“How Carrots Won the Trojan War: Curious (but True) Stories of Common Vegetables”
By Rebecca Rupp
(Storey Publishing)
What it is: You could hardly call “How Carrots Won the Trojan War” a produce primer, for it goes far beyond anything you would find in any vegetable encyclopedia. It’s a peeling back of the onion’s skin, all right. And so much more. Why, it peels back the lore and legend of not just the stinky bulb, but 22 other vegetables to boot.
Rebecca Rupp, who has written more than a dozen books for children and adults, and who holds a doctorate in cell biology and biochemistry, puts to work an insatiable appetite for digging up all sorts of little-known history, culture and tradition. And she brings to the task a rollicking taste for great humor, and to-die-for wit. All this as we pluck our way through the vegetable bin, from asparagus to turnips.
What makes it armchair-worthy: Here’s a read for which it’s imperative to be sitting in a cozy armchair, because if you aren’t, you might fall down laughing. Gut-splitting guffaws, we’re talkin’ about. This compendium of veggie tales is that hilarious. Honestly, this might be the most delightful, laugh-yourself-silly title to make its way onto the garden bookshelf in a long, long time.
And not only that — you’ll harvest enough produce-aisle tidbits and trivia to last deep into your next dinner party. Whoever knew the lowly carrot (did they really win the Trojan War?) or the highfalutin melon (did it really undermine Mark Twain’s morals?) could be the star of so much tabletop banter? Your friends, even ones who turn up their noses at the mere suggestion of a spinach leaf, will be lining up to gather all your vegetable esoterica.
One fine line: “Historically, asparagus is pure sex food. … In nineteenth-century France, bridegrooms were fed three courses of asparagus in anticipation of their wedding nights, and the salacious stalks were banned from the menu in girls’ schools, for fear of inflaming the imaginations of susceptible teens.”
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