| jonathan roberts | ||
|
cabbages
& kings |
 |
|
| the origins of fruit & vegetables | ||
Jonathon
Roberts is a farmer and writer living on a hill-farm in Dorset. He farmed
trout in Scotland for 23 years before moving to his current home, where
he keeps sheep. He has contributed articles to Country Life and Reader's
Digest and is currently working on a study of John Ray, the 17th-century
botanist.
Fruits
and vegetables have formed the basis of our diet for millennia, their
essences have been used as perfumes and they also have held symbolic
significance for many different cultures and religions - the pomegranate,
once the Pagan symbol of fertility became the Christian symbol of fidelity.
As a food, their history is fascinating. Leeks were cultivated as long ago as 1,700 BC, in Old Babylonian times, and were boiled in milk with pigeon, onions, garlic and herbs. Figs were so popular in ancient Greece that their export was regulated by law and athletes used to train on fig-only diets. Cherries were a Roman favourite and pear-tree root impressions were discovered in Pompeii by archaeologists. In England in the I740s, a competition to grow the largest gooseberries, and spawned a craze for Gooseberry clubs all over the country.
For the gardener or food-enthusiast who wants a little history in their book diet, Cabbages and Kings traces the rich history of over 40 different types of fruit and vegetables. Accompanying this authoritative history is a wealth of if illustrations, from ancient maps and Renaissance works of art to botanical illustrations and illuminated manuscripts, from ancient mosaics to contemporary graphics.
This
thoroughly researched and highly accessible book contains Latin names
of the fruits and vegetables, historical information on when the food
first appeared, its country of origin, first recorded use and even classical
and Biblical literary references. It also includes information about
the medicinal and nutritional properties of the profiled fruits and
vegetables, and how these properties were first discovered.
Cabbages and Kings is a
beautifully designed book that is not only a must-have reference book,
it is also the perfect gift.
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