An Edible History of Humanity

By: Tom Standage

Narrated by: George K. Wilson

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Publisher's summary

Throughout history, food has acted as a catalyst of social change, political organization, geopolitical competition, industrial development, military conflict, and economic expansion. An Edible History of Humanity is a pithy, entertaining account of how a series of changes---caused, enabled, or influenced by food---has helped to shape and transform societies around the world.

©2009 Tom Standage (P)2009 Tantor

Great book about cultivation of food

What made the experience of listening to An Edible History of Humanity the most enjoyable?

The sweep and span of this book is interesting and it's really captures everything in a nutshell. For example the most people think of farming as natural when actually farming is a technology and without farming humanity as we know would be very different. If farming is a technology and it is, then why is there such outrage over Bioengineering of crops when humans have been doing it since the very beginning of farming. These are some of the most important take aways and thoughts I have absorbed from this audio book.

Interesting

Was an interesting listen but nothing groundbreaking. Would recommend if you like history in general.

Please stop with the silly accents!

The book's content is fascinating and informative. The narration is mostly fine with the exception of the narrator's comically bad accents when reading quotations--French, Scottish, British, southern drawl, he even sorta' tries Russian. Just terrible, cringey, distracting.

Flawed, but worthwhile

Not a bad book, but not a great one either. Standage, an editor at The Economist, tells a story similar in outline to that of “A Splendid Exchange,” and both books fall far short of Jared Diamond’s comprehensive, scholarly “Guns, Germs and Steel.” Beginning from the observation that even a medieval farm would be incomprehensible to our hunter-gatherer ancestors, Standage discusses the domestication of the major staple grain crops (maize, wheat, rice); the transition from nomadic hunter-gatherer societies to pastoralism and sedentism before covering the role of spices in the ancient economy; the first and second green revolutions, with particular emphasis on how late 19th century developments in chemistry allowed for a vast increase in the global food supply through production of nitrogen-rich fertilizers; and how ready access to food (or lack thereof) affected combat strategies from the ancient world until the advent of mechanized warfare in the 20th century.

Some of these topics hang together better than others: the discussion of domesticated agricultural crops and farm animals as a form of biotechnology (albeit an ancient one) complements the later discussion of the interplay between technology and agriculture (sugar refining begat industrialization, which begat fertilizers, etc.) nicely. In contrast, some of the later sections on the spice trade as a spur to European global exploration, and especially the parts about food and war, seem more like a re-hash of standard historical surveys of the Age of Exploration and the Greatest Hits of European Colonialism, with some bits about food added as an afterthought. Why not talk about how coffee fueled the Enlightenment? Because the live-off-the land mobility of Alexander and Napoleon is just so much sexier. But then, why not talk about the Mongols? They pulled off conquests of much greater scope than Napoleon or Alexander; understanding how they stayed fed while conquering more technologically sophisticated cultures would be fascinating.

Finally, I think the whole narrative suffers from a Eurocentric historical perspective; part of this is understandable, since it was European expansionism that distributed new foodstuffs globally. Who can imagine Italian cooking or Irish suffering without New World crops like the tomato and the potato, respectively. But then why not tell some of those stories? Why is New World chocolate now grown in Africa, and refined in Europe? How did coffee from the shores of the Red Sea wind up growing in the highlands of South America? These would have made for more interesting case studies, that really highlight the global nature of trade in foodstuffs, than some of the material that is in the book. But overall, not a bad read.

A Unique Perspective on World History

Most histories of the world focus on political, diplomatic, military, social, or cultural motivations, this work is unique, it approaches world history from the perspective of a commodity that is both our most important necessity and our most widely recognized luxury: food. In the 21st century we often lose sight of the fact that until 100-200 years ago food was the most important motivating factor in people's lives, for the poor it was a matter of life and death, for the rich it was one of the few real luxuries available and, along with one's clothes and one's estate, the defining element of their social status. This book details how food launched the age of exploration, fueled the industrial revolution, threw the world into war, and brought about the fall of communism. A fascinating fresh take on human history.

Wow

Who knew the history of food and mankind was so exciting! The narration was first class and the information is mandatory in these turbulent times.

insightful but too eurocentric

seems to be well researched, but the vast majority of detail is in Western Civilization with the rest of world cultures only marginally explored

factual & entertaining

As a social history buff, I really enjoyed this factual, yet entertaining account of history as seen through food. It reminds me of Guns, Germs & Steel, another of my favs. Works as an audiobook as well.

Not as good as "6 Glasses"

How could the performance have been better?

Narrator was not engaging and slow. I had to speed the reading up in order not fall asleep. The narrator for Standage's other book made the book come to life, this narrator did not.

Entertaining as well as enlightening

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Definitely. I found this book to be extremely interesting and stimulating. It puts much into perspective and ties together things that deepens one's understanding of history and the world.

What does George K. Wilson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He allowed me to enjoy the book with my eyes shut as well as walking in the street.

Any additional comments?

I do not agree with some listeners here who compare this book unfavorably with Standage's A History of the World in Six Glasses. I loved that work, but found this one just as good. Both have enriched my mind and given me some very enjoyable moments. Both recommended without reservation.