Fruit from the Sands: The Silk Road Origins of the Foods We Eat

by Robert N. Spengler III

"A comprehensive and entertaining historical and botanical review, providing an enjoyable and cognitive read.”— Nature

The foods we eat have a deep and often surprising past. From almonds and apples to tea and rice, many foods that we consume today have histories that can be traced out of prehistoric Central Asia along the tracks of the Silk Road to kitchens in Europe, America, China, and elsewhere in East Asia. The exchange of goods, ideas, cultural practices, and genes along these ancient routes extends back five thousand years, and organized trade along the Silk Road dates to at least Han Dynasty China in the second century BC. Balancing a broad array of archaeological, botanical, and historical evidence,  Fruit from the Sands  presents the fascinating story of the origins and spread of agriculture across Inner Asia and into Europe and East Asia. Through the preserved remains of plants found in archaeological sites, Robert N. Spengler III identifies the regions where our most familiar crops were domesticated and follows their routes as people carried them around the world. With vivid examples,  Fruit from the Sands  explores how the foods we eat have shaped the course of human history and transformed cuisines all over the globe.

Genres: History, Food, Nonfiction, Food and Drink, Gastronomy, Anthropology, Biology

392 pages, Hardcover

Published July 23, 2019

Reviews

[Robin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I finished it, but it wasn’t easy. Luckily, it did get better towards the end, when the chapters became smaller and more concise, and the theoretical musings shorter. The concept of common US foods like apples, peaches, wheat, and tea coming across ancient Silk Roads fascinates me. However, Fruit from the Sands’ dry, scientific tone reminded the boring way that history was taught in my schooldays.

Author Spengler uses deductive reasoning, that is, presenting all of the theories that have been disproven before getting to the currently accepted truths. This could have been simplified, for example by using bulleted lists and maps. The format fills the pages with large paragraphs and blocky text, with no white space to speak of, which further induces boredom.

This isn’t a book for beginners to learn about the Silk Road and its traded wares. The two maps match only tiny parts of the text, and ancient town names are thrown about as if they are common knowledge. One must know quite a bit about various empires and rulers to get something out of it.

From the title, I expected a virtual walk through history with each grain and fruit along the Silk Roads. However, it was more like tracing all of the theories about a particular food’s origin through time.

If you’re an expert on European, Middle Eastern and Chinese history, and are curious about theories of the origins of common foods, this book might spark some interest.

[Dale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robin's review is not far off the mark but I did find it much more interesting than she did. The author is an expert in the field and is not going to paint with a broad brush. I plan on reading the journals of the explorers and travelers from the 19th century that the author references and uses as source material. There is something about this kind of history that I enjoy; so much is lost that the most minute physical evidence or offhand remark by an ancient writer becomes important. I am glad that I was able to read this one.

[jandro · Rating 4 out of 5]

i wish i remember when i started this book. what i can tell you is that the narrator is quite monotonous and it took me >1 month to listen to the audiobook.
that being said, the book is fascinating. provides an excellent overview of food origins and debunked much of what i knew. also briefly covers new world food travels (e.g. how tomatoes and potatoes are actually from south america, not europe)
did you know spaghetti is really from asia? wheat originated in asia.
did you know apples are actually from tajikistan? fascinating.
did you know modern-day european wine grapes are actually texan? in the 1800s, there was a blight that struck european wine grapes -- and it was resolved by breeding them with texan cultivars, which had natural resistance. so fascinating!
definitely made me wish i paid more attention in global history in high school, but my professor was awful and rude.
regardless, it's a good book to bring up to europeans who believe their food is better than america / the rest of the world.

[Betsy]

Very list-y and the narrator's voice had the same pitch as road noise. Sleep inducing and not a good car trip listen.

[Fern · Rating 3 out of 5]

Curious about the topic. But the book's pretty academic with - literally - grocery lists of species and genus. Lots of information, but delivery is a bit dry.

[Payal Patel · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars, interesting subject matter but let down by very dry, academic-style writing. This felt more like a proper academic book with research papers as references rather than a book to be enjoyed by regular people. Those who are interested in or studying this particular subject will definitely find this more helpful and fascinating.

[Charlie Miksicek · Rating 4 out of 5]

I agree with many of the other reader's comments. Robert's book, which I just reviewed for the journal Economic Botany, is written for an academic audience. For a more accessible treatment of this topic, check out Gary Paul Nabhan's "Cumin, Camels, and Caravans: A Spice Odyssey" (2014). One of the challenges we sciencey types face is that we aren't always very good at presenting the results of our research to the general public.

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did not finish. Despite the intriguing subject matter, the author’s writing and the publisher’s editing left me feeling lost and disappointed.

I’m no scientist, archaeologist, or academic. I do know a little about Eurasia. And I love food. Unfortunately, instead of leading the reader on a rollicking apple-filled journey along the silk road, the author rehashes decades-old academic debates and piles out on bland lists of dates, places, and crops. More troubling to me was his breezy treatment of the history of the region which was riddled with inaccuracies, blanket statements, and spelling errors that made me question his knowledge of the material. It doesn’t help that many details are /sloppily repeated throughout the book.

I gave the book two stars because maybe someone with a deep interest in archaeology or botany could find this a useful reference. I wish the author, who is clearly deeply engaged with the material, had found a better editor/publisher to help him edit and focus this book. As it stands, struggling through these sands, for the average reader, is fruitless.

[ArielEve · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been a really fascinating book but author is clearly an academic researcher, not a writer. Like another review said, this book is mostly lists of plants and the scientific names, not interesting anecdotes or facts about how these plants traveled along the silk road. I would have been more interested to learn how the plants and seeds were traded for other goods or even how people spread them to other places. Great for someone doing an academic paper but not an entertaining read. All in all, pretty disappointing.

If you want a better recommendation for food history check out "The Carrot Purple and Other Curious Stories of the Food We Eat" by Joel S. Denker.

[Shrike58 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, there is no denying that the author covers the subject at hand; at least I got a lot out of it. On the other, the pretty packaging might lead you to believe that this is going to be more of a cultural than a technical study. The cultural side of matters is covered, but Spengler devotes a good forty percent of this book to technical chapters explaining what archaeology tells us about the subject (on a food by food basis), and it's really grad-school level material. Keep that in mind if you were actually planning on buying this work.

[Alexander Blevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

Interesting book for those of us who just like to know weird stuff about our everyday world. Spengler unwinds the common thread in most of our domestic foods: They were cultivated, hybridized, carried, bartered, developed, and sold along the trans-Eurasian trade routes collectively known as the Silk Road in the first millennia BC. It is hard to shop in the produce section of Piggly Wiggly and buy something that was not profoundly influenced by the Silk Road.

[Ginny Martinez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Being married to a professor, I understand how some books are written in an academic style for other scholars. Didn't know this was going to be written that way--not quite what this foods/nutrition woman was looking for. Still found it interesting. Had my homemade map of the ancient Silk Road by my side while reading. 10/25

[MaryJo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Robert Spengler is an archaeobotantist, and this is a fairly technical book, although entirely accessible t0 a lay reader who is interested in following his patient investigations of ancient plants, seed by seed.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting, though very technical.

[paperbackfruit · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.45

Very interesting and insightful. Great for my current research project regarding the Silk Road!

[mantareads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fascinating and important book. I was reminded again how seemingly mundane trade and "botanical exchange", when seen from a longer perspective, creates armies, cultures, and empires.

[Kerry Shoji · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have an interest in food origins and I wanted to like this book. It was interesting, but not enough to grab my attention and continue beyond Page 40.

[Sydney · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am not sure why but I had a really hard time grasping anything in this book. It's fairly accessible, but I could not process anything.

[Shahna · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's not much to say.
I read it for school.

[Eleanor · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this for class, it was fine. Now I know a lot about food on the Silk Road and free-threshing grains.

[Keith · Rating 2 out of 5]

An interesting subject, but sadly a tedious writer!

[Bill Hice · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is possibly the most boring book I've ever read. I don't think it is the fault of the book, but of my intelligence.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

[Charlie Miksicek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fruits of the Sand is a ethnobotanical odyssey exploring the cornucopia of foods that traveled along the Silk Road. Using documentary sources, linguistics, archaeology, and genetics he recounts the stories of rice (and other grains), apples, melons, peaches (and other fruits), spices, and tea that crossed the high steppes of Central Asia before arriving on your table. It is a somewhat technical book, more for reference than relaxation. For a sample, academic publications, and glorious illustrations, visit Robert Spengler's website https://robertnspengler.com/. You might like "Ancient Cannabis Smoking in Western China", a recent article.