How carrots won the Trojan War : curious (but true) stories of common vegetables /

Rupp, Rebecca.

How carrots won the Trojan War : curious (but true) stories of common vegetables / by Rebecca Rupp. - North Adams, MA : Storey Pub., ©2011. - 376 p. : ill.

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Vegetables in and out of the garden -- Asparagus seduces the King of France -- Beans beat back the Dark Ages -- Beets make Victorian belles blush -- Cabbage confounds Diogenes -- Carrots win the Trojan War -- Celery contributes to Casanova's conquests -- Corn creates vampires -- Cucumbers imitate pigeons -- An eggplant causes a holy man to faint -- Lettuce puts insomniacs to sleep -- Melons undermine Mark Twain's morals -- Onions offend Don Quixote -- Peas almost poison General Washington -- Peppers win the Nobel Prize -- Potatoes baffle the Conquistadors -- Pumpkins attend the World's Fair -- Radishes identify witches -- Spinach deceives a generation of children -- Tomatoes fail to kill Colonel Johnson -- Turnips make a viscount famous.

Vegetables are more than just food for humans--they've been characters, companions, and even protagonists throughout history. This is a delightful collection of little-known stories about the origins, legends, and historical significance of 23 of the world's most popular vegetables.

9781603429689 (pbk.) 1603429689 (pbk.)

2011020049


Vegetables--History.
Vegetable gardening --History.
Vegetable gardening.
Vegetables.
Vegetables--History.
Vegetable gardening--History.


History.

SB320.5 / .R87 2011