Global Food

How we live is shaped by how we eat. You can see this in the vastly different approaches to growing, preparing and eating food around the world, such as the hunter-gatherer Hadza in Tanzania whose sustainable lifestyle is under threat in a crowded planet, or Western societies whose food is farmed or bred in vast intensive enterprises. And most of us now rely on a complex global food web of production, distribution, consumption and disposal, which is now contending with unprecedented challenges. The need for a better understanding of how we feed ourselves has never been more urgent. 

Switching to a plant-based lifestyle doesn’t have to be overwhelming, restrictive, or all-or-nothing. The Flexible Plant-Based Lifestyle is a practical, beginner-friendly guide that shows you how to transition at your own pace—while still enjoying your favorite foods, social life, and daily routine.

In Stolen Harvest: The Hijacking of the Global Food Supply, Vandana Shiva explores the devastating effects of commercial agriculture and genetic engineering on the food we eat, the farmers who grow it, and the soil that sustains it. This prescient critique and call to action covers some of the most pressing topics of this ongoing dialogue, from the destruction of local food cultures and the privatization of plant life, to unsustainable industrial fish farming and safety concerns about corporately engineered foods.

Ketchup seems iconically American, but the word comes from a Southeast Asian anchovy sauce, and today it is made largely from Chinese tomato paste. Japan's beloved ramen arose from the meeting of Chinese noodles and American wheat flour before attaining worldwide popularity in both gourmet and...

As late as the 1960s, tacos were virtually unknown outside Mexico and the American Southwest. Within fifty years the United States had shipped taco shells everywhere from Alaska to Australia, Morocco to Mongolia. But how did this tasty hand-held food - and Mexican food more broadly - become so ubiquitous? In Planet Taco, Jeffrey Pilcher traces the historical origins and evolution of Mexico's national cuisine, explores its incarnation as a Mexican American fast-food, shows how surfers became global pioneers of Mexican food, and how Corona beer conquered the world.

From an accomplished journalist, this illuminating chronicle of the trials, tribulations, and triumph of Zingerman’s—a beloved, $70 million-dollar Michigan-based gourmet food store with global reach—is “thoughtful reading for foodies and entrepreneurs” (Kirkus Reviews). Certain...

Where Am I Eating? shows how what we eat affects the lives of the people who produce our food, and explores the global food economy including workers' rights, the global food crisis, fair trade, and immigration. Where Am I Eating? does not argue for or against the globalization of food but personalizes it by observing the hope and opportunity, and sometimes the lack thereof, that the global food economy gives to the world's poorest producers.  

Embark on a flavorful journey across the globe with The Global Baker: A Journey Through the World's Breads. This book is your passport to the rich, diverse world of bread-making, where you'll discover the art and tradition of baking as it’s practiced in cultures near and far. Whether you're an experienced baker or just starting, this comprehensive guide is designed to inspire your baking journey with a variety of world bread recipes that bring the flavors of the globe right into your kitchen.