English Summary/英文概要： Have you ever wondered why we eat wheat, rice, potatoes and cassava? Why we routinely domesticate foodstuffs with the power to kill us, or why we chose almonds over acorns? Answering all these questions and more in a readable and friendly style, this book takes you on a journey through our history with crop plants. Arranged into recurrent themes in plant domestication, this book documents the history and biology of over 50 crops, including cereals, spices, legumes, fruits and cash crops such as chocolate, tobacco and rubber. In The Nature of Crops John Warren reveals: - Why the Egyptians worshipped onions; - Why red-flowering runner beans provide fewer beans than white-flowering; - The inherent dangers of being a pineapple worker; and - Why a bird will always beat you in a chilli pepper eating competition!

Chinese Summary/中文概要： ★你是好奇心旺盛的吃货，还是热衷于考究的植物极客？

★为什么我们把小麦、大米、土豆作为主食？

★为什么我们要栽培含有剧毒氰化物的木薯？

★为什么我们常吃的坚果是杏仁而不是橡子？

★为什么兰花有两万多种，人类的食谱却只选择了香荚兰？

回答上述问题，都要从这些栽培植物的起源说起。

这本关于餐桌植物的“冷知识大全”专为身为吃货的你量身打造。本书将带你踏上一段关于餐桌植物的时空穿越之旅，揭秘这些蔬果、谷物和香料令人大跌眼镜的原貌和风味，再现它们与人类漫长互动中的那些恩怨情仇。原来，人类与这些栽培植物之间的关系，并不仅仅体现于农业生产中的杂交育种工作，而是与古代先民的生活、世界各地的习俗、宗教传说故事以及近代以来的殖民地扩张和全球经济发展都息息相关。

地球上现存植物超过40万种，然而为人类驯化并作为日常食物的却仅有其中200种；人体所需的一半以上的热量和蛋白质仅来自于三种栽培植物：玉米、水稻和小麦；世界各地早期农耕文明中的先民，竟都不约而同地选择了四大植物家族作为日常饮食之选……想要将野生植物培育为餐桌上的美味，究竟需要克服怎样的困难？而我们如今食用的粮食、蔬菜和水果，是否还保留着它们“祖先”*初的模样？自古以来，在人类尝试培育这些植物的过程中，总是充满了惊险刺激，而又不无偶然。作者挑选50余种餐桌上的植物“常客”，以英国人特有的幽默感，讲述其背后鲜为人知的栽培历史，道出它们在各国文化中的深层含义。(DD)

Awards/获奖情况： "Written by a natural story-teller, this book is a ’must’ - a very readable book, packed with interesting and useful information, exploring and clearly explaining the cool science behind the development of the plants that sustain us." Dr Tim Pettitt, Eden Project "This book is a journey of discovery - Astute, funny and eye-opening, it is essential reading for serious plant geeks and curious foodies alike." James Wong, Ethno-botanist and Broadcaster "John Warren tells astonishing stories in this book - often funny, sometimes alarming, and always riveting." Dr Peter Wakelin, Amgueddfa Cymru-National Museum Wales "This well-researched and engagingly written book takes us on a fascinating journey... It provides new insights into the process of crop domestication and reveals much about why we eat the plants that we do." Dr Colin Clubbe, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew "This book is a fun and informative romp through the history of our favourite crops but it has an important message - is our diet sustainable? It’s high time to look at the history of our current crops and to consider our food supply for the future." Dr Natasha de Vere, National Botanic Garden of Wales --Eden Project