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Saturday, March 26, 2011

* FOOD BOOK OF THE MONTH! *

FIFTY PLANTS THAT CHANGED THE COURSE OF HISTORY (Firefly, 2010, 224
pages, ISBN 978-1-55407-798-4, $29.95 Canadian hard covers) is by Bill
Laws, social historian and book author. It is a very useful guide to
the basic fifty plants that humans had cultivated from the beginning of
agriculture. For each, there is a description of the plant, the
botanical name, its native range, and its primary function (e.g.,
edible or medicinal or commercial or all of these). There is also a lot
of cultural and social history for each plant: Laws explains why it is
in the Top Fifty (many plants get two pages here; corn gets six pages).
This text is complemented by botanical drawings, paintings and
photographs, and quotes from deep thinkers. The common food plants are
here (rice, wheat, corn, sugarcane, wine grapes) as well as tea,
cotton, rubber and tobacco. Not so common are pineapple (greenhouses
and conservatories), coconut (coir fibre, margarine, cream, coagulant),
eucalyptus (diuretics, mouthwash, vitamins, honey), white mulberry
(silk), and English oak (dyes, leather tanning, charcoal, casks,
ships). There's a bibliography for further reading, although there are
no citations to materials dealing with the Columbus Exchange.
Audience and level of use: the historically curious, foodies, reference
libraries, school of hospitality and cooking.
Some interesting or unusual facts: These are just the top 50 of the
quarter million or so plants which inhabit the earth.
The downside to this book: I'm not sure I'd use the phrase "changed the
course". Sure, these plants are important, but "change the course"?
This statement needs more enlightenment.
The upside to this book: well-priced, and it comes with a ribbon
bookmark.
Quality/Price Rating: 89.

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