as to why their big deal food products are not such a big deal anymore， and it's DEVASTATING。Did you know that reducing the variety of food， as we have done to produce more food more quickly， is Eating to Extinction: The World's Rarest Foods and Why We Need to Save Them by Dan Saladino。。。Imma start with the fact that thia guys last name is Saladino， and he's writing about food is fantastic。Y'all， this book rocked my world。 Dan Saladino travels the world， and discusses with all different cultures as to why their big deal food products are not such a big deal anymore， and it's DEVASTATING。Did you know that reducing the variety of food， as we have done to produce more food more quickly， is actually one of the worst things we could've done？ Now we have acres upon acres of the same foods that are susceptible to the same illnesses。 Wheat， bananas， coffee， apples， rice， and so on and so on are not doing well。 We also need a variety of foods。for our own health and bodies， and today's food is all friggin trash smothered in pesticides to try to keep diseases， and it's not working well。Maybe we need to have less kids guys？ Maybe the planet can't sustain the amount of people who need to eat？ Most of the food grown on the planet is legit just grown to feed our meat。 Our meat that lives in ABSOLUTE squalor， and is getting sick because of that。 Bird flu。 Swine flu。 Covid。 All come from animals getting sick and the zoonotic diseases getting into us through the shit we eat。Maybe that's what we should be thinking about y'all。 Did you know the amount of fossil fuels that are needed to just get water and nutrients into these fields is insane？！？！？ This winter I'm starting to garden indoors and this spring I'll start outdoors。 If I can grow all my own food I'd be happy。 I know people want to look at it like "Left wing scare tactics" that are happening just so that your fun and food are ruined， but that's stupid。The planet will go on， but another 20 or 30 years of us doing the same shit， and the human race is going to go down the tubes。 。。。more
Zana
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Good thing I was so interested in the subject because this was dry and boring as hell
Andrew Figueiredo
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I first heard about this "Eating to Extinction" on a podcast episode with Dan Saladino and knew immediately that I had to read it。 I've always been especially interested in vanishing foods， languages， etc。From apples to wheat and everything in between， Saladino tells the stories of disappearing foods from around the world。 A large portion of Americans probably look at their supermarket shelves and see all kinds of fruits and vegetables， leading them to assume that we live in an era of culinary d I first heard about this "Eating to Extinction" on a podcast episode with Dan Saladino and knew immediately that I had to read it。 I've always been especially interested in vanishing foods， languages， etc。From apples to wheat and everything in between， Saladino tells the stories of disappearing foods from around the world。 A large portion of Americans probably look at their supermarket shelves and see all kinds of fruits and vegetables， leading them to assume that we live in an era of culinary diversity。 Yet， Saladino's work shows that "what we're being offered appears at first to be diverse， until you realise it is the same kind of 'diversity' that is spreading around the globe in identical fashion; what the world buys and eats is becoming more and more the same。" In our attempts to control and command nature in the name of abundance （producing enough food for the world is an honorable goal）， according to Saladino we "attempted to oversimplify nature， and this is starting to backfire"。 Standardization to an extreme often leads to an inability to adapt to changing circumstances like new plant diseases or climate change。 As Saladino puts it， "where nature creates diversity， the food system crushes it。" Landraces of crops specialized for particular areas have a "biological toolkit to deal with whatever the environment throws" at them; embracing true diversity in our food also creates a more resilient， decentralized food system。 As the cloned Cavendish banana （profiled in this book） makes clear， "[w]e cannot depend on single varieties for the future of our food。"The book proceeds through thematic sections with each covering a different type of food/crop。 Saladino incorporates anthropology， evolutionary biology， and history into his explanations， making this a great book for STEM-types， gardeners， and dispositional small-c conservatives like myself。 Some of the local varieties he discusses are truly incredible。 I'll list a few as a taste （pun intended） for potential readers:-The Hadza tribe （hunter-gather group） has developed a relationship with birds that guide them to honey-filled hives in baobab trees。 The Hadza scale the trees for honey and calm the bees down， and then the birds swoop in for their fill too。 This interconnection reveals how people can collaborate with creation as opposed to trying to dominate it。 -Olotón maize in Oaxaca secretes nitrogen-filled slime to nourish itself even in nutrient-poor soil。 Nitrogenous oozing corn is a far cry from monocropped maize that requires tons of fertilizers。 When the latter poured into Mexico after NAFTA， it squeezed out local varieties and destroyed family farms， showing how corporate globalization may not account for crucial variables like local diversity or smallholder ownership。-The Oca root in Peru allows indigenous communities in the Andes to be self-sustaining and provides important nutrients in an environment where many other crops may not grow。-Wild apple orchard forests in Kazakhstan containing a multitude of varieties were cut down for cotton production during Communism， demonstrating in an especially stark way how centralized totalitarianism rolls over the particular。-EU regulations banned the production of raw milk Stilton cheeses， enacting "cultural vandalism" under the guise of a pro-local designation。 Ill-informed regulation undermined a "way of life， a special ecosystem， a connection to nature we can't afford to squander。"-We take coffee for granted， but diseases threaten the varieties we rely on and displace communities that are forced to migrate northward。 Migration then becomes a political lightning rod， but too many leaders ignore root causes like climate change and food monoculture。Saladino's book is about food， but it more importantly raises the question what a "slower" approach to politics， economics， and life itself might look like。 Perhaps some inefficiencies， like the Irish fishermen who didn't mind letting some wild salmon go， serve a greater purpose that gets extinguished when the driving force behind everything is bigger， faster， more efficient， and more profitable。 I'm not suggesting de-growth， which is often peddled from an ignorant position， but more like a thousand global efforts to restore local diversity。 The author argues that we must change our own habits but also rethink the global food system。 Clearly， this will require something beyond our own borders， yet intimately concerned with what makes the local special。 Saladino provides numerous examples， from a seed bank in Svalbard that protects local seed varieties to an Italian town working with Mauritanian women to save a fish-based delicacy to a mounting global effort to protect ocean sanctuaries。 It's easy to feel like our food system could collapse at any minute， especially in the wake of supply chain crises that left shelves bare。 But books like this one should serve both as clear warnings and as inspirations to change the way we live。 。。。more
Linda
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Interesting points， and a lot of good research。 But I felt it was a slog--too repetitive and detailed。 I wish it were half as long。 I only managed to get halfway thru the book。
Art Thomas
，
This was really a remarkable book。 I had it on the nightstand for a while but kept putting off what I expected to be a slow read。 Being on the ground and "meeting" all of the people involved in the struggle made it read like a combination travelogue and special report。 We're all familiar with the concept that the globalization of food supply is destroying small farmers。 As food becomes more and more homogeneous， we're losing a lot of culture， tradition and quality。 It also puts the human race at This was really a remarkable book。 I had it on the nightstand for a while but kept putting off what I expected to be a slow read。 Being on the ground and "meeting" all of the people involved in the struggle made it read like a combination travelogue and special report。 We're all familiar with the concept that the globalization of food supply is destroying small farmers。 As food becomes more and more homogeneous， we're losing a lot of culture， tradition and quality。 It also puts the human race at risk as pathogens can tear through crops quickly。 It's one thing to know about it though and quite another to hear from those fighting to keep native crops alive。Despite the dire nature of the subject matter this is an inspirational book。 The message should be out there more， and we should all be aware of what's going on。 It also doubles as a list to get access to those foods that are accessible。 。。。more
Forrest
，
If you have an interest in food， biodiversity， or sustainability， then this book is for you。 Saladino touches on a few different foods for every category （fruits， veggies， cheese， etc） that are found all across the globe。 Each food is its own chapter of around 10 pages， which makes them very digestible and allowed me to hone in on what makes them so special to their culture and environment。 Saladino takes deep dives into the history of all his foods without making it read like a textbook， and hi If you have an interest in food， biodiversity， or sustainability， then this book is for you。 Saladino touches on a few different foods for every category （fruits， veggies， cheese， etc） that are found all across the globe。 Each food is its own chapter of around 10 pages， which makes them very digestible and allowed me to hone in on what makes them so special to their culture and environment。 Saladino takes deep dives into the history of all his foods without making it read like a textbook， and his anecdotes of how he experiences them in today's world shows his appreciation for each culture and the people he has met during his travels。 I was left with a hunger to not only try all these foods but a greater sense of duty to protect the diversity on our planet。 。。。more
Anna
，
I learned so much reading this book。 About foods I have never heard of （and some of which I will most likely never try， and some of which I might not try even if given the chance。。。 maybe） and about why we eat what we eat in our current world。What wasn't new to me was the need to eat more different kinds of things， but this book just convinced me to continue adding more and more different， hopefully local things in my diet。 Too bad I live in a country where most of the land is filled with pastu I learned so much reading this book。 About foods I have never heard of （and some of which I will most likely never try， and some of which I might not try even if given the chance。。。 maybe） and about why we eat what we eat in our current world。What wasn't new to me was the need to eat more different kinds of things， but this book just convinced me to continue adding more and more different， hopefully local things in my diet。 Too bad I live in a country where most of the land is filled with pastures and buildings， so there isn't all that much space for less popular crops。。。I feel like this book is perfect for anyone who enjoys food。 Because unless things change， we might have to learn quite a few things from the past very， very soon， and it would be good that there would be more people around who have not forgotten how things other than modern wheat， rice and meat work。 。。。more
Katherine miao
，
Took off one star for North American Bison！！
Avid reader
，
Wow， what a thrilling and informative read。 Dan Saladino is a good writer and by reading his book， I learnt a lot about endangered food and cultures。 It also made me reflect upon the state of our food supply and agriculture。 I only wished there were more chapters and some illustrations of what some of these foods and drinks are。
Lisa
，
Dan Saladino's Eating to Extinction is an ambitious work。 He tells the history of some of our staple foods， spins tales of his travels to find landrace plants （genetically diverse crops grown in a specific area whose seeds were kept and sown year after year and passed down through many generations） and less inbred domesticated animals and the people that farm them， and explains why it matters。"For most of our evolution as a species， as hunter-gatherers and then as farmers， human diets were enorm Dan Saladino's Eating to Extinction is an ambitious work。 He tells the history of some of our staple foods， spins tales of his travels to find landrace plants （genetically diverse crops grown in a specific area whose seeds were kept and sown year after year and passed down through many generations） and less inbred domesticated animals and the people that farm them， and explains why it matters。"For most of our evolution as a species， as hunter-gatherers and then as farmers， human diets were enormously varied。 Our food was the product of a place and crops were adapted to a particular environment， shaped by the knowledge and the preferences of the people who lived there as well as the climate， soil， water and even altitude。 This diversity was stored and passed on in the seeds farmers saved， in the flavours of the fruits and vegetables people grew， the breeds of animals they reared， the bread they baked， the cheeses they produced and the drinks they made。""Consider these facts: the source of much of the world's food--seeds--is mostly in the control of just four corporations; half of all the world's cheeses are produced with bacteria or enzymes manufactured by a single company; one in four beers drunk around the world is the product of one brewer; from the USA to China， most global pork production is based around the genetics of a single breed of pig; and perhaps most famously， although there are more than 1，500 different varieties of banana， global trade is dominated by just one， the Cavendish， a cloned fruit grown in monocultures so vast their scale can only be comprehended from the view of an aeroplane or by satellite。"So what？ you ask。With these monocultures， we put our food security at risk。 Genetic diversity in crops and livestock increases the survivability of various events such as warmer or colder temperatures， more or less water， new pests and diseases， etc。 There's a reason why monocultures don't exist in nature。By opting for industrialised and ultra-processed foods we have lost 1/3 of the diversity in our gut microbiome。 These bacteria and yeasts are linked to our health and their lack contributes to many more prevalent modern diseases。 We are missing these goodies from sauerkraut， kvass， traditionally made cheeses， and much more。With the destruction of wild animal habitats， frequently to raise more monocultures， livestock and humans have more encounters with wild animals。 In livestock zoonotic spillover includes Avian Flu and African Swine Fever， which have decimated flocks of chickens and the Chinese pork industry。 Spillover into humans includes HIV， Ebola， and most recently SARS-CoV2。I had been aware of these 3 points， though not the depth of the problem of monocultures。 What caused me to pause was Saladino's statement “It's not just our diets that have been homogenized， but also our palates。 " I hadn't thought about how this shrinking diversity means that we are globally sharing the same tastes。 And with the loss of these ancient foods we lose out on so many flavors as well as aspects of our cultures。"Our future food is going to depend on multiple systems of agriculture。 Some will be highly industrialized and mechanised， others smaller in scale and richer in their variety of crops and animals。 Diversity can help each of these systems become as successful and resilient as they can possibly be。 。 。 。 Saving diversity gives us options。"Saldino has written a fascinating， engaging， thought-provoking book。 I have provided you with the bare bones of this work。 If your interest is piqued， I hope you will dive in for more。 。。。more
Chloe
，
Amazing book so full of interest and beautifully written。 It did take me quite a while to read as it's very detailed。 Amazing book so full of interest and beautifully written。 It did take me quite a while to read as it's very detailed。 。。。more
Natasha Harris
，
This book was a great resource for looking at the world in which we live and eat， in a different light。 Are we eating things that shorten our lifespan？ Are we eating to nourish our bodies as they were meant to be fed，？
pianogal
，
This one was interesting， if depressing。 I don't know that I'm adventurous to try all these different foods。 The skerpikjot especially is gonna be a hard pass。 But it was fun to read about them。 This one was interesting， if depressing。 I don't know that I'm adventurous to try all these different foods。 The skerpikjot especially is gonna be a hard pass。 But it was fun to read about them。 。。。more
Sydney Barringer
，
beat book ever fr
Judy Chan
，
Amazing！ This is not just a book about foods。 It is about our history， lost （almost-lost） culture， our agriculture， our love， and our conflict。 A must read！Part of it may become repetitive。 Just pause and come back。 It is a detailed and heavy narration of the foods we no longer get to eat。 It does take time to chew on。
Angela
，
This is the best book on food I have ever read。 Stories and facts about our food and food diversity and how we need to be aware of what we eat and what we are losing！
Lydian
，
Makes sense that a man with the last name "salad dino" would write a book called "Eating to Extinction。" Very insightful and eye opening book。 Makes sense that a man with the last name "salad dino" would write a book called "Eating to Extinction。" Very insightful and eye opening book。 。。。more
Books， Brews & Booze
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