Dinner with Darwin

More about the book

This is a delightful feast filled with food, culinary arts, and the science of human and biological evolution, revealing that our shopping lists, recipes, and restaurant menus contain more than just delicious ingredients. Within them lie many fascinating stories of natural selection that have influenced what is on our plates and shaped our tastes. What do eggs, flour, and milk have in common? They are basic ingredients for pancakes and many snacks, but there is another intriguing answer. Eggs, seeds (flour is made from wheat seeds), and milk have all evolved to serve the function of "nurturing offspring." By carefully considering what we consume in our three meals, we discover that everything we eat and drink has an evolutionary history. Let us dine with Darwin and take a few lessons in evolutionary cuisine. This enticing culinary journey helps us understand human history, the origins of our diets, and important foods over thousands of years, including bread, spices, seafood, meats, and fine wines. It further leads us into the world of genetically modified and fusion foods, exploring the science of how our senses interact with food and cooking. Silvertown combines cooking, science, and human society, linking natural history, archaeology, biology, biography, and the stories of food, making every meal worth savoring and transforming it into a rich feast of ideas.