{"title":"Ken Albala","description":"Ken Albala is Professor of History and Director of Food Studies at the University of the Pacific, USA. He is the author of The Food History Reader and A Cultural History of Food in the Renaissance, both published by Bloomsbury.","products":[{"product_id":"beans-a-history-hardcover","title":"Beans: A History - Hardcover","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is the story of the bean, the staple food cultivated by humans for over 10,000 years. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eFrom the lentil to the soybean, every civilization on the planet has cultivated its own species of bean. The humble bean has always attracted attention - from Pythagoras' notion that the bean hosted a human soul to St. Jerome's indictment against bean-eating in convents (because they \"tickle the genitals\"), to current research into the deadly toxins contained in the most commonly eaten beans. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eOver time, the bean has been both scorned as \"poor man's meat\" and praised as health-giving, even patriotic. Attitudes to this most basic of foodstuffs have always revealed a great deal about a society. Featuring a new preface from author Ken Albala, \u003ci\u003eBeans: A History \u003c\/i\u003etakes the reader on a fascinating journey across cuisines and cultures.","brand":"BooksCloud","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51367533183199,"sku":"9781845204303","price":76.86,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0813\/8958\/4607\/files\/80hZTWh3Sl9781845204303.webp?v=1789109764"}],"url":"https:\/\/blackandbarhe.com\/collections\/ken-albala.oembed","provider":"Black \u0026 Barhe Bookstore","version":"1.0","type":"link"}