Beans: A History (Hardcover)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

2008 Winner of the Jane Grigson Food Book Award

 

"Who ever knew that beans were so complicated and interesting. Told in fascinating detail by Ken Albala, Beans, A History, is an instructional book that reads like a novel." -- Chef Charlie Palmer"[A] vividly entertaining history of the humble bean."-- Raymond Blanc, Saveur"Lucky Beans, who have at last found their Homer. Who knew that the history of the Western world and parts of Asia, could be illumined through the evolution of the lowly bean in its multiple forms from fava to soy? No one is better equipped than this skilled historian to wrap history, science, legend, folklore and fakelore in an entertaining narrative that delights while it informs. This is the most digestible bean dish I've ever encountered and all I want is more."--Betty Fussell, author of The Story of Corn and I Hear America Cooking: The Cooks and Recipes of American Regional Cuisine  
"Beans is a lyrical book. It is a tale well told filled with unusual twists and turns with surprises popping up in almost every paragraph."--Andrew F. Smith, editor of the Oxford Encyclopedia of Food and Drink in America

"Here is the first biography of beans, presented by Ken Albala in vivid prose. Gut-buster or aphrodisiac, lowly legume or savior of civilization, the bean is more significant than we ever realized."--Darra Goldstein, the Editor in Chief, Gastronomica

Product Description

Whether refried, baked, falafelled, or complementing a nice Chianti, the humble bean has long been a part of gourmet and everyday food culture around the globe. As Ken Albala shows, though, over its history the bean has enjoyed more controversy than its current ubiquity lets on. From the bean's status as seat of the soul (at least, that's what Pythagoras thought) to seed of sin (or so said St. Jerome, who forbade nuns to eat beans because they "tickle the genitals"), Beans is a ripping tale of a truly magical fruit.

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Product Details Hardcover: 256 pages Publisher: Berg Publishers (September 4, 2007) Language: English ISBN-10: 1845204301 ISBN-13: 978-1845204303 Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #387,170 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?

	73% buy the item featured on this page: Beans: A History 4.0 out of 5 stars (10) $18.21
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Customer Reviews

10 Reviews 5 star:  (3) 4 star:  (4) 3 star:  (3) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.0 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 8 of 10 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read, January 4, 2008 By  Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews Albala's book follows that trend of biographies of food, and while this one is not as good as Mark Kurlansky's "Cod," it was fun wallowing in one of mankind's most basic foodstuffs. This book is loaded with amusing trivia (I especially like that certain African groups play "Russian Roulette" with a toxic bean), but its real value lies in its exploration of the link between beans and poverty. Perhaps no other food -- save the pickled herring or cornmeal mush - has been so linked to hard times or the poor. Albala shows how this link is flipped by those valorizing their roots: If beans are a link to a poorer, more authentic past, then they are also the champion of that group's ethnic pride. 7 of 9 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars Be Surprised by This Book!, January 28, 2008 By  John S. Bowman (Northampton, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    One of the pleasures of reading is to come across a book with subject matter that not only takes you by surprise--but actually defies any expectations you might have based on its title. I mean, who would expect, what would you expect from, a book simply titled: Beans - A History? Well what you get in this instance is an absolutely delightful survey of the role that beans have played in human history. Yes--those beans: baked beans, navy beans, green beans, lima beans, soy beans, fava beans. And then many other familiar foods that we don't necessarily think of as belonging to the bean family--peas, peanuts, chickpeas, lentils. In his wide-ranging and graceful cruise across the millennia and continents, the author manages to combine careful botanical facts with relaxed historical narratives. Almost every page holds some fascinating fact about the role that beans have played in the cultures of the world--some familiar, many unfamiliar. And it's by no means a compendium of curiosities: there are some serious themes and subtle insights running through the book: one such is the way that beans have come to be an indicator of socio-economic classes. It's also right up-to-date on many issues of the day--geneticaly modified food, for instance. Yes, and don't worry--Albala writes with a light touch and doesn't shy away from the inevitable association of beans with flatulence. And as a bonus, you get lots of recipes. In fact, you get your money's worth just treating it as a cookbook, with recipes from many centuries and cultures. In my opinion, Beans--A History takes its place right up there with the best of the recent books that trace a single food through history. 5 of 7 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars Jane Grigson Award, October 21, 2008 By  Kenneth Albala "Ken Albala" (Stockton, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    Beans is the winner of the 2008 International Association of Culinary Professionals Jane Grigson Award and was also a finalist for the food writing award. My apologies for posting a review of my own book, but I saw no other way of getting this information onto amazon. I hope you enjoy it. Ken		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 3.0 out of 5 stars One great shortcoming This book was well-written and comprehensive, hitting on taxonomy, origin, dissemination and use of most bean types around the world. Read more Published 11 months ago by Kurt Heidelberg 3.0 out of 5 stars What is the author's point? I loved Kurlansky's COD and very much liked his SALT. I found Foster and Cordell's "CHILIES TO CHOCOLATE: Food the Americas gave the World" fascinating. Read more Published 12 months ago by Steven Mlodinow 5.0 out of 5 stars Praise for Beans This book was excellent. It provided detailed information about the history of the domestication of several members of the Fabaceae. Read more Published 19 months ago by Chase W. Beck 5.0 out of 5 stars 5 star Fun Informative book We are a bean eating family, where beans are consumed 3-4 times per week in some form. We used to go to the Bean Festival down in Tracy, CA so we never get tired of eating or... Read more Published 21 months ago by MotherLodeBeth 4.0 out of 5 stars A Paean to Beans This is a wonderful book that is both scholarly and entertaining, a good read as well as a valuable reference work. Read more Published 21 months ago by C. T. Sen 4.0 out of 5 stars BEANS ABOUT BEANS HOME BEANS ABOUT BEANS: A HISTORY Also Beans' Biographies By Ken Albala Reviews by Marty Martindale Review by... Read more Published 22 months ago by M. L Martindale 3.0 out of 5 stars A good read but a bit one sided Overall, this is quite a readable and informative book. It provides a good overview of the diversity of beans and their food uses in different cultures. Read more Published 22 months ago by Derek Byerlee Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Berg Publishers (September 4, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1845204301
• ISBN-13: 978-1845204303
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.8 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #387,170 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Fun Read, January 4, 2008

By	Hunter Angler Gardener Cook (Sacramento, CA) - See all my reviews

Albala's book follows that trend of biographies of food, and while this one is not as good as Mark Kurlansky's "Cod," it was fun wallowing in one of mankind's most basic foodstuffs. This book is loaded with amusing trivia (I especially like that certain African groups play "Russian Roulette" with a toxic bean), but its real value lies in its exploration of the link between beans and poverty. Perhaps no other food -- save the pickled herring or cornmeal mush - has been so linked to hard times or the poor. Albala shows how this link is flipped by those valorizing their roots: If beans are a link to a poorer, more authentic past, then they are also the champion of that group's ethnic pride.

7 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Be Surprised by This Book!, January 28, 2008

By	John S. Bowman (Northampton, MA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

One of the pleasures of reading is to come across a book with subject matter that not only takes you by surprise--but actually defies any expectations you might have based on its title. I mean, who would expect, what would you expect from, a book simply titled: Beans - A History? Well what you get in this instance is an absolutely delightful survey of the role that beans have played in human history. Yes--those beans: baked beans, navy beans, green beans, lima beans, soy beans, fava beans. And then many other familiar foods that we don't necessarily think of as belonging to the bean family--peas, peanuts, chickpeas, lentils. In his wide-ranging and graceful cruise across the millennia and continents, the author manages to combine careful botanical facts with relaxed historical narratives. Almost every page holds some fascinating fact about the role that beans have played in the cultures of the world--some familiar, many unfamiliar. And it's by no means a compendium of curiosities: there are some serious themes and subtle insights running through the book: one such is the way that beans have come to be an indicator of socio-economic classes. It's also right up-to-date on many issues of the day--geneticaly modified food, for instance. Yes, and don't worry--Albala writes with a light touch and doesn't shy away from the inevitable association of beans with flatulence. And as a bonus, you get lots of recipes. In fact, you get your money's worth just treating it as a cookbook, with recipes from many centuries and cultures. In my opinion, Beans--A History takes its place right up there with the best of the recent books that trace a single food through history.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Jane Grigson Award, October 21, 2008

By	Kenneth Albala "Ken Albala" (Stockton, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Beans is the winner of the 2008 International Association of Culinary Professionals Jane Grigson Award and was also a finalist for the food writing award.

My apologies for posting a review of my own book, but I saw no other way of getting this information onto amazon. I hope you enjoy it. Ken