Although the number of edible plants is hard to keep track of, it is surprisingly often quite uniform on our plates and on supermarket shelves. The majority of our diet is based on only around twenty crops grown on a large scale. Why is that? Biologist Sarah M. Schmidt explores this question in her first book.
Each of the eleven chapters is dedicated to a well-known crop – from A for apple to K for potato to Z for sugar beet. Each of these everyday plants has a fascinating story behind it, often dating back thousands of years and originating in far-flung areas of the world. The stories are about resourceful people who have passed on and refined their knowledge over generations, but very often also about colonialism, exploitation, greed and unchecked capitalism.
In addition to the cultural history of the respective plants, the author also addresses biological aspects in an understandable way. She explains, for example, how desired properties of a plant can be developed and enhanced through breeding. And it makes it clear why the lack of genetic diversity in mass-produced products such as bananas and wheat can lead to major problems.
Last but not least, Sarah M. Schmidt’s book is an invitation to take new paths – away from standardized monotony and towards a more diverse diet. Christopher Walter
Sarah M. Schmidt
Without mosquitoes, there is no chocolate
Leykam, 320 p., € 25,–
ISBN 978-3-7011-8334-0