The nature of crops : how we came to eat the plants we do

192 Pages·2015·3.679 MB·English

by  Warren, John

THE NATURE OF CROPS
How we came to eat the plants we do
“Written by a natural story-teller, this book is a ‘must’ for anyone serious
about botany and the importance of plants to people, and that includes
historians, ethno-botanists, anthropologists, archaeologists and
geographers, not mention the odd chef, ‘foodie’ or even ‘fashionista’! It
is a very readable book, packed with interesting and useful information,
exploring and clearly explaining the cool science behind the development
of the plants that sustain us.”
Dr Tim Pettitt, Eden Project

“Examining one of the most fundamental, yet overlooked questions in
botany, agriculture and food, John Warren reveals the knife edge of crops
upon which all of humanity balances. This book is a journey of discovery
behind the contents of our dinner plates. Astute, funny and eye-opening, it
is essential reading for serious plant geeks & curious foodies alike.”
James Wong, Ethno-botanist & Broadcaster

“John Warren tells astonishing stories in this book – often funny,
sometimes alarming, and always riveting. Together they give an eye-
opening, mind-opening perspective into history, botany, anthropology,
and how we live now.”
Dr Peter Wakelin, Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales

“This well researched and engagingly written book takes us on a
fascinating journey of discovery and pleasure. It provides new insights
into the process of crop domestication and reveals much about why we eat
the plants that we do.”
Dr Colin Clubbe, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew

“This book is a fun and informative romp through the history of our
favourite crops but it has an important message. With 80% of our calories
coming from just 12 plants and an increasing similarity in the plants eaten
throughout the world, is our diet sustainable? It’s high time to look at the
history of our current crops and to consider our food supply for the
future.”
Dr Natasha de Vere, National Botanic Garden of Wales
THE NATURE OF CROPS
How we came to eat the plants we do

John M. Warren
The Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural
Sciences, Aberystwyth University, UK
CABI is a trading name of CAB International

CABI CABI
Nosworthy Way 38 Chauncy Street
Wallingford Suite 1002
Oxfordshire OX10 8DE Boston, MA 02111
UK USA

Tel: [phone] Tel: [phone] (toll free)
Fax: [phone] E-mail: [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.cabi.org

© John Warren, 2015. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may
be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronically, mechanically,
by photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of
the copyright owners.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library,
London, UK.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Warren, John, 1962- author. The nature of crops : how we came to eat the
plants we do / Dr. John M. Warren, Director of Learning and Teaching in
the Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences,
Aberystwyth University, UK. pages cm. Includes index.
ISBN 978-1-78064-508-7 (hardback : alk. paper) -- ISBN 978-1-78064-
509-4 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Food crops--History. I. Title.

SB175.W37 2015
633--dc23
2014046530

ISBN-13: 978 1 78064 508 7 (hbk)
978 1 78064 509 4 (pbk)

Commissioning editor: Rachel Cutts and Joris Roulleau
Assistant editor: Alexandra Lainsbury
Production editor: Shankari Wilford

Printed and bound in the UK from copy supplied by the authors by CPI
Group (UK) Ltd, Croydon, CR0 4YY.
Contents

About the Author vii
Acknowledgements viii

1. Introduction, the nature of natural 1
What does domestication involve?
Peanuts, Rye, Tomato

2. Wild things 19
Recently domesticated crops and crops that have returned
to the wild:
Cranberries, Huckleberries, Currants, Kiwifruits, Cacao,
Cashew nuts, Pistachio nuts, Cabbages

3. Learning to live with exotic sexual practices 44
How plant breeding systems limit domestication:
Vanilla, Beans, Figs, Hops, Avocados, Papayas, Carrots

4. Storing up trouble 65
Plants with storage organs:
Cassava, Yams, Potatoes, Taro, Akees, Onions

5. The weird and wonderful 83
Herbs, spices and crops with exotic phytochemicals:
Wasabi, Chillies, Saffron, Herbs, Willow, Tobacco,
Cannabis, Durians

6. Accidents of history 103
The role of chance events in domestication:
Strawberries, Wheats, Bananas, Citrus, Rhubarb
7. Classic combinations and recurring themes 118
Plant families that have been repeatedly domesticated:
Grains, Legumes, Pumpkins, Spinaches

8. Ownership and theft 133
How the economic value of crops has influenced their
domestication:
Breadfruits, Sugarcanes, Cloves, Rubber, Tea, Coffee,
Mulberries, Monkey Puzzles, Artichokes, Pineapples

9. Fifty shades of green 159
Nutrient rich crops and the next generation:
Clovers, Ryegrass

Index 171
About the Author

Professor John Warren has a PhD based on a study of the sex-life of
Groundsel (a weed, whose Latin name translates as, the common old
man). From there he went on to, quite literally sow wild oats, at the
University of Liverpool (while never fully understanding the origin of the
phrase). He has been employed as a geneticist working on the international
gene-bank for cacao at the University of the West Indies, Trinidad. More
recently he has worked on topics as diverse as the ecological implications
of exotic genes escaping into wild populations of gooseberries, why
flowers wave in the breeze and what extra petals in buttercups can tell us
about the age of meadows. John Warren is Director of Learning and
Teaching at the Institute of Biological Environmental and Rural Sciences
at Aberystwyth University, where he lectures on conservation in an
agricultural context while enjoying growing and eating a wide range of
fruits and vegetables.
Acknowledgements

The stories re-told in this volume have been imbibed during many
enjoyable encounters, talking about science with so many enthusiastic
plant biologists that they are too numerous to name individually. All these
inspirational and informative friends deserve thanks. These remarkable
people work across the entire rich spectrum of the plant sciences. They are
dedicated to identifying, researching, conserving, and improving plant
genetic diversity. While doing these important jobs, they also find time to
inspire the next generation of aspiring botanists; in the hope their work
will be continued into the distant future.

Particular thanks must go to Professors Noel Ellis, Will Haresign,
Chris Pollock and Sid Thomas, for reading through the completed
manuscript and curbing my more exuberant tendencies to embellish a
storyline, by directing me towards more solid scientific foundations. I
would also like to acknowledge the help of Natasha de Vere and Evan
Pearson, at the National Botanic Garden of Wales for helping establish the
blog on which this book is loosely based. A personal thank you goes to my
family, for proof reading the first rough drafts of each chapter and to
Frances Stoakley for editing the final document.

Dedication
This book is dedicated to all the teachers and plant breeders of the world,
who between them feed our minds and bellies. Both these professions are
frequently misunderstood and underappreciated. In reality they are
overwhelmingly motivated by the altruistic desire to make the world a
better place. To all of them, I say – thank you.
1

Introduction,

the nature of natural

The entire raison d'être of this book is to try and ascertain why we eat so
few of the plant species that are available to us on Earth. In attempting
this feat the first chapter tries to establish whether our impoverished diet
is a new phenomenon. The evidence suggests that our ancestral diets
differed greatly between cultures and although some of these may have
been more diverse than our own, many others would have been more
monotonous. Throughout this book different elements of the problem are
tackled by exploring crop biographies as case studies. In this first chapter
this approach reveals that over the history of crop domestication, humans
have successfully and repeatedly solved one of the most significant
problems involved in transforming wild plants into crops, which is how to
avoid being poisoned. This was achieved by a number of methods: by
selecting plants that contain lower levels of toxic chemicals, by adapting
our own biology to be better able to digest these new foods stuffs and
finally by inventing methods of processing plant materials which make
them safer to eat. These issues will re-emerge and are covered in greater
depth in subsequent chapters.

Scientists at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew have estimated that the
number of species of plants alive on the earth today is probably in excess
of 400,000. Of these it is thought that many more than half of them could
be considered edible to humans. It is entirely possible that we could eat an
amazing 300,000 plant species. However, the reality is that we only
consume a tiny fraction of what is possible. Homo sapiens, which is the
most cosmopolitan of all species and one that thrives by virtue of being a
©CAB International 2015. The nature of crops: how we came to eat the plants we do 1
(J.M. Warren)