Berries: A Global History

Edible

by Heather Arndt Anderson

Cheerfully offering themselves to passersby, berries have been juicy staples of the human diet for millennia. They are good luck charms and amulets to some, portents of doom to others. They inspire everything from lip gloss flavors to amusement parks (Knott’s Berry Farm, anyone?)—but eat some varieties and your days will be numbered. We create special bowls and spoons for their presentation and consumption, and without them, there would be no Neapolitan ice cream, and jam would be nothing but a marmalade (though oranges are technically berries, too). However diminutive their stature, berries are of such significance to Northern and Eastern Europeans that picking them in the wild is deemed “everyman’s right,” an act interwoven with cultural identity.

In Berries , Heather Arndt Anderson uncovers the offbeat stories of how humans came to love these tiny, bewildering fruits. Readers meet the inventor of thornless brambles; learn ancient fables and berry-lore; discover berries’ uses in both poisonous witches’ brews and modern superfood health crazes. Featuring a selection of historic and original recipes for berry lovers to try, this is a witty and lushly illustrated ramble through the curious history of our favorite fruits, from interlopers like strawberries ( not true berries) to the real tomatoes.

Genres: History, Food, Nonfiction, Cookbooks, Food and Drink, Cooking

176 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

About the author

Heather Arndt Anderson is a Portland, Oregon-based writer. She writes about food and culinary history.

Heather is the author of Berries: A Global History, Chillies: A Global History, Portland: A Food Biography (Baltimore: Rowman & Littlefield Studies in Food and Gastronomy, 2014) and Breakfast: A History (Baltimore: AltaMira, 2013). She is a contributing writer to the magazines ,i.TASTE, Portlnad Monthly, Render Feminist Food & Culture Quarterly and Roads & Kingdoms, and Narratively.

Reviews

[Nefertari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Can we get Heather Anderson to write more of these histories? Some writers approach these subjects as if it’s a stable to be mucked out - Anderson makes them fun, accessible, and doesn’t hold back with a wry sense of humor that keeps this little history humming.

[R · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book covers a remarkably number of broad ranging facts on berries. For example, the first prototype of the frisbee was a tin pie plate made by a berry pie company named Frisbie in CT. However, the author makes no effort to draw themes, and it reads somewhat like an encyclopedia. It reads like: this is what the Jews did, here is the berry dessert of the Nordic countries, Driscolls created a private research institute during WWII when California bureaucrats shifted their focus from berries to wheat, here’s when a Roman Emperor was poisoned to death with nightshade berries.

[Emma Demopoulos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading books like this is why I’m obnoxious at parties, starting every sentence with “did you know?” Or “actually…”. Lord help me. Anyway, it’s a quick, excellent overview of berry history. I was utterly obsessed with the first couple chapters, but as the book went on the author’s poor jokes and opinions began to grate on me. Who has a giant stick up their ass about blueberry bagels?? Like relax. People are allowed to like things.

[Ginny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Local author gives the amazing history of berries. Perfect for the Pacific Northwest which has an abundance of berries. The the botany of berries, through the many varieties: from blueberry, elderberry, gooseberry, mulberry, and more, to the lore about berries. This is a fascinating history of berries and why they are so loved.

[Sesana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Maybe it's because I love berries so much, but I really enjoyed reading this one. Tons of information, and I like Anderson's writing style.

[Amalie · Rating 1 out of 5]

I lost all faith in the information in this book when it claimed that the Danish "Rødgrød med fløde" was served with a vanilla sauce.

[Berna Labourdette · Rating 4 out of 5]

De la misma autora había leído su libro sobre el ají en marzo de 2023  Chillies: A Global History y me había gustado mucho, así que para seguir con la colección Edible de Reaktion Books, opté por este. Y es también un muy buen compendio de todas las bayas comestibles que existen, sumando las comidas que se preparan con ellas y las tradiciones y los mitos que las relacionan (especialmente para los pueblos nativo norteamericanos).