Spade, Skirret and Parsnip

Exploring the history of the humble vegetable: from Maris Piper to Couch Potato

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Couch potatoes are idlers, cabbageheads are dunces, 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 humble 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 competitive vegetable growing, The Curious History of Vegetables highlights just how vital our produce really is.