The curse of the Potato, the joy Of grains
Originally published at Distractions. Please leave any comments there.
Maybe we need to be more precise about what we call a “blessing”:
But the fact that grains posed a security risk may have been a blessing in disguise. The economists believe that societies cultivating crops like wheat and barley may have experienced extra pressure to protect their harvests, galvanizing the creation of warrior classes and the development of complex hierarchies and taxation schemes.
Source: The sinister, secret history of a food that everybody loves - The Washington Post (by way of Facebook)