Mark Bittman : Animal, Vegetable, Junk

From hunting and gathering to GMOs and ultraprocessed foods, this expansive tour of human history rewrites the story of our species—and points the way to a better future.


The history of Homo sapiens is usually told as a story of technology or economics. But there is a more fundamental driver: food. How we hunted and gathered explains our emergence as a new species and our earliest technology; our first food systems, from fire to agriculture, tell where we settled and how civilizations expanded. The quest for food for growing populations drove exploration, colonialism, slavery, even capitalism.


A century ago, food was industrialized. Since then, new styles of agriculture and food production have written a new chapter of human history, one that’s driving both climate change and global health crises. Best-selling food authority Mark Bittman offers a panoramic view of the story and explains how we can rescue ourselves from the modern wrong turn.


Product Details

Publisher : Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (February 2, 2021)

Language : English

Hardcover : 384 pages

ISBN-10 : 1328974626

ISBN-13 : 978-1328974624

Item Weight : 1.28 pounds

Dimensions : 6 x 1.17 x 9 inches