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From hunting and gathering to GMOs and ultra-processed foods, this expansive tour of human history rewrites the story of our species and points the way to a better future.
The history of Homo sapiens is usually told as a story of technology or economics. But there is a more fundamental driver: food. How we hunted and gathered explains our emergence as a new species and our earliest technology; our first food systems, from fire to agriculture, tell where we settled and how civilizations expanded. The quest for food for growing populations drove exploration, colonialism, slavery, even capitalism.
A century ago, food was industrialized. Since then, advancing styles of agriculture and food production have written a new chapter of human history, one that’s driving both climate change and global health crises. Best-selling food authority Mark Bittman offers a panoramic view of the story and explains how we can rescue ourselves from the modern wrong turn.
Info autore
Mark Bittman is the author of more than thirty books, including the How to Cook Everything series and the #1 New York Times bestseller VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health . . . for Good. For three decades, Bittman contributed stories and recipes about cooking and food policy for the New York Times. He and daughter Kate currently co-host the podcast, Food with Mark Bittman and the online magazine, The Bittman Project. Most recently, he's begun Bittman's NYC, a bread delivery program, and piloting a sliding-scale restaurant concept, Community Kitchen.
Riassunto
"Epic and engrossing." —The New York Times Book Review
From the #1 New York Times bestselling author and pioneering journalist, an expansive look at how history has been shaped by humanity’s appetite for food, farmland, and the money behind it all—and how a better future is within reach.
The story of humankind is usually told as one of technological innovation and economic influence—of arrowheads and atomic bombs, settlers and stock markets. But behind it all, there is an even more fundamental driver: Food.
In Animal, Vegetable, Junk, trusted food authority Mark Bittman offers a panoramic view of how the frenzy for food has driven human history to some of its most catastrophic moments, from slavery and colonialism to famine and genocide—and to our current moment, wherein industrial agriculture and Big Food exacerbate climate change, plunders our planet, and create a public health crisis that sickens its people. Even still, Bittman refuses to concede that the battle is lost, pointing to activists, workers, and governments around the world who are choosing well-being over corporate greed and gluttony, and fighting to free society from Big Food’s grip.
Sweeping, impassioned, and ultimately full of hope, this landmark work of food history reveals not only how food has shaped our past, but also how we can transform it to reclaim our future.
Bittman’s definitive account connects the dots from the first agricultural societies to our modern crisis, exploring:
- The Rise of Big Food: How corporations from Big Sugar to Big Ag consolidated power, creating a system that prioritizes profit over the well-being of people and the planet.
- A Hidden History of Famine: An unflinching look at how colonialism, slavery, and corporate greed have weaponized food and driven some of history’s most catastrophic moments.
- The Climate Change Connection: A clear-eyed analysis of how industrialized agriculture contributes to climate change and plunders the planet’s resources.
- A Path to Sustainable Agriculture: An ultimately hopeful vision for the future, highlighting the work of activists and communities who are fighting to reclaim our food system for good.
