Edible: An Illustrated Guide to the World's Food Plants

by National Geographic Society

A natural choice for the millions of people turning to a healthier lifestyle, this book invites readers on a sumptuously illustrated walk through the world garden to discover the story of some 250 food plants from field to table. Illustrated with more than 500 images and written by top international horticultural and culinary experts, the sumptuous Edible explores the origins, history, and contemporary cultural and culinary uses of fruits, vegetables, nuts, grains, beverage plants, herbs, and spices. A rich introduction begins the book, revealing early agriculture and our "green" future. Then an eight-chapter "Food Directory" cameos individual plants, with reader friendly layouts framing each entry’s biography, botanical description, culinary role, and healing powers. In addition to the lively and authoritative narrative, Edible intrigues readers with layers of information: literary quotes, boxes on ancient origins of exotic foods, political underpinnings, nutritional values, longstanding remedies, and more. Tantalizing anecdotes dip into such diverse topics as the Japanese Cherry Festival; cacao, Mayan "food of the gods;" and the 17th-century Nutmeg Wars, which determined New York’s future. A glossary and index complete the book.

The National Geographic Desk Reference to Nature’s Medicine has proven itself a steady sales record. With huge appeal for both the health-conscious and the legions of devotees who follow today’s chefs in the media, Edible is a recipe for success.

Genres: Food, Reference, Nonfiction, Gardening, Science, Cooking, Nature

360 pages, Hardcover

First published November 18, 2008

About the author

The National Geographic Society (NGS), headquartered in Washington, D.C., United States, is one of the largest nonprofit scientific and educational organizations in the world.
Founded in 1888, its interests include geography, archaeology, and natural science, the promotion of environmental and historical conservation, and the study of world culture and history. The National Geographic Society's logo is a yellow portrait frame—rectangular in shape—which appears on the margins surrounding the front covers of its magazines and as its television channel logo. Through National Geographic Partners (a joint venture with The Walt Disney Company), the Society operates the magazine, TV channels, a website, worldwide events, and other media operations.

Reviews

[Petra X · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautiful book and everything in it can be eaten too. A vegetarian gardener's dream. If I didn't live in an untameable rain forest, or if I did but could afford a gardener a couple of times a week to keep the bush back, I would try and grow so many of these plants. As it is I make do with what's in the 'garden' - the wild fruit trees or ones planted by people who lived here before.

I have mango, papaya, breadfruit, orange, mammey apple, lime, carob, pomme sirette and carob trees. Lots of coconut palms and guava bushes as well. In town, by my shop where it is hotter and drier there are bananas, sugar apples and the disgusting noni fruit. Hog plums, almonds, guineps, passionfruit and sea grapes grow wild everywhere. Quite a lot really.

Wild (or at least not planted by me) free fruit tastes immeasurably better than food I have to pay for and its nice to have a book that identifies some of the more unusual plants I only knew the local name of before, although I still haven't found out what a hog plum is properly called.

[Lisa Vegan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I took nearly 11 months to read this book. While I wish I’d taken notes and better remembered everything I read, I enjoyed reading the book this way. I ended up really loving the book.

Since I started going vegan nearly a quarter century ago, my diet has become much more varied than it ever was when I ate as a lacto-ovo vegetarian and, before that, as an omnivore. But I was astounded by how many edible plants are in this book that were completely unfamiliar to me. Tons of them!

I love food and I love reading about food. I love the history of food too. So, this book was just my cup of tea.

It’s a gorgeous book with beautiful photos and interesting paintings and other artwork. Even though it’s information heavy, it could also work as a coffee table book.

I enjoyed the organization. For each type of food, there is a general introduction, then for each specific food, in addition to the photo(s), covered are historical origins, botanical facts, and culinary fare. Each food has its scientific name listed under it. There are all sorts of other delightful tidbits of information for many of the plants. The sections are organized differently, depending on the type of plant product. For instance, the vegetables are in sections: root vegetables, leaf vegetables, and vegetable fruits and seeds, of which legumes are listed in the latter section.

I really appreciated the short “green” section.

The reference section is good too. There is nutritional information for foods in the fruits, vegetables, nuts, and grains sections. I enjoyed the fun to read and useful glossary; it seemed there was some unique information there, but it’s probably because my memory of some of the book is nearly a year old.

I’m glad I read it cover to cover, lingering over some of my favorite plant foods/plants and plants unfamiliar to me and ones that had particularly absorbing coverage. That was much of the book. Now, I’m so glad I own this book because I will go back at times and for various reasons again look up specific plants.

I’m not a gardener (unfortunately) but if I were I’d definitely use this book to see which plants would be most likely to thrive in my area. General information about that, climate and other facts, are given for each plant.

It’s probably just as well I didn’t take notes as I read. I’d probably fill this review with pages of fascinating facts from so many pages.

It’s not a perfect book. I actually noticed some missing edible plants. And I didn’t like the smiling coffee bean hand harvester since, while the smile may have been genuine, I don’t think those workers are smiling on the job all the time; it’s hard work. Also, as a vegan, while I perfectly understood the inclusions, I didn't enjoy the examples given of plant foods paired with animal foods. I can’t give it less than 5 stars though. Its appearance and the plethora of information it contains, not to mention the subject matter, make this an exceptionally fine book.

Anyone interested in plant foods, botany, history, world cultures, gardening, and/or beautiful photography should be able to greatly appreciate this book.

Contents:

Foreword

Part One: From Plants to Food:
Gatherers to Growers
Staple Foods
Food Trade, Exploration, and Conquest
High-Flying Foods
Green Future

Part Two: A Directory of Edible Plants:
Fruits
Vegetables
Grains
Nuts
Herbs
Spices
Plants Used in Beverages
Plant Sugars and Other Products

Reference Section:
Nutritional Tables
Glossary
Index

[Lucy · Rating 5 out of 5]

fantastic book! covers vegetables and fruit, both the utterly familiar and the completely unknown. Most entries have at least one photo, some have more, a few have none. Great photos though, as can be expected from National Geographic. Grouped into fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, herbs, spices, plants used in beverages, plant sugars and other products. Includes where it's from, where it's currently grown, how it's used. Other information includes history. Highly Recommended.
It takes quite a long time to read the whole thing and I've forgotten quite a bit. But it's worth re-reading. I wish I had a copy of my own to refer to.
bilimbi? peach palm? elephant apple? They're all here and lots more.
I'd give this more than 5 stars if I could.

[Cindy Dyson Eitelman · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first section, on fruits, was awesome. The foreword was good too, very good--all the info about agriculture, the Fertile Crescent, the Americas...darn. Just writing this makes me want to go re-read it. Nothing "big" that I didn't already know, but a beautiful fairy tale for a dedicated gardener.

Basically each major fruit received a one or two-page spread, with less common ones getting a half-page. For reasons unknown they didn't mention that there are a lot more varieties of bananas available that just the single grocery store variety we know. (And they taste better.) But, sadly, I'm still not sure what that really delicious fruit I ate on Oahu was. My best guess is a cultivated variety of Custard Apple. Next time I go to the Islands, I'm trying every fruit I see.

The book's treatment of vegetables was just a bit disappointing, and then it went on to to herbs and beverage plants and grains and sugars, and all of these were given short shrift, IMHO. Only two pages for corn? I wanted more!

Which is just plain silly of me. The subject matter would have filled an encyclopedia and this was just a single book. A nice, big book with pictures out the gazoodle. I liked, I very much liked. If I could afford a big library this would be in it.

[Mansour · Rating 4 out of 5]

رویای هر آنکه گیاه همی خورَد و جانور نیازارد

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a good book though not all the plants had pictures.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book to have around the kitchen. I love reading it during breakfast. The introduction is thorough and covers the history of food starting from ancient times and concludes with modern agriculture. The majority of the book documents pictures, histories, and uses of plants consumed around the world. This is a beautiful and informative tome -- a must-have for people interested in plants and/or food!

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book with beautiful color photos of just about any food plant you can imagine. It starts with an in-depth history of food and concerns for the future. Also includes a reference section and glossary.

[Mckinley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely book.