The Origins of Fruit and Vegetables [Hardcover]

To give you some idea of his intent consider pages 122 and 123. On the right-handed page there is a photograph of "Banana Skin c. 1500" from the "Museum of London Evacuations, London Bridge, Southwark, U.K., 1999" showing the black skin of a banana with the obvious import that the banana had already reached the London produce market in c. 1500, just eight years after Columbus's first voyage. Remarkable. Then on the left-handed page there is an image of the oil on canvas painting, "Bananas, 1952" by Lucian Freud, showing an entire stock of bananas still on the tree. Roberts employs a number of famous works such as Van Gogh's "The Potato Eaters" and Botticelli's "Madonna of the Pomegranate" to illustrate the text; indeed there is art work from the Twelfth Egyptian Dynasty through Greek and Roman times to the still lives of the Renaissance to William Hooker, Gauguin, Cezanne, etc., to moderns like Edward Burra and even examples of Russian propaganda art and American advertizing.

The text is a little repetitive and there are some boilerplate phrases that appear several times, but there are only a few typos and I noticed no errors of fact (which isn't always the case in books like this: Roberts himself notes copious errors in, for example, Gerard's "Herball" 1597). Still, I think Roberts did a good job of going beyond the normal range of "coffee table" text while not being too technical. What really appeals, though, is the artwork.

I enjoyed this book although as always I would like more information; indeed an entire book devoted to each and every fruit and vegetable featured here (there are at least sixty, from apples and avocados and pears to beans, carrots, melons, to peppers both black and red, to pumpkins and zucchini, the latter not mentioned in the text, but there is an unmistakable illustration on page 141)--and more--would be ideal.

It is interesting to trace the place of origin of our most cherished delicicies. Tomatoes (western South America), potatoes (western South America), strawberries (the modern is a hybrid from a Chilean variety and a Virginian variety), banana (SE Asia), apple (South East Asia and Eurasia), orange (SE Asia), cracked black peppercorns (Southern India), carrots (Eurasia-probably Afghanistan), maize/corn (America-possibly the Andes originally), fermented grapes (Eurasia-possibly even fermented by homo erectus), watermelon (Africa), cucumber (India), pumpkin (Americas), leek (Central Asia), onion (Central Asia), avocardo (modern types come from Central Amercia), lemons (Eastern Himalaya), kiwifruit (Southern China) and many others. Beetroot grows wild near the sea in the Mediterranean. A tomato native to the Galapagos Islands has evolved resistance to seawater, but the seeds must be digested and 'voided' by tortoises-giant ones-before they will germinate. Charles Darwin would have been impressed.

Readers might be interested to know that the Romans and Greeks, for example, would have never even heard of such delights as tomatoes, potatoes, and corn, as these were all native to the Americas. Oranges, which are a cross between a pumello and a mandarin, didn't reach Europe until the Dark Ages, and neither did our modern apple.

With increase in trade and exploration over time many subspecies were crossed and produced vigorous hybrids, which in conjunction wih selective breeding and vagaries of taste over time, has produced many of the modern forms we see today. It is interesting to note here that not all modern forms are necassarily the best -the Jonathan apple for example, became very popular simply because it is bright red and looks good in the supermarket-but it is not the best eating apple.

Another interesting aspect is the carrying of many original types from the east by Islamic ventures, and to the east by Christians and various explorers. Cross-fertilisation thus eventuated by accident. Subsequently, many species were further cross-fertilised with North and South American types after the expansion into the Americas by Europeans after 1492.

Not all fruit and veges stand the test of time. The ancestor of the bean appears to have gone extinct, and some apple varieties seem to be going that way, crowded out by the Golden Delicious, and the ever-red Jonathan. Others took a long time to get going-such as the tomatoe. For long its association with the poisonous Mandrake stifled its development in the European Middle Ages. Today it is one of the most versatile and most widespread fruits grown. (It is actually a fruit or berry, rather than a vegetable, as is commonly believed).

This book is more than just an excursion into delectable dishes. The nature and origin of fruit and vegetables has profoundly affected culture and history. The potato famine of Europe and Ireland in the 1840s is described, (with at least 1.5 milion deaths in Ireland alone, out of a population of 8 millon). The development of agriculture in humans thousands of years ago was facilitated by mutant strains of such things as almonds, wheat, peas, and bananas (one of the oldest harvested fruit).

Magnificent, and pass me the pepper! Don't underestimate the power of food on primates. Nations have risen and fallen on the vagaries of corn, potatoes, fermented grapes, grain and the like, and their resistance to disease, peoples taste and historical oddities.

There are some beautiful paintings, inscriptions, and archealogical illustrations throughout, inspired by some of history's greatest artists and cultures.

Highly recommended for the lover of food and dining.