The Carrot Purple and Other Curious Stories of the Food We Eat. Denker, Joel S. London: Rowman & Littlefield, 2015. 315 pages, including Bibliography and Index.

Main Article Content

Kim D. Stryker

Abstract

Joel S. Denker is a food writer and historian based in the Washington, D.C. area, who has published two other books on food as well as reported for the Boston Globe and The Washington Post. In this book, The Carrot Purple, he has compiled interesting anecdotes about the origins and varied uses of some of the foods we commonly eat. Organized alphabetically, from anise to watermelon, Denker has selected “curious stories” of herbs, fruits, vegetables and nuts. Using a wide range of historical sources, Denker uncovers how these crops found their way from ancient Caucasian forests and Persian orchards and onto our modern grocery shelves. In the author’s words, the “journey of foods from obscurity to familiarity” (Denker 2015:3).

Article Details

Section
Reviews