Sitopia
How Food Can Save the World
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:8th Apr '21
Should be back in stock very soon

This thought-provoking book, Sitopia, explores the idea of quality food as a new currency, advocating for a sustainable approach to our food systems.
In Sitopia, the author presents a compelling argument for reimagining our relationship with food and its role in society. The book posits that quality food should take precedence over money, suggesting that it could serve as the new world currency. Through an exploration of human history, the narrative illustrates how our methods of searching for, producing, and consuming food have shaped not only our bodies and homes but also our politics and economies. This shift in perspective encourages readers to think critically about the impact of our current food systems on the planet and our well-being.
The author draws on a diverse range of disciplines, weaving together stories from farmers, designers, and economists who are actively working to transform our food landscape. By highlighting these innovative approaches, Sitopia offers an exhilarating vision for a sustainable future. It challenges conventional notions of food production and consumption, urging us to reconnect with our culinary heritage and prioritize quality over quantity. This thought-provoking work is not just about food; it is a call to action for individuals and communities to rethink their choices and embrace a more responsible way of living.
With accolades from notable figures like Tim Spector and Bee Wilson, Sitopia is described as ambitious and beautifully written, destined to become a modern classic. It has garnered recognition, winning the 2021 Guild Food of Writers Award for Best Food Book and being shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize 2020, making it a must-read for anyone passionate about food and sustainability.
A vital call for us to rediscover the way that food binds us to each other and to the natural world, and in doing so find new ways of living -- Christopher Kissane * Guardian *
Steel's ideas have become a matter of urgency -- Clare Saxby * Times Literary Supplement *
Essential reading! A visionary look at how quality food should replace money as the new world currency -- Tim Spector
Steel offsets the obviously weighty subject matter with a lightness of touch and twinkling eye for luminous details… an unambiguously essential read -- George Reynolds * Daily Telegraph *
The beauty of food is that it is so many things at once: necessity and treat, nature and artifice, the subject of science, philosophy, etiquette and art. The book is accordingly multiple in its themes, an all-you-can-eat buffet of thoughts and facts about food...a brave and ambitious book * Observer *
No writer asks more interesting questions about food than Carolyn Steel because no one takes more seriously the profound role of food at the heart of human life. Every time I read her or hear her speak, I can almost feel my mind expanding. This hugely ambitious and beautifully written book shows that the way we eat now is at odds with the way we ate for thousands of years. But so far from being pessimistic, Steel suggests that learning to value food again can also point the way to more fulfilling and sustainable ways of living. Sitopia is a book destined to become a modern classic -- Bee Wilson
Steel’s future society would be one in which we felt in tune with nature and were less addicted to consumerism -- Ben Cooke * The Times *
Steel’s first book, Hungry City, explored how the feeding of cities shaped civilisations over time; with Sitopia she extends her reach. Food shapes our world and the way we live in it. It determines our daily routines, it defines national cultures -- Erica Wagner * Financial Times *
Following her award-winning Hungry City, Carolyn Steel serves us up a second helping of food for thought with Sitopia, which poses the really big questions about food that we should all be asking ourselves right now. Foodie or not, this philosophical call to arms is essential reading for those who want to save the world, one meal at a time -- Allegra McEvedy
Steel brilliantly uses food to demonstrate our ills and their causes. She shows, too, that food, if we value it properly, can heal us… [A] remarkable, prophetic, and desperately urgent book -- Charles Foster * Oldie *
ISBN: 9780099590132
Dimensions: 198mm x 130mm x 30mm
Weight: 329g
384 pages