Bill François is a young normalien specialist in biophysics. Her passion ? Understand how the laws of physics condition the evolution of living things. In this context, he was particularly interested in how our meals have changed, that is to say how agriculture has been able to take advantage of nature. His research inspired him to write a very original book, entitled The World’s Largest Menuwhich shows how “chance and necessity”, both natural and human, have provided man with the means to obtain his food and therefore not only to guarantee his survival, but also to provide him with the pleasures associated with taste.
The book begins with the eloquent story of Sébastien Vaillant. A recognized botanist from the end of the 17th century and the beginning of the 18th century, he was appointed in 1708 to be responsible for the King’s Garden, which has now become the Jardin des Plantes in the 5th arrondissement of Paris. There he finds a pistachio tree, recently planted, which disappoints the authorities because it yields no pistachios. Wanting to understand why, he cut off flowering branches to compare them to those of another pistachio tree in the capital, which also gave no fruit. He doesn’t notice anything special except that after shaking the branch near the second pistachio tree, the latter begins to produce. Vaillant has just discovered that plants have a male component and a female component, a phenomenon at the origin of their reproduction… and their production. This update will revolutionize agricultural techniques and allow a spectacular leap in yields.
Striking insight into the secrets of biodiversity
Bill François’ book is full of stories of this order, sometimes unusual, on the history of agriculture and its great figures. Like Frank Buckland, a 19th century English zoologist, inventor of modern fish farming, and whose eccentric personality, very representative of the Victorian era, was matched only by his faith in science.
If you want to know why we eat tomatoes, why rye has supplanted wheat in Northern Europe, how chicken has imposed itself on our tables, how kiwifruit producers have managed a nice marketing stunt to sell their fruits or why Canadian agronomist John McIntosh, whose work revolutionized apple growing in North America, has had his name associated with a line of computers, rush Bill Francois’ book. Written with an alert pen and not devoid of humour, you will find there a striking light on the secrets of this biodiversity of which we speak so much today.
The World’s Largest Menu. Natural stories on our plates
By Bill Francois
Fayard, 268 pages, €19.50
Rating from L’Express: 5/5