The Untold History of the Potato
John Reader
Where does our food come from? The story of one of the world's most important crops
From the gold potatoes at the Sun Temple in Cuzco, Peru, the muddy ones in Ireland and those grown in China for McDonald's chips, the story of the spud is both satisfying and fascinating. John Reader follows the thread of the potato's story through the tapestry of human history, from its origins and evolution to its mysterious arrival in Europe, where it became a crucial part of gastronomic and social fabric. As global population swells and environmental sustainability becomes ever more crucial, Reader asks what role the potato still has to play - in this lively, readable study of our most humble foodstuff.
‘Each chapter is discrete in content and manner, yet densely connected to the rest. Wonderful: to understand the whole world through a single crisp’ Guardian
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About John Reader
Reviews for The Untold History of the Potato
The Times
The most nourishing book of the month
Guardian
Traversing imperialism, politics, technology and diet, Reader's elegantly written, discursive book weaves the progress of centuries and continents together in the story of the potato's ascendancy
Daily Telegraph
This accessible account embraces the latest scholarship and addresses the failings of previous works on the subject. Indeed the book, like the tuber it describes, fills a void: the spud now has the biography it deserves
Economist
Superb
Sunday Times
Each chapter is discrete in content and manner, yet densely connected to the rest. Wonderful: to understand the whole world through a single crisp
Guardian
John Reader's excellent history...his style has a playful sobriety and a laudable disdain for cliché (he gets an extra star for never once using the term 'the humble spud
Time Out
This enjoyably meandering history
The New Yorker