Scan barcode
A review by hilaritas
Beans: A History by Ken Albala
3.0
The subject of this book is really interesting, as so many civilizations have depended on one or more cultivar of bean for cheap and plentiful sustenance. Each chapter of the book ostensibly describes one type of bean, although in practice there are a lot of half-baked odds and ends tossed into the ends of some chapters. The fundamental takeaway from the book is that beans have been looked down upon as food for the poor through most of human history, although they are occasionally elevated to the status of delicacies by the ultra-rich who have no fear that dining on such fare will taint them with associations of poverty. The exception to the rule is Asia, where soy has long been processed beyond all recognition into a variety of condiments and comestibles. The author provides short recipes at certain spots, usually drawn from historical sources but sometimes seemingly concocted by the author himself.
The main issue I had with the book is that it felt repetitive in parts, despite the brevity of the text. It felt like the author didn't provide much more depth of analysis than "beans are denigrated as poor food" and therefore quickly ran out of different ways to say this. The sections on non-Western cultures were much better as it felt like the author was more engaged and interested in really exploring how beans shaped the society. The other problem is that attention to detail or accuracy often seemed lacking. At one point, Albala makes reference to the famous scene in Silence of the Lambs on fava beans, but he says that Hannibal Lecter made the comment about a delivery boy. It was a census taker in the book and the movie, and it takes basically no effort to verify that. The lazy fact checking does not inspire confidence. That said, this is a relatively quick read on an important topic. Not the best single topic history or food book, but not the worst either.
The main issue I had with the book is that it felt repetitive in parts, despite the brevity of the text. It felt like the author didn't provide much more depth of analysis than "beans are denigrated as poor food" and therefore quickly ran out of different ways to say this. The sections on non-Western cultures were much better as it felt like the author was more engaged and interested in really exploring how beans shaped the society. The other problem is that attention to detail or accuracy often seemed lacking. At one point, Albala makes reference to the famous scene in Silence of the Lambs on fava beans, but he says that Hannibal Lecter made the comment about a delivery boy. It was a census taker in the book and the movie, and it takes basically no effort to verify that. The lazy fact checking does not inspire confidence. That said, this is a relatively quick read on an important topic. Not the best single topic history or food book, but not the worst either.