Spade, Skirret and Parsnip

by Bill Laws

The 'couch potato' is an idler, the 'cabbage-head' a dunce, Swede-bashers are stupid and you may as well give up life if you become a vegetable. A vegetable existence may imply dull monotony, but the human vegetable has sparked protests, threatened to topple a British government and almost triggered a revolution. From the Scottish Presbyterian campaign against the 'sinful potato' to the class act that turned the carrot into a propaganda tool, from garlic inscriptions on Egyptian pyramids to Neolithic broad beans and medieval cabbage, and from the Dig for Victory campaign to their use in perfumes, Spade, Skirret and Parnsip shows vegetables in a fascinating new light.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Gardening, Food History, Food

238 pages, Paperback

First published May 13, 2004

Reviews

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this book! I need to try some skirret soon.