The Potato or California Kosher

The Potato: How the Humble Spud Rescued the Western World

Author: Larry Zuckerman

The Potato tells the story of how a humble vegetable, once regarded as trash food, had as revolutionary an impact on Western history as the railroad or the automobile. Using Ireland, England, France, and the United States as examples, Larry Zuckerman shows how daily life from the 1770s until World War I would have been unrecognizable-perhaps impossible-without the potato, which functioned as fast food, famine insurance, fuel and labor saver, budget stretcher, and bank loan, as well as delicacy. Drawing on personal diaries, contemporaneous newspaper accounts, and other primary sources, this is popular social history at its liveliest and most illuminating.

Booknews

Despite Ireland's Great Famine and terms like "couch potato," Seattle writer Zuckerman extols the pivotal role of the "treasure of the Andes" in Western history from the 16th through 20th century. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The Washington Post - Johathan Yardley

Informative . . . To single [the potato] out as the salvation of the world as we know it is . . . not, as this book proves, preposterous.

Newsday - Emily Gordon

Thorough and lively . . . Zuckerman is an excellent storyteller.

The Boston Sunday Globe - Katherine A. Powers

The story of the potato in Western civilization is part of the history of the table, of living conditions, of social attitudes, and even of views of heredity and degeneration. Zuckerman's exploration of these areas . . . is masterful, executed with economy and wit.

Table of Contents:

	Introduction
1	Treasure of the Andes: Peru and Europe, 1550-1650	3
2	The Solace of Miserable Mortals: Ireland, 1650-1800	17
3	The Better Sort of People: England, 1650-1800	47
4	Vive la pomme de terre: France, 1650-1800	69
5	The Democratic Table: The Thirteen Colonies, 1685-1800	87
6	He Would Rather Be Hanged: England, 1800-1900	98
7	A Fortress Besieged: Ireland, 1800-45	128
8	A Passion for Thrift: France, 1800-1914	159
9	The Lumpers They Were Black: The Great Famine in Ireland, 1845-49	184
10	Potatoes and Population: Runaway Growth in England and Ireland	216
11	Women's Work: The United States, 1800-1914	225
12	The Good Companions: England's Fish and Chips	247
13	Good Breeding: Conclusion	260
	Notes	267
	Selected Bibliography	295

New interesting book:

California Kosher: Contemporary and Traditional Jewish Cuisine

Author: Pearl Roseman

This unique collection of contemporary and traditional recipes merges cuisines from everywhere in the world to complement the dazzling variety of fresh foods available in California, while observing traditional Jewish dietary laws. Descriptions of Jewish and American holidays accompany suggested menus.