The secret financial life of food : from commodities markets to supermarkets / Kara Newman.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Newman, Kara, author.

Series:

Arts and traditions of the table.

Arts and Traditions of the Table : Perspective on Culinary History

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Commodity exchanges--History.

Commodity exchanges.

Agriculture--Economic aspects--History.

Agriculture.

Food--History.

Food.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (209 pages)

Place of Publication:

2012.

New York : Columbia University Press, 2013.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

One morning while reading Barron's, Kara Newman took note of a casual bit of advice offered by famed commodities trader Jim Rogers. "Buy breakfast," he told investors, referring to the increasing value of pork belly and frozen orange juice futures. The statement inspired Newman to take a closer look at agricultural commodities, from the iconic pork belly to the obscure peppercorn and nutmeg. The results of her investigation, recorded in this fascinating history, show how contracts listed on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange can read like a menu and how market behavior can dictate global economic and culinary practice. The Secret Financial Life of Food reveals the economic pathways that connect food to consumer, unlocking the mysteries behind culinary trends, grocery pricing, and restaurant dining. Newman travels back to the markets of ancient Rome and medieval Europe, where vendors first distinguished between "spot sales" and "sales for delivery." She retraces the storied spice routes of Asia and recounts the spice craze that prompted Christopher Columbus's journey to North America, linking these developments to modern-day India's bustling peppercorn market. Newman centers her history on the transformation of corn into a ubiquitous commodity and uses oats, wheat, and rye to recast America's westward expansion and the Industrial Revolution. She discusses the effects of such mega-corporations as Starbucks and McDonalds on futures markets and considers burgeoning markets, particularly "super soybeans," which could scramble the landscape of food finance. The ingredients of American power and culture, and the making of the modern world, can be found in the history of food commodities exchange, and Newman connects this unconventional story to the how and why of what we eat.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction: Buy Breakfast

CHAPTER ONE. How Does Commodities Trading Work?

CHAPTER TWO. The Spice Route

CHAP TER THREE. The Commodity That Built a Nation

CHAPTER FOUR. Great Grains

CHAPTER FIVE. Butter-and-Egg Men

CHAPTER SIX . The Mochaccino Market

CHAPTER EIGHT. This Little Piggy Made a Market

CHAPTER NINE .When Money Grows on Trees

CHAPTER TEN. Super Soybeans

CHAPTER ELEVEN. The Future of Food Futures?

Epilogue

Notes

Index

Backmatter

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9780231527347

0231527349

OCLC:

823239669