100 Vegetables and Where They Came From (Hardcover)

~ (Author), Signe Sundberg-Hall (Illustrator) "Aji is the South American word for pepper..." (more)
Key Phrases: United States, New York, South America (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

When is a squash more than a squash? When it is one of Weaver's selected classic heirloom vegetables. In this book, which he maintains is both "a garden book for cooks and a cook's guide to the garden," Weaver relates the botanical and cultural histories of vegetables originating from every corner of the globe, from Turkmenistan to France, and from Switzerland to South Africa. He doesn't just include such exotic vegetables as orache, purple youtia, yacon, bambara and tartar bread plant; he also notes subtle differences in texture, flavor and origin of countless varieties of peppers, potatoes, beans, tomatoes and other familiar vegetables. Thus, he pronounces Arran Victory potatoes (Scotland) to be "the ultimate potato," with "color so intense they resemble candy imitations," whereas the Beauty of Hebron (New York) is praised for its vigor and its early maturity. He notes that Jerusalem artichokes, which were considered by the French in the 18th-century to be "the worst vegetable," later found favor with the Pennsylvania Dutch. Weaver's choice of vegetables is not limited to those of interest to gardeners; they must also possess culinary merit. To stimulate curiosity in these qualities, he includes cooking recommendations with each vegetable profile. For example, he suggests that Chioggia squash, dating back to 16th-century Venice, is delicious sliced and grilled with olive oil, and that the Alma pea (Sweden) is best served with crayfish, a porter flavored with dill, and a little Chopin in the background. Readers will be pleased to see a source list for seeds of these classic vegetables, which are aptly illustrated with Signe Sundberg-Hall's detailed drawings. (Oct.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Frustrated with the uniformity of potatoes, carrots, peppers, and peas found in most grocery stores, connoisseurs of vegetables have turned to ancient and rare varietals to add color and taste to their tables. Gardeners have risen to the challenge of raising something unusual in their plots. Instead of rows of popcorn, gardens yield crops of nunas, popping beans first cultivated by South American Indians. Potatoes come up from underground in innumerable shapes, sizes, colors, and flavors. And they carry odd names such as the Beauty of Hebron. Gardeners also have taken these heirloom plants to heart for their often-remarkable flowers and foliage. Few plants look as dramatic as Jamaica's Little Nubian Pepper, its leaves so dark green they're almost black. Weaver has tracked down the history of 100 of these rediscovered glories and recorded their fascinating origins and characteristics. His comprehensive source list for seeds and lengthy bibliography make such exotic plants easily accessible to every gardener. Renewed fascination with heirloom vegetables makes this book a valuable addition to library collections. Mark Knoblauch
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; First Edition. First Printing. edition (October 20, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565122380
• ISBN-13: 978-1565122383
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5.1 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #558,989 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A travel journal for seeds and vegetables!, March 29, 2001

By	"vera_lynn" (Southeastern VA, United States) - See all my reviews

This book amazes me: The author has managed to combine two activities I don't usually do (cooking and seed propagation) with two of my least favorite subjects (history and social studies) in a reference-style format compelling enough to read in bed.

Mr. Weaver has a flair for culinary description combined with an unabashed enthusiasm for both plants and people. When he describes a plant's origins, he doesn't just state a place and a time, he takes you there, he tells you how he found it, he describes the husbandry behind it, and THEN he tells you what it's like to eat it. And what it goes well with. And how it might look in a garden. And what its virtues are. And so on, invoking an exotic world of color and taste such as never graced your local grocer's vegetable shelves!

So:

...If you've ever enjoyed thumbing through cookbooks to savor the taste of imagined dishes...

...If you've ever enjoyed reading a travel journal and experiencing people and customs through the eyes of others...

...If you've ever enjoyed browsing through seed catalogs and plotting away the winter with dreams of exotic varieties (--all yours for the mere price of a seed packet!)

...Or if your shopping for anyone with an interest in "foodways"...

...Then this book is well worth the price.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A celebration of our world wide culinary heritage, March 9, 2001

By	Dennis Littrell (SoCal) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)    (COMMUNITY FORUM 04)

In one sense this is a popular book, easy to read with helpful line drawings of the vegetables (gracefully rendered by Signe Sundberg-Hall). Weaver even gives phonetic guidance on how to pronounce the names of the vegetables, which include peppers, beans, potatoes, lentils, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, eggplants, etc. Part of the book is a celebration of those names and an appreciation of their history. While reading this I made a mental note to get to my local Whole Foods or Begonia Farms store more often and try something new and exotic!

In another sense this is an advanced book for gardeners and culinary experts, not because the book is technical, but because for most people most of the vegetables presented will not be found at the local supermarket, nor will their seeds be found at the local garden and seed store. Additionally it is not always clear to this amateur how these exotic varieties differ from their more prosaic fellows at the local A&P. Weaver helps by attempting to describe the taste (hard to do!) and advises on things like texture, color and spiciness (e.g., wear gloves when cooking Aji Lemón peppers, and don't breath the fumes!). He includes some recipes and advice on complementary foods to go along with the featured veggies. He gives some recipes, sometimes from the culture of origin. For gardeners there are five pages of seed catalogue stores and their web addresses. For botanists he includes the botanical names and the plant's family name. No fungi, by the way. There are varieties from "every continent, except the frozen one," e.g., "Shungiku Edible Chrysanthemum," from Japan, "Pepino Dulce Melon" from South America, "Jaune du Poitou Leek," from France, even the "Petaluma Gold Rush Bean," from my native California. Among the exotic names I found some terminology new to me. Some vegetables are referred to as "heirloom" varieties and/or "cultivars." Weaver uses the term "landrace," which I couldn't find in any of my dictionaries, defined on page two as a noncommercial or "backyard" variety in cultivation for a long time. Weaver has himself cultivated all the varieties presented here on his farm in Pennsylvania where he grows three thousand or so vegetables on a rotating basis. His knowledge about vegetables and his love for them is very impressive. His appreciation of the culinary arts is evident. This is a pretty little book from Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill that would make a nice present for someone you know who loves cooking or gardening.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Back from extinction!, July 5, 2001

By	Rebecca Brown "rebeccasreads" (Clallam Bay, WA United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

A Tour Through Our Extraordinary Culinary Heritage. A fascinating history of vegetables from around the world & onto our platters for supper.

You will find sidebars extolling the virtues of efficiency & flavor of just about every plant W3 hunts down, together with hints for gardeners about spicing up beverages & other mildly improper culinary secrets.

From the Aji Dulce Pepper (Capsicum chinense) from Venezuela - smoky flavored without the "hot pepper overkill and the sensation of fiery lava flowing through the body" ... to the Zwollsche Krul Celery (Apium graveolens) found in the salt marshes of the Netherlands - a curly leaf celery that falls under the general English category of smallage - parsley & such - used boiling or stewing.

Part of the history of the plants we've cultivated for hundreds of years(What was the Lumper Potato?) is also part of the history of our language of cooking. You will find terms such as landrace or smallage.

The plants which W3 pursues are noncommercial or "backyard" varieties that have been under cultivation for a very long time. They are the real ingredients of peasant cookery & often provide regional cookeries with their distinctive flavors.

Which vegetable delicacy did our Third President set upon his table for his guests? Would you know what Cardoon is? W3 knows & now so do I!

Enough already! Talk about digging for the roots of our roots! A garden book for cooks or a cook's guide to ancient gardens - either way - if you like veggies, you're going to want your own copy of W3's latest!