The Food Explorer
The True Adventures of the Globe-Trotting Botanist Who Transformed What America Eats
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Narrated by:
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Daniel Stone
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By:
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Daniel Stone
About this listen
The true adventures of David Fairchild, a turn-of-the-century food explorer who traveled the globe and introduced diverse crops like avocados, mangoes, seedless grapes - and thousands more - to the American plate.
“Fascinating.” (The New York Times Book Review)
“Fast-paced adventure writing.” (The Wall Street Journal)
“Richly descriptive.” (Kirkus)
“A must-read for foodies.” (HelloGiggles)
In the 19th century, American meals were about subsistence, not enjoyment. But as a new century approached, appetites broadened, and David Fairchild, a young botanist with an insatiable lust to explore and experience the world, set out in search of foods that would enrich the American farmer and enchant the American eater.
Kale from Croatia, mangoes from India, and hops from Bavaria. Peaches from China, avocados from Chile, and pomegranates from Malta. Fairchild's finds weren't just limited to food: From Egypt he sent back a variety of cotton that revolutionized an industry, and via Japan he introduced the cherry blossom tree, forever brightening America's capital. Along the way, he was arrested, caught diseases, and bargained with island tribes. But his culinary ambition came during a formative era, and through him, America transformed into the most diverse food system ever created.
“Daniel Stone draws the reader into an intriguing, seductive world, rich with stories and surprises. The Food Explorer shows you the history and drama hidden in your fruit bowl. It’s a delicious piece of writing.” (Susan Orlean, New York Times best-selling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book)
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Critic reviews
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- Unabridged
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Banana combines a pop-science journey around the globe, a fascinating tale of an iconic American business enterprise, and a look into the alternately tragic and hilarious banana subculture (one does exist) - ultimately taking us to the high-tech labs where new bananas are literally being built in test tubes, in a race to save the world's most beloved fruit.
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Very Good Book - History, Science, and Economics
- By Jose on 11-08-17
By: Dan Koeppel
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King and Queen of Malibu
- The True Story of the Battle for Paradise
- By: David K. Randall
- Narrated by: Eric Summerer
- Length: 7 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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Over a half century, Malibu went from an untamed ranch in the middle of nowhere to a paradise seeded with movie stars. Behind its transformation is the love story of Frederick and May Rindge. He was a Harvard-trained confidant of presidents; she grew up on a hardscrabble Midwestern farm; yet their unlikely bond would shape history.
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Detailed and interesting
- By SuperLuckyCat on 08-04-24
By: David K. Randall
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Shadows in the Vineyard
- The True Story of the Plot to Poison the World's Greatest Wine
- By: Maximillian Potter
- Narrated by: Donald Corren
- Length: 8 hrs and 40 mins
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Journalist Maximillian Potter uncovers a fascinating plot to destroy the vines of La Romance-Conti, Burgundy's finest and most expensive wine. In January 2010, Aubert de Villaine, the famed proprietor of the Domaine de la Romance-Conti, the tiny, storied vineyard that produces the most expensive, exquisite wines in the world, received an anonymous note threatening the destruction of his priceless vines by poison - a crime that in the world of high-end wine is akin to murder - unless he paid a one million euro ransom.
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Eet waz eenteresteeng
- By J. Cadow on 04-25-16
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Founding Gardeners
- The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation
- By: Andrea Wulf
- Narrated by: Antonia Bath
- Length: 9 hrs and 20 mins
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From the author of the acclaimed The Brother Gardeners, a fascinating look at the founding fathers from the unique and intimate perspective of their lives as gardeners, plantsmen, and farmers. For the founding fathers, gardening, agriculture, and botany were elemental passions, as deeply ingrained in their characters as their belief in liberty for the nation they were creating. These stories reveal a guiding but previously overlooked ideology of the American Revolution.
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"Outstanding Listen"
- By C. on 05-06-11
By: Andrea Wulf
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The Dragon Behind the Glass
- A True Story of Power, Obsession, and the World's Most Coveted Fish
- By: Emily Voigt
- Narrated by: Xe Sands
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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A young man is murdered for his prized pet fish. An Asian tycoon buys a single specimen for $150,000. Meanwhile, a pet detective chases smugglers through the streets of New York. Delving into an outlandish realm of obsession, paranoia, and criminality, The Dragon Behind the Glass tells the story of a fish like none other: a powerful predator dating to the age of the dinosaurs.
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A "must read" for all fish professionals.
- By Fishgen on 06-26-16
By: Emily Voigt
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The American Plague
- The Untold Story of Yellow Fever, The Epidemic That Shaped Our History
- By: Molly Caldwell Crosby
- Narrated by: Paul Woodson
- Length: 8 hrs and 29 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1900, the U.S. sent three doctors to Cuba to discover how yellow fever was spread. There, they launched one of history's most controversial human studies. Compelling and terrifying, The American Plague depicts the story of yellow fever and its reign in this country - and in Africa, where even today it strikes thousands every year. With "arresting tales of heroism," it is a story as much about the nature of human beings as it is about the nature of disease.
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Yellow Fever in Memphis
- By Kevin P Key on 04-13-20
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The Road from Coorain
- By: Jill Ker Conway
- Narrated by: Barbara Caruso
- Length: 9 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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In the 1930s, Jill Ker's parents bought a sheep farm on the western plains of New South Wales. In 1944, they lost nearly everything when a drought hit. Forced to leave Coorain, 11-year-old Jill and her mother settled in Sydney where Jill struggled to find a place for herself among Sydney's elite. Her story, both a chronicle of life in the Australian outback and the odyssey of a brilliant woman fighting the constraints of her time, offers a loving view of Australia.
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So glad I (finally) listened to my aunt
- By T. on 07-12-13
By: Jill Ker Conway
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In Manchuria
- A Village Called Wasteland and the Transformation of Rural China
- By: Michael Meyer
- Narrated by: George Backman
- Length: 13 hrs and 20 mins
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For three years Meyer rented a home in the rice-farming community of Wasteland, hometown of his wife's family, and their personal saga mirrors the tremendous change most of rural China is undergoing in the form of a privately held rice company that has built new roads, introduced organic farming, and constructed high-rise apartments into which farmers can move in exchange for their land rights.
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If you liked the Wonder Years...?
- By Judas Mallory on 05-19-15
By: Michael Meyer
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Prairie Fires
- The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder
- By: Caroline Fraser
- Narrated by: Christina Moore
- Length: 21 hrs and 26 mins
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Millions of fans of Little House on the Prairie believe they know Laura Ingalls - the pioneer girl who survived blizzards and near-starvation on the Great Plains, and the woman who wrote the famous autobiographical books. But the true story of her life has never been fully told. Now, drawing on unpublished manuscripts, letters, diaries, and land and financial records, Caroline Fraser masterfully fills in the gaps in Wilder's biography.
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Don’t read if you don’t want your fond memories...
- By NMwritergal on 11-24-17
By: Caroline Fraser
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Hershey
- Milton S. Hershey's Extraordinary Life of Wealth, Empire, and Utopian Dreams
- By: Michael D'Antonio
- Narrated by: Jonathan Yen
- Length: 13 hrs and 34 mins
- Unabridged
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In this compelling biography, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Michael D'Antonio gives us the real-life rags-to-riches story of Milton S. Hershey, a largely uneducated businessman whose idealistic sense of purpose created an immense financial empire, a town, and a legacy that lasts to this day.
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The Benchmark for Chartiable, Rich Men
- By Boyd Tschaggeny on 01-30-19
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Jack London
- An American Life
- By: Earle Labor
- Narrated by: Michael Prichard
- Length: 16 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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Performance
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Jack London was born a working class, fatherless Californian in 1876. In his youth, he was a boundlessly energetic adventurer on the bustling West Coast - an oyster pirate, a hobo, a sailor, and a prospector by turns. He spent his brief life rapidly accumulating the experiences that would inform his acclaimed best-selling books The Call of the Wild, White Fang, and The Sea-Wolf.
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Glad I chose this
- By SherryH on 04-14-19
By: Earle Labor
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The Adventures of Henry Thoreau
- A Young Man's Unlikely Path to Walden Pond
- By: Michael Sims
- Narrated by: David Rapkin
- Length: 9 hrs and 57 mins
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Performance
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Henry David Thoreau has long been an intellectual icon and folk hero. In this strikingly original profile, Michael Sims reveals how the bookish, quirky young man evolved into the patron saint of environmentalism and nonviolent activism. Working from 19th-century letters and diaries, Sims charts Henry’s course from his time at Harvard through the years he spent living in a cabin beside Walden Pond. Sims uncovers a previously hidden Thoreau - the rowdy boy reminiscent of Tom Sawyer, the sarcastic college iconoclast, the devoted son who kept imitating his beloved older brother’s choices in life.
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Pleasant surprise
- By Norman Wendth on 10-21-14
By: Michael Sims
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Napa
- By: James Conaway
- Narrated by: John Morgan
- Length: 20 hrs and 29 mins
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James Conaway's remarkable bestseller delves into the heart of California's lush and verdant Napa Valley, also known as America's Eden. Long the source of succulent grapes and singular wines, this region is also the setting for the remarkable true saga of the personalities behind the winemaking empires. This is the story of Gallos and Mondavis, of fortunes made and lost, of dynasties and destinies.
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Excellent But Marred by Non-Stop Mispronunciations
- By Robert R. on 08-15-13
By: James Conaway
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What listeners say about The Food Explorer
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Elan Sun Star
- 03-11-19
My favorite story out of tens of thousands
this book is an incredible testimony of what one human being can do in their lifetime to bring beauty and nourishment and meaning to the world and the eco system.
I am so very happy this book was written and even more so that it is in audible
I have long read tiny bits here and there of David Fairchild and as aplant centered person an d photographer myself I value this type of book above all else. As a biography it stands well above the others and it has meaning and purpose at its core...I treasure it in my library and have told hundreds of friends to get it and also to go to the Fairchild Gardens in Coconut Grove.
Thank you Daniel Stone..The narration is fantastic as well.
Bravo! 100 stars!!!
At this point in our evolutionary history on a planet racked by decimation of species this stands out as an example of what we as individuals can do to change the challenging path we are on as a species and a society and as an ecology.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Joyce D Friedenberg
- 07-12-18
Fascinating
wish my high school history teacher had read this to spice up class a bit
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- sharon sealy
- 01-27-23
Engaging
Great read for anyone who wants to learn where our food comes from. Awesome book!
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- Kathy
- 05-19-24
Who would have thought it would be such a fascinating story?
The kinds of plants and the countries they came from and the adventures and dangers acquiring them, the wonderful research for the book and devotion of the ones (especially Fairchild) who searched out those plants and helped the economics of the United States with new crops.
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- Gennady Gelman
- 04-15-18
Captivating
A thrilling story of a great explorer. spiced with fascinating tidbits and stories. highly recommended.
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3 people found this helpful
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- Jeff Rose
- 11-17-19
Friendship, adventure, humor, and plants
I enjoyed this book so much that I almost shed a tear when it ended. As we drove around Puerto Rico contemplating a farm of our own this was the perfect tale to inspire us. David Fairchild had an amazing life, And this book would have made him proud.
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1 person found this helpful
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- Jamie
- 12-03-20
Captivating
what an amazing story about where we got all our amazing food and plant varieties to America!
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- Bella
- 12-02-20
This book is an eye opener !
Never gave a thought to where our fruits come from. I just assumed they were here already. Just found out that it took very adventurous people to roam the wide world looking for amazing fruit and produce.
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- Rosemary Wells
- 04-22-18
A brilliant journey into unknown American history
This book is delightful because it explores a whole history, nearly unknown and unsung before, that of our panoply of luxurious fruit and vegetables and how they came here when America was a heavy bread and meat only country.
David Fairchild, an explorer every bit as intrepid ad Edmund Hillary or Lewis and Clarke, brought our young country great beauty, cherry trees from Japan and enormous nourishment from every corner of the world.
The book’s effect on the listener is both terrific adventure with the sure promise of discovery and satisfaction that anyone trolling the aisles of Whole Foods or a good farmers market can attest today.
Usually authors are dreadful readers but this one is a winner.
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- jambhack
- 08-05-19
slow to start but fascinating
I've often wondered about the variety of food we eat, where it came from, what's the healthiest, are there more that we don't have here in the US? This gives.me a better idea of all those things. Yep, there's more, quinoa and kale are the healthiest, and it was brought here by a persistent scientist and explorer Fairchild. The book was slow to start for me; too much psychology and history of the benefactor Lathrop, and it seemed to jump around a bit, but by the end of Part II, it became more interesting. Definitely worth persevering.
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4 people found this helpful