Overview

The history of humankind is intimately tied to the history of agriculture: powerful societies rose, persisted and waned in parallel with their food supply systems. Describing what crops were grown, the constraints on their production and the foods that were obtained, this book traces the impact of cropping and food preparation in ten societies that were among the most powerful and influential in history, detailing how technology varied and developed as it related directly to agriculture and food production. The book covers the background of agricultural development, early agricultural societies, and the advancement of technology from the ancient Greeks and Romans to the present. It finishes by addressing the implications for the future of agriculture and food supply as grain production moves towards biofuels. A compelling text for all those interested in the history of society and civilisations, global agriculture, and what it means for the future, this text is also an essential reference for students of agriculture, food technology, history and anthropology.

Full Product Details

Author:   Thomas Sinclair (University of Florida, USA) ,  Carol Sinclair (Independent Researcher, North Carolina, USA)
Publisher:   CABI Publishing
Imprint:   CABI Publishing
Dimensions:   Width: 14.80cm , Height: 1.80cm , Length: 21.00cm
Weight:   0.460kg
ISBN:  

9781845937058

ISBN 10:   1845937058
Pages:   208
Publication Date:   29 June 2010
Audience:   College/higher education ,  Professional and scholarly ,  Tertiary & Higher Education ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   Out of stock  
The supplier is temporarily out of stock of this item. It will be ordered for you on backorder and shipped when it becomes available.

Table of Contents

Part I: Background Chapter 1: Why Agriculture? Chapter 2: What Crops to Grow? Chapter 3: Beer and Bread Chapter 4: Human Nutrition and Health Chapter 5: Cropping Requirements Part II: Early Agricultural Societies Chapter 6: Sumerian (~3500 to 2334 BCE) Chapter 7: Egyptian (~3000 to 1070 BCE) Chapter 8: Chinese (206 BCE to 220 CE) Chapter 9: Bantu of Africa (~500 BCE to 300 CE) Chapter 10: Maya (~150 BCE to 910 CE) Part III: Technology Advances in Western Societies Chapter 11: Athenians (550 to 334 BCE) / Romans (509 BCE to 410 CE) Chapter 12: Feudal Europeans (800 to 1347) Chapter 13: British (1700 to 1850) Chapter 14: Development of Science and Technology (1850 to 1950) Chapter 15: Americans (1950 to present) A: Epilogue: Future of Grain Fermentation

Reviews

This stimulating and easy to read book should appeal to a general readership, including agriculturalists, anthropologists, historians and food technologists. --N. L. Innes (01/01/2011) Bread, Beer and the Seeds of Change is more than just a mere history or sociology text for discussions in a college classroom. The book is also an interesting read for the casual reader. I found the insets used throughout the book provided readers with a wealth of interesting insights into agriculture and sociology. A word of warning; this book may take a while for some to read, especially, those who happen to be beer connoisseurs. I experienced an unexplainable thirst for beer starting with Chapter Four after reading a recipe and instructions for brewing credited to George Washington. All readers may not have this problem, but for me I thoroughly enjoyed reading Bread, Beer and the Seeds of Change, with a bottle of beer close at hand. --Homer C. Emery Economic Botany

Concise and clearly written... The authors use their considerable expertise in crop sciences and nutrition to present a simplified, but reasonably comprehensive, description of the agronomy of grain crops, the processing of such crops for different foods, and some of the historical development of grains and related foods. -- Agricultural History (11/1/2011 12:00:00 AM) This stimulating and easy to read book should appeal to a general readership, including agriculturalists, anthropologists, historians and food technologists. --N. L. Innes (1/1/2011 12:00:00 AM) This work is a readable history of one of humankind's fundamental staples... Its straightforward approach makes it an engaging survey of the evolution of a basic food source. Summing Up: Recommended -- Choice (4/1/2011 12:00:00 AM) Bread, Beer and the Seeds of Change is more than just a mere history or sociology text for discussions in a college classroom. The book is also an interesting read for the casual reader. I found the insets used throughout the book provided readers with a wealth of interesting insights into agriculture and sociology. A word of warning; this book may take a while for some to read, especially, those who happen to be beer connoisseurs. I experienced an unexplainable thirst for beer starting with Chapter Four after reading a recipe and instructions for brewing credited to George Washington. All readers may not have this problem, but for me I thoroughly enjoyed reading Bread, Beer and the Seeds of Change, with a bottle of beer close at hand. --Homer C. Emery Economic Botany

Concise and clearly written... The authors use their considerable expertise in crop sciences and nutrition to present a simplified, but reasonably comprehensive, description of the agronomy of grain crops, the processing of such crops for different foods, and some of the historical development of grains and related foods. -- (11/01/2011) This work is a readable history of one of humankind's fundamental staples... Its straightforward approach makes it an engaging survey of the evolution of a basic food source. Summing Up: Recommended -- (04/01/2011) This stimulating and easy to read book should appeal to a general readership, including agriculturalists, anthropologists, historians and food technologists. --N. L. Innes (01/01/2011) Bread, Beer and the Seeds of Change is more than just a mere history or sociology text for discussions in a college classroom. The book is also an interesting read for the casual reader. I found the insets used throughout the book provided readers with a wealth of interesting insights into agriculture and sociology. A word of warning; this book may take a while for some to read, especially, those who happen to be beer connoisseurs. I experienced an unexplainable thirst for beer starting with Chapter Four after reading a recipe and instructions for brewing credited to George Washington. All readers may not have this problem, but for me I thoroughly enjoyed reading Bread, Beer and the Seeds of Change, with a bottle of beer close at hand. --Homer C. Emery Economic Botany

Author Information

Ms. Sinclair has a lifetime interest in foods and nutrition. She has lived and traveled in many countries of the world exploring local methods in food preparation and the cuisine of the countries. The basis for these foods and the variation in cuisine has been of special interest. She has been involved in organizing menus to facilitate new experiences of a range of foods and food preparation. Exploration of historical approaches to food was a natural extension of this interest.

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