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100 Vegetables and Where They Came from
A perfect leek from France. Flavorful zucchini from Italy. An infamous potato from Ireland, and a humble lentil from Ethiopia. 100 Vegetables offers a veritable cornucopia of vegetables and stories from around the world--from Argentina to Zimbabwe, from Australia to the United States. William Woys Weaver--veggie connoisseur, gardener, and historian--guides us through a range of peppers, potatoes, peas, gourds, onions, tomatoes, greens, and a whole lot more. Not every carrot is the same. All beans aren't equal. Take the Petaluma Gold Rush bean, a rugged legume, grown for over 150 years and brought to California by an American whaler from Peru. Or the violet carrot, which the Greeks brought back from India following the conquests of Alexander the Great. Mixing history, culinary suggestions, practical information, and personal anecdotes, Weaver introduces us to unusual heirloom vegetables as well as to common favorites. He provides answers to general questions, such as the difference between a yam and a sweet potato, and presents lively portraits of one hundred vegetable varieties, which he's grown and harvested in his own kitchen garden. Organized alphabetically by common name, 100 Vegetables includes beautifully detailed drawings throughout and a helpful appendix of seed resources.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published October 20, 2000
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
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August 16, 2024I didn’t read the whole thing so I’m not gonna rate it but would probably be 5 stars - I love novel facts and vegetables.
This book is full of cool little stories and illustrations and the histories of different vegetables. Sometimes I felt like I was reading the diary of a merchant with a penchant for trying veggies in his travels.
Maybe someday I’ll get a copy of to annotate and come back to intermittently when I try the different vegetables, but the copy I have now is a library book far past its due date that I’m gonna release back into the RVA public library system today
This book is full of cool little stories and illustrations and the histories of different vegetables. Sometimes I felt like I was reading the diary of a merchant with a penchant for trying veggies in his travels.
Maybe someday I’ll get a copy of to annotate and come back to intermittently when I try the different vegetables, but the copy I have now is a library book far past its due date that I’m gonna release back into the RVA public library system today
August 15, 2016
The title pretty much says it all; the book tells us about 100 vegetables, what they taste like, where they are from, and how they are prepared. What the title doesn’t tell us is that these vegetables are special; they are some of the tastiest plants on the planet. Consider golden corn salad from Italy, whose large leaves make a salad beautiful; or the Petaluma Gold Rush bean, which when used dried keeps a marvelous meaty taste and texture. The Re Umberto tomato is a paste tomato that is incredibly productive and has an unmatched flavor. Some plants are included mainly because they are different and pretty, but most are included because of flavor. Being both gardener and foodie, I found myself looking up seed sources and bookmarking them numerous times while reading.
The prose is chatty and an easy, fast read. Nice line drawings illustrate the veggies. My only problem with the book is that an awful lot of these wonderful plants won’t grow in my short season area!
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January 10, 2010I wanted a book about the general origins of different vegetables, not particular gourmet cultivars. My to read list is just too long to spend on stuff I'm not interested in, so I'm not going to finish this book (This is a huge step for me because I have always been a "book finisher.")
If however, you are interested in the roots (pardon the pun) of particular varieties of veggies and their gourmet uses, wine pairings, etc., you will probably enjoy this book!
If however, you are interested in the roots (pardon the pun) of particular varieties of veggies and their gourmet uses, wine pairings, etc., you will probably enjoy this book!
October 18, 2018
If you enjoy searching out unusual heirloom varieties -- and reading about the stories that come by way of food -- then you'll enjoy this one from William Woys Weaver.
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The town of Petaluma, in Sonoma County, Calif., can claim not one but two rare breeds.
Not only does the almost mythical hound dog known as the Petaluma Chicken Dog originate there but also the Petaluma Gold Rush Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), a rugged baking bean that first hit the San Francisco market in the 1840s and has been grown by the Azevedo family of Petaluma for over 150 years. Now that’s an heirloom
‘Petaluma: Home of the Gold Rush Bean’: Don’t expect to see that emblazoned on the side of a water tower or grain elevator anytime soon, but really, it’s no small claim to fame.
Heirloom vegetables, considered varieties that have been in cultivation for 50 years or more, have become increasingly popular with gardeners, gourmets and gourmands – anyone who appreciates fresh, flavorful and interesting veggies.
The flavors and variety of the ages are contained in the genes of these rare breeds. Today many plants have been fine-tuned by breeders to emphasize characteristics such as uniform size, synchronized ripening and durability in shipping – but in the process the richness of the plant is lost. The older varieties, largely out of commercial production, have managed to retain their unique flavors, special texture or sometimes off-beat appearance over the years.
And, like Mel Brooks’ 10,000-year-old man, these old varieties have stories to tell. Many of their stories are told in an inspiring little book by William Woys Weaver titled “100 Vegetables and Where They Came From” (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2000). A plant historian and gardener extraordinaire, Weaver has traveled the world in search of unusual vegetables. His own seed collection has grown to about 3,000 varieties, many of which are available from Seed Savers Exchange…
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The town of Petaluma, in Sonoma County, Calif., can claim not one but two rare breeds.
Not only does the almost mythical hound dog known as the Petaluma Chicken Dog originate there but also the Petaluma Gold Rush Bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), a rugged baking bean that first hit the San Francisco market in the 1840s and has been grown by the Azevedo family of Petaluma for over 150 years. Now that’s an heirloom
‘Petaluma: Home of the Gold Rush Bean’: Don’t expect to see that emblazoned on the side of a water tower or grain elevator anytime soon, but really, it’s no small claim to fame.
Heirloom vegetables, considered varieties that have been in cultivation for 50 years or more, have become increasingly popular with gardeners, gourmets and gourmands – anyone who appreciates fresh, flavorful and interesting veggies.
The flavors and variety of the ages are contained in the genes of these rare breeds. Today many plants have been fine-tuned by breeders to emphasize characteristics such as uniform size, synchronized ripening and durability in shipping – but in the process the richness of the plant is lost. The older varieties, largely out of commercial production, have managed to retain their unique flavors, special texture or sometimes off-beat appearance over the years.
And, like Mel Brooks’ 10,000-year-old man, these old varieties have stories to tell. Many of their stories are told in an inspiring little book by William Woys Weaver titled “100 Vegetables and Where They Came From” (Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2000). A plant historian and gardener extraordinaire, Weaver has traveled the world in search of unusual vegetables. His own seed collection has grown to about 3,000 varieties, many of which are available from Seed Savers Exchange…
June 5, 2015
I love this book, and frequently pull it off the shelf as a bedtime read. Even when I am so tired, I think I am never going to grow anything ever again...this book inspires me. William Woys Weaver knows food, but specifically celebrates the lineage of heirloom vegetables here in this book. From history, to growing them, to their culinary range, this book will connect you with a much larger food movement that dates back thousands of years. Each chapter will set you up to be a star at dinner table conversation.
A small hardcover edition makes a nice gift slipped into the back of a garden basket for a friend.
A small hardcover edition makes a nice gift slipped into the back of a garden basket for a friend.
September 2, 2019
A celebration of our world wide culinary heritage
In one sense this is a popular book, easy to read with helpful line drawings of the vegetables (gracefully rendered by Signe Sundberg-Hall). Weaver even gives phonetic guidance on how to pronounce the names of the vegetables, which include peppers, beans, potatoes, lentils, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, eggplants, etc. Part of the book is a celebration of those names and an appreciation of their history. While reading this I made a mental note to get to my local Whole Foods or Begonia Farms store more often and try something new and exotic!
In another sense this is an advanced book for gardeners and culinary experts, not because the book is technical, but because for most people most of the vegetables presented will not be found at the local supermarket, nor will their seeds be found at the local garden and seed store. Additionally it is not always clear to this amateur how these exotic varieties differ from their more prosaic fellows at the local A&P. Weaver helps by attempting to describe the taste (hard to do!) and advises on things like texture, color and spiciness (e.g., wear gloves when cooking Aji Lemón peppers, and don't breath the fumes!). He includes some recipes and advice on complementary foods to go along with the featured veggies. He gives some recipes, sometimes from the culture of origin. For gardeners there are five pages of seed catalogue stores and their web addresses. For botanists he includes the botanical names and the plant's family name. No fungi, by the way.
There are varieties from "every continent, except the frozen one," e.g., "Shungiku Edible Chrysanthemum," from Japan, "Pepino Dulce Melon" from South America, "Jaune du Poitou Leek," from France, even the "Petaluma Gold Rush Bean," from my native California. Among the exotic names I found some terminology new to me. Some vegetables are referred to as "heirloom" varieties and/or "cultivars." Weaver uses the term "landrace," which I couldn't find in any of my dictionaries, defined on page two as a noncommercial or "backyard" variety in cultivation for a long time. Weaver has himself cultivated all the varieties presented here on his farm in Pennsylvania where he grows three thousand or so vegetables on a rotating basis. His knowledge about vegetables and his love for them is very impressive. His appreciation of the culinary arts is evident. This is a pretty little book from Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill that would make a nice present for someone you know who loves cooking or gardening.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
In one sense this is a popular book, easy to read with helpful line drawings of the vegetables (gracefully rendered by Signe Sundberg-Hall). Weaver even gives phonetic guidance on how to pronounce the names of the vegetables, which include peppers, beans, potatoes, lentils, lettuce, tomatoes, onions, eggplants, etc. Part of the book is a celebration of those names and an appreciation of their history. While reading this I made a mental note to get to my local Whole Foods or Begonia Farms store more often and try something new and exotic!
In another sense this is an advanced book for gardeners and culinary experts, not because the book is technical, but because for most people most of the vegetables presented will not be found at the local supermarket, nor will their seeds be found at the local garden and seed store. Additionally it is not always clear to this amateur how these exotic varieties differ from their more prosaic fellows at the local A&P. Weaver helps by attempting to describe the taste (hard to do!) and advises on things like texture, color and spiciness (e.g., wear gloves when cooking Aji Lemón peppers, and don't breath the fumes!). He includes some recipes and advice on complementary foods to go along with the featured veggies. He gives some recipes, sometimes from the culture of origin. For gardeners there are five pages of seed catalogue stores and their web addresses. For botanists he includes the botanical names and the plant's family name. No fungi, by the way.
There are varieties from "every continent, except the frozen one," e.g., "Shungiku Edible Chrysanthemum," from Japan, "Pepino Dulce Melon" from South America, "Jaune du Poitou Leek," from France, even the "Petaluma Gold Rush Bean," from my native California. Among the exotic names I found some terminology new to me. Some vegetables are referred to as "heirloom" varieties and/or "cultivars." Weaver uses the term "landrace," which I couldn't find in any of my dictionaries, defined on page two as a noncommercial or "backyard" variety in cultivation for a long time. Weaver has himself cultivated all the varieties presented here on his farm in Pennsylvania where he grows three thousand or so vegetables on a rotating basis. His knowledge about vegetables and his love for them is very impressive. His appreciation of the culinary arts is evident. This is a pretty little book from Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill that would make a nice present for someone you know who loves cooking or gardening.
--Dennis Littrell, author of “The World Is Not as We Think It Is”
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July 11, 2020I was happy to sit down and read this charming book until i noticed in the first couple of chapters little things that began to bother me. Some of the narrative sounds patronizing of other cultures, particularly as the plant origins got closer to the Equator (non-equate, maybe) because on page 96 he writes "African Americans are quite fond of their greens". Really? And just before this, he writes that "Africans savor" and "extremely bitter West African vegetables which people of European origin find unpalatable" what? they're too ladeedah in Europe? This makes everyone look bad and they're not.
I did appreciate the recipes and the history of vegetables, how they traveled and were adopted, many times by war. But the ethnocentrism was clear and i object. It spoiled an otherwise very nice book.
I did appreciate the recipes and the history of vegetables, how they traveled and were adopted, many times by war. But the ethnocentrism was clear and i object. It spoiled an otherwise very nice book.
March 31, 2020
More plant lust
I enjoyed this book and found a handful of gems I definitely want to try to grow. My only wish is for more hardiness zone info to help me narrow down my choices before going seed shopping. I was delighted to have the wisdom of my recent purchase of Victoria rhubarb confirmed. I really like the general suggestions for cooking and pairing with other ingredients. Buy this book, too, for the history. It will help you better appreciate vegetables as being like sophisticated, fine wines and not just commodities.
I enjoyed this book and found a handful of gems I definitely want to try to grow. My only wish is for more hardiness zone info to help me narrow down my choices before going seed shopping. I was delighted to have the wisdom of my recent purchase of Victoria rhubarb confirmed. I really like the general suggestions for cooking and pairing with other ingredients. Buy this book, too, for the history. It will help you better appreciate vegetables as being like sophisticated, fine wines and not just commodities.
February 26, 2023
Weaver seems to be one of the fountainheads of the heirloom vegetable thing: Seed Saver’s Exchange, the Seed Repository. This book makes the case for why it’s important. There are things you’re not eating for no good reason!
April 16, 2020
Interesting.
September 16, 2014
A lot of vegetable varieties instead of a general overview of vegetables. Most often the where they came from was a little snippet and more time was devoted to how to cook it and how the author acquired the seed. A more appropriate title would have been 100 Vegetables and How I Got the Seeds. The best part of the book is the end with the see resources. This book is best suited for the seasoned gardner who wants to add some exciting variety to their garden. The book did get me excited about gardening again and if I do take it back up I'll use the resources in the back of the book to acquire unique heirloom seeds and rare varieties. Then I might remember to water them...
November 7, 2014
When I ordered this, I thought it would be more of a how-to gardening book. I was just going to skim through it and pass it on, but the stories caught me. Mr Weaver provides plenty of interesting background for each of his 100 selections. The drawings for each variety were charming, but I did find myself wishing at least some were in color. So many varieties sounded lovely as well as tasty.
April 1, 2010
Very interesting, funny, its great to learn the history and random facts about vegetables. Did you know beets will give your urine a pinkish hue?
June 6, 2012
Wow. So many types of veggies I'd never heard of before. This book will come in very handy when I am buying seeds next spring.
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September 27, 2013Enjoy learning about 100 intriguing vegetables from around the world, some of which are regulars on the dinner table.
November 27, 2016
Interesting history but not a useful book for my geographic area.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews