"Food has functioned both as a source of continuity and a subject of adaptation over the course of human history. But how did humans discover how to grow and consume these foods in the first place? How were they chosen over competing foods? How did they come to be so important to us? In this charming and frequently surprising compendium, Gregory McNamee gathers revelations from history, anthropology, chemistry, biology, and many other fields, and spins them into tales of discovery, complete with delicious recipes from many culinary traditions around the world." "Among the 30 types of food discussed in the course of this alphabetically arranged work are: the apple, the banana, chocolate, coffee, corn, garlic, honey, millet, the olive, the peanut, the pineapple, the plum, rice, the soybean, the tomato, and the watermelon. All of the recipes included with these diverse food histories have been adapted for recreation in the modern kitchen."--BOOK JACKET.
Includes bibliographical references and index.