Author: Roxana Jullapat
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 132400357X
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 521
Book Description
Finalist for the IACP Cookbook Award in Baking and the James Beard Foundation Book Award in Baking and Desserts Named a Best Cookbook of the Year by Bon Appétit, NPR, Washington Post, Epicurious, WBUR Here & Now, and Five Books Named a Best Cookbook of the Spring by Eater, Epicurious, and Robb Report The key to better, healthier baked goods is in the grain. Barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, and wheat will unlock flavors and textures as vast as the historic lineages of these ancient crops. As the head baker and owner of a beloved Los Angeles bakery, Roxana Jullapat knows the difference local, sustainable flour can make: brown rice flour lightens up a cake, rustic rye adds unexpected chewiness to a bagel, and ground toasted oats enrich doughnuts. Her bakery, Friends & Family, works with dedicated farmers and millers around the country to source and incorporate the eight mother grains in every sweet, bread, or salad on the menu. In her debut cookbook, Roxana shares her greatest hits, over 90 recipes for reinventing your favorite cakes, cookies, pies, breads, and more. Her chocolate chip cookie recipe can be made with any of the eight mother grains, each flour yielding a distinct snap, crunch, or chew. Her mouthwatering buckwheat pancake can reinvent itself with grainier cornmeal. One-bowl recipes such as Barley Pumpkin Bread and Spelt Blueberry Muffins will yield fast rewards, while her Cardamom Buns and Halvah Croissants are expertly laid out to grow a home baker’s skills. Recipes are organized by grain to ensure you get the most out of every purchase. Roxana even includes savory recipes for whole grain salads made with sorghum, Kamut or freekeh, or easy warm dishes such as Farro alla Pilota, Toasted Barley Soup, or Gallo Pinto which pays homage to her Costa Rican upbringing. Sunny step-by-step photos, a sourcing guide, storage tips, and notes on each grain’s history round out this comprehensive cookbook. Perfect for beginner bakers and pastry pros alike, Mother Grains proves that whole grains are the secret to making any recipe so much more than the sum of its parts.
Mother Grains: Recipes for the Grain Revolution
Author: Roxana Jullapat
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 132400357X
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 521
Book Description
Finalist for the IACP Cookbook Award in Baking and the James Beard Foundation Book Award in Baking and Desserts Named a Best Cookbook of the Year by Bon Appétit, NPR, Washington Post, Epicurious, WBUR Here & Now, and Five Books Named a Best Cookbook of the Spring by Eater, Epicurious, and Robb Report The key to better, healthier baked goods is in the grain. Barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, and wheat will unlock flavors and textures as vast as the historic lineages of these ancient crops. As the head baker and owner of a beloved Los Angeles bakery, Roxana Jullapat knows the difference local, sustainable flour can make: brown rice flour lightens up a cake, rustic rye adds unexpected chewiness to a bagel, and ground toasted oats enrich doughnuts. Her bakery, Friends & Family, works with dedicated farmers and millers around the country to source and incorporate the eight mother grains in every sweet, bread, or salad on the menu. In her debut cookbook, Roxana shares her greatest hits, over 90 recipes for reinventing your favorite cakes, cookies, pies, breads, and more. Her chocolate chip cookie recipe can be made with any of the eight mother grains, each flour yielding a distinct snap, crunch, or chew. Her mouthwatering buckwheat pancake can reinvent itself with grainier cornmeal. One-bowl recipes such as Barley Pumpkin Bread and Spelt Blueberry Muffins will yield fast rewards, while her Cardamom Buns and Halvah Croissants are expertly laid out to grow a home baker’s skills. Recipes are organized by grain to ensure you get the most out of every purchase. Roxana even includes savory recipes for whole grain salads made with sorghum, Kamut or freekeh, or easy warm dishes such as Farro alla Pilota, Toasted Barley Soup, or Gallo Pinto which pays homage to her Costa Rican upbringing. Sunny step-by-step photos, a sourcing guide, storage tips, and notes on each grain’s history round out this comprehensive cookbook. Perfect for beginner bakers and pastry pros alike, Mother Grains proves that whole grains are the secret to making any recipe so much more than the sum of its parts.
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
ISBN: 132400357X
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 521
Book Description
Finalist for the IACP Cookbook Award in Baking and the James Beard Foundation Book Award in Baking and Desserts Named a Best Cookbook of the Year by Bon Appétit, NPR, Washington Post, Epicurious, WBUR Here & Now, and Five Books Named a Best Cookbook of the Spring by Eater, Epicurious, and Robb Report The key to better, healthier baked goods is in the grain. Barley, buckwheat, corn, oats, rice, rye, sorghum, and wheat will unlock flavors and textures as vast as the historic lineages of these ancient crops. As the head baker and owner of a beloved Los Angeles bakery, Roxana Jullapat knows the difference local, sustainable flour can make: brown rice flour lightens up a cake, rustic rye adds unexpected chewiness to a bagel, and ground toasted oats enrich doughnuts. Her bakery, Friends & Family, works with dedicated farmers and millers around the country to source and incorporate the eight mother grains in every sweet, bread, or salad on the menu. In her debut cookbook, Roxana shares her greatest hits, over 90 recipes for reinventing your favorite cakes, cookies, pies, breads, and more. Her chocolate chip cookie recipe can be made with any of the eight mother grains, each flour yielding a distinct snap, crunch, or chew. Her mouthwatering buckwheat pancake can reinvent itself with grainier cornmeal. One-bowl recipes such as Barley Pumpkin Bread and Spelt Blueberry Muffins will yield fast rewards, while her Cardamom Buns and Halvah Croissants are expertly laid out to grow a home baker’s skills. Recipes are organized by grain to ensure you get the most out of every purchase. Roxana even includes savory recipes for whole grain salads made with sorghum, Kamut or freekeh, or easy warm dishes such as Farro alla Pilota, Toasted Barley Soup, or Gallo Pinto which pays homage to her Costa Rican upbringing. Sunny step-by-step photos, a sourcing guide, storage tips, and notes on each grain’s history round out this comprehensive cookbook. Perfect for beginner bakers and pastry pros alike, Mother Grains proves that whole grains are the secret to making any recipe so much more than the sum of its parts.
Grain by Grain
Author: Bob Quinn
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1610919955
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
"A compelling agricultural story skillfully told; environmentalists will eat it up." - Kirkus Reviews When Bob Quinn was a kid, a stranger at a county fair gave him a few kernels of an unusual grain. Little did he know, that grain would change his life. Years later, after finishing a PhD in plant biochemistry and returning to his family’s farm in Montana, Bob started experimenting with organic wheat. In the beginning, his concern wasn’t health or the environment; he just wanted to make a decent living and some chance encounters led him to organics. But as demand for organics grew, so too did Bob’s experiments. He discovered that through time-tested practices like cover cropping and crop rotation, he could produce successful yields—without pesticides. Regenerative organic farming allowed him to grow fruits and vegetables in cold, dry Montana, providing a source of local produce to families in his hometown. He even started producing his own renewable energy. And he learned that the grain he first tasted at the fair was actually a type of ancient wheat, one that was proven to lower inflammation rather than worsening it, as modern wheat does. Ultimately, Bob’s forays with organics turned into a multimillion dollar heirloom grain company, Kamut International. In Grain by Grain, Quinn and cowriter Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground, show how his story can become the story of American agriculture. We don’t have to accept stagnating rural communities, degraded soil, or poor health. By following Bob’s example, we can grow a healthy future, grain by grain.
Publisher: Island Press
ISBN: 1610919955
Category : Social Science
Languages : en
Pages : 290
Book Description
"A compelling agricultural story skillfully told; environmentalists will eat it up." - Kirkus Reviews When Bob Quinn was a kid, a stranger at a county fair gave him a few kernels of an unusual grain. Little did he know, that grain would change his life. Years later, after finishing a PhD in plant biochemistry and returning to his family’s farm in Montana, Bob started experimenting with organic wheat. In the beginning, his concern wasn’t health or the environment; he just wanted to make a decent living and some chance encounters led him to organics. But as demand for organics grew, so too did Bob’s experiments. He discovered that through time-tested practices like cover cropping and crop rotation, he could produce successful yields—without pesticides. Regenerative organic farming allowed him to grow fruits and vegetables in cold, dry Montana, providing a source of local produce to families in his hometown. He even started producing his own renewable energy. And he learned that the grain he first tasted at the fair was actually a type of ancient wheat, one that was proven to lower inflammation rather than worsening it, as modern wheat does. Ultimately, Bob’s forays with organics turned into a multimillion dollar heirloom grain company, Kamut International. In Grain by Grain, Quinn and cowriter Liz Carlisle, author of Lentil Underground, show how his story can become the story of American agriculture. We don’t have to accept stagnating rural communities, degraded soil, or poor health. By following Bob’s example, we can grow a healthy future, grain by grain.
Gardening with Grains
Author: Brie Arthur
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781943366354
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 192
Book Description
Brie Arthur's Gardening with Grains is a passion project that grew from a light-bulb, aha moment - that's when she realized we've been missing a dynamic piece of the burgeoning foodscape movement. We've learned the joys of interplanting our blooming flowerbeds with veggies, herbs and berries - but what about the grains, those ancient and beautiful grasses that practically gave us civilization: wheat, barley and oats for winter; corn, rice and sorghum for the warm season. Gardening with Grains is a pioneering book, a companion to Arthur's The Foodscape Revolution. Richly illustrated, it combines history, environmental benefits and personal stories with simple how-to's for planning, growing and harvesting 6 important grains. Includes 12 chef-tested recipes for inspiration. This is a design book, too, with planting patterns and suggestions, no matter how much or how little garden space you have. These grains are ornamental grasses, and they show off beautifully in any setting. The grouped plantings reveal the grains' varied colors and textures, interplanted with flowers like poppies, larkspur, snapdragons, nigella, zinnias, sunflowers and marigolds. Not only flowers, but salad greens and other decorative veggies play well with grains. Gardening with Grains is foodscaping for fun, beauty and bragging rights. . . and maybe even some homemade beer and bread.(Genus illustrations and garden plans by landscape architect and botanical artist Preston Montague.)
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781943366354
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 192
Book Description
Brie Arthur's Gardening with Grains is a passion project that grew from a light-bulb, aha moment - that's when she realized we've been missing a dynamic piece of the burgeoning foodscape movement. We've learned the joys of interplanting our blooming flowerbeds with veggies, herbs and berries - but what about the grains, those ancient and beautiful grasses that practically gave us civilization: wheat, barley and oats for winter; corn, rice and sorghum for the warm season. Gardening with Grains is a pioneering book, a companion to Arthur's The Foodscape Revolution. Richly illustrated, it combines history, environmental benefits and personal stories with simple how-to's for planning, growing and harvesting 6 important grains. Includes 12 chef-tested recipes for inspiration. This is a design book, too, with planting patterns and suggestions, no matter how much or how little garden space you have. These grains are ornamental grasses, and they show off beautifully in any setting. The grouped plantings reveal the grains' varied colors and textures, interplanted with flowers like poppies, larkspur, snapdragons, nigella, zinnias, sunflowers and marigolds. Not only flowers, but salad greens and other decorative veggies play well with grains. Gardening with Grains is foodscaping for fun, beauty and bragging rights. . . and maybe even some homemade beer and bread.(Genus illustrations and garden plans by landscape architect and botanical artist Preston Montague.)
Whole Grains
Author: Lorna J. Sass
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
ISBN: 0307336727
Category : Cooking (Cereals)
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
A complete guide to cooking with whole grains for every meal touts the health benefits of a whole-grain diet, along with an array of tempting recipes for appetizers, soups, entrees, side dishes, breakfast foods, desserts, and quick breads.
Publisher: Clarkson Potter
ISBN: 0307336727
Category : Cooking (Cereals)
Languages : en
Pages : 338
Book Description
A complete guide to cooking with whole grains for every meal touts the health benefits of a whole-grain diet, along with an array of tempting recipes for appetizers, soups, entrees, side dishes, breakfast foods, desserts, and quick breads.
Grains for Every Season
Author: Joshua McFadden
Publisher: Artisan
ISBN: 1648291139
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 716
Book Description
Named a Best Book of the Year and a Holiday Gift Pick by Amazon Named a Best Cookbook the Year by Food52, Booklist, and Library Journal “A gift to readers . . . For McFadden, flavor comes first.” —Booklist, Top 10 Cookbooks of the Year James Beard Award Finalist Joshua McFadden’s first book, the James Beard Award–winning and perennially bestselling Six Seasons, transformed the way we cook with vegetables. Now he’s back with a new book that applies his maximalist approach to flavor and texture to cooking with grains. These knock-your-socks-off recipes include salads, soups, pastas, pizzas, grain bowls, breads—and even desserts. McFadden works as intuitively, as surprisingly, as deliciously with whole grains as he does with vegetables. Grains for Every Season will change the way we cook with barley, brown rice, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, quinoa, rye, wheat (bulgur, farro, freekeh, spelt, wheat berries, and whole wheat flour), and wild rice. The book’s 200 recipes are organized into chapters by grain type, unlocking information on where each one comes from, how to prepare it, and why the author—the multi-award-winning chef/owner of Ava Gene’s in Portland—can’t live without it. McFadden uses grains both whole and milled into flour. The many gluten-free recipes are clearly designated. McFadden reveals how each grain can be used in both savory and sweet recipes, from Meat Loaf with Barley and Mushrooms to Peanut Butter–Barley Cookies; from Buckwheat, Lime and Herb Salad to Buckwheat Cream Scones. He folds quinoa into tempura batter to give veggies extra pop and takes advantage of the nutty flavor of spelt flour for Cast-Iron Skillet Spelt Cinnamon Rolls. Four special foldout sections highlight seasonal variations on grain bowls, stir-fries, pizzas, pilafs, and more, to show how flexible and satisfying cooking with grains can be.
Publisher: Artisan
ISBN: 1648291139
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 716
Book Description
Named a Best Book of the Year and a Holiday Gift Pick by Amazon Named a Best Cookbook the Year by Food52, Booklist, and Library Journal “A gift to readers . . . For McFadden, flavor comes first.” —Booklist, Top 10 Cookbooks of the Year James Beard Award Finalist Joshua McFadden’s first book, the James Beard Award–winning and perennially bestselling Six Seasons, transformed the way we cook with vegetables. Now he’s back with a new book that applies his maximalist approach to flavor and texture to cooking with grains. These knock-your-socks-off recipes include salads, soups, pastas, pizzas, grain bowls, breads—and even desserts. McFadden works as intuitively, as surprisingly, as deliciously with whole grains as he does with vegetables. Grains for Every Season will change the way we cook with barley, brown rice, buckwheat, corn, millet, oats, quinoa, rye, wheat (bulgur, farro, freekeh, spelt, wheat berries, and whole wheat flour), and wild rice. The book’s 200 recipes are organized into chapters by grain type, unlocking information on where each one comes from, how to prepare it, and why the author—the multi-award-winning chef/owner of Ava Gene’s in Portland—can’t live without it. McFadden uses grains both whole and milled into flour. The many gluten-free recipes are clearly designated. McFadden reveals how each grain can be used in both savory and sweet recipes, from Meat Loaf with Barley and Mushrooms to Peanut Butter–Barley Cookies; from Buckwheat, Lime and Herb Salad to Buckwheat Cream Scones. He folds quinoa into tempura batter to give veggies extra pop and takes advantage of the nutty flavor of spelt flour for Cast-Iron Skillet Spelt Cinnamon Rolls. Four special foldout sections highlight seasonal variations on grain bowls, stir-fries, pizzas, pilafs, and more, to show how flexible and satisfying cooking with grains can be.
Going Against the Grain: How Reducing and Avoiding Grains Can Revitalize Your Health
Author: Melissa Smith
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN: 0658017225
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Diets high in grains can lead to a host of health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, fatigue, and more. Going Against the Grain outlines the disadvantages and potential dangers of eating various types of grains and provides practical, realistic advice on implementing a plan to cut back or eliminate grains on a daily basis. This book also includes easy-to-follow grain-free recipes and helpful suggestions for dining out.
Publisher: McGraw Hill Professional
ISBN: 0658017225
Category : Health & Fitness
Languages : en
Pages : 322
Book Description
Diets high in grains can lead to a host of health problems such as obesity, diabetes, heart disease, fatigue, and more. Going Against the Grain outlines the disadvantages and potential dangers of eating various types of grains and provides practical, realistic advice on implementing a plan to cut back or eliminate grains on a daily basis. This book also includes easy-to-follow grain-free recipes and helpful suggestions for dining out.
Cereal Grains for the Food and Beverage Industries
Author: Elke K Arendt
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0857098926
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 519
Book Description
Cereals are a staple of the human diet and have a significant effect on health. As a result, they are of major significance to the food industry. Cereal grains for the food and beverage industries provides a comprehensive overview of all of the important cereal and pseudo-cereal species, from their composition to their use in food products.The book reviews the major cereal species, starting with wheat and triticale before covering rye, barley and oats. It goes on to discuss other major species such as rice, maize, sorghum and millet, as well as pseudo-cereals such as buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth. Each chapter reviews grain structure, chemical composition (including carbohydrate and protein content), processing and applications in food and beverage products.Cereal grains for the food and beverage industries is an essential reference for academic researchers interested in the area of cereal grains and products. It is also an invaluable reference for professionals in the food and beverage industry working with cereal products, including ingredient manufacturers, food technologists, nutritionists, as well as policy-makers and health care professionals. - A comprehensive overview of all of the important cereal and pseudo-cereal species - Chapters review each of the following species: Wheat, Maize, Rice, Barley, Triticale, Rye, Oats, Sorghum, Millet, Teff, Buckwheat, Quinoa and Amaranth - Reviews grain structure, chemical composition, processing and applications in food and beverage products for each of the considered grains
Publisher: Elsevier
ISBN: 0857098926
Category : Technology & Engineering
Languages : en
Pages : 519
Book Description
Cereals are a staple of the human diet and have a significant effect on health. As a result, they are of major significance to the food industry. Cereal grains for the food and beverage industries provides a comprehensive overview of all of the important cereal and pseudo-cereal species, from their composition to their use in food products.The book reviews the major cereal species, starting with wheat and triticale before covering rye, barley and oats. It goes on to discuss other major species such as rice, maize, sorghum and millet, as well as pseudo-cereals such as buckwheat, quinoa and amaranth. Each chapter reviews grain structure, chemical composition (including carbohydrate and protein content), processing and applications in food and beverage products.Cereal grains for the food and beverage industries is an essential reference for academic researchers interested in the area of cereal grains and products. It is also an invaluable reference for professionals in the food and beverage industry working with cereal products, including ingredient manufacturers, food technologists, nutritionists, as well as policy-makers and health care professionals. - A comprehensive overview of all of the important cereal and pseudo-cereal species - Chapters review each of the following species: Wheat, Maize, Rice, Barley, Triticale, Rye, Oats, Sorghum, Millet, Teff, Buckwheat, Quinoa and Amaranth - Reviews grain structure, chemical composition, processing and applications in food and beverage products for each of the considered grains
Homegrown Whole Grains
Author: Sara Pitzer
Publisher: Storey Publishing
ISBN: 160342153X
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 170
Book Description
A resource that has everything gardeners need to know to grow, harvest, store, grind, and cook small crops of nine types of whole grains also includes fifty recipes to bring whole grains to the family table. Original.
Publisher: Storey Publishing
ISBN: 160342153X
Category : Gardening
Languages : en
Pages : 170
Book Description
A resource that has everything gardeners need to know to grow, harvest, store, grind, and cook small crops of nine types of whole grains also includes fifty recipes to bring whole grains to the family table. Original.
Ancient Grains for Modern Meals
Author: Maria Speck
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1580083544
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
In this inspired and highly personal book, Maria Speck draws on food traditions from across the Mediterranean and northern Europe to reveal how versatile, satisfying, flavorful, and sophisticated whole grains can be. Food writer Maria Speck’s passion for propelling Old World staples such as farro, barley, polenta, and wheat berries to the forefront of new American cooking is beautifully presented in Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. Rustic but elegant dishes--Creamy Farro with Honey-Roasted Grapes, Barley Salad with Figs and Tarragon-Lemon Dressing, Lamb Stew with Wheat Berries in Red Wine Sauce, and Purple Rice Pudding with Rose Water Dates--are sure to please discerning palates and become favorites in any whole grain repertoire. Food lovers and health-conscious home chefs alike learn how to integrate whole grains into their busy lives, from quick-cooking quinoa and buckwheat to the slower varieties such as spelt and Kamut. The stunning flavors and lively textures of whole grains are enhanced with natural ingredients such as butter, cream, and prosciutto--in moderation--to create lush Mediterranean-inspired recipes. Maria’s approachable style and generous spirit make this collection of time-honored, updated classics a treasury for today’s cooks.
Publisher: National Geographic Books
ISBN: 1580083544
Category : Cooking
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
In this inspired and highly personal book, Maria Speck draws on food traditions from across the Mediterranean and northern Europe to reveal how versatile, satisfying, flavorful, and sophisticated whole grains can be. Food writer Maria Speck’s passion for propelling Old World staples such as farro, barley, polenta, and wheat berries to the forefront of new American cooking is beautifully presented in Ancient Grains for Modern Meals. Rustic but elegant dishes--Creamy Farro with Honey-Roasted Grapes, Barley Salad with Figs and Tarragon-Lemon Dressing, Lamb Stew with Wheat Berries in Red Wine Sauce, and Purple Rice Pudding with Rose Water Dates--are sure to please discerning palates and become favorites in any whole grain repertoire. Food lovers and health-conscious home chefs alike learn how to integrate whole grains into their busy lives, from quick-cooking quinoa and buckwheat to the slower varieties such as spelt and Kamut. The stunning flavors and lively textures of whole grains are enhanced with natural ingredients such as butter, cream, and prosciutto--in moderation--to create lush Mediterranean-inspired recipes. Maria’s approachable style and generous spirit make this collection of time-honored, updated classics a treasury for today’s cooks.
The World in a Grain
Author: Vince Beiser
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0399576444
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
A finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award The gripping story of the most important overlooked commodity in the world--sand--and the crucial role it plays in our lives. After water and air, sand is the natural resource that we consume more than any other--even more than oil. Every concrete building and paved road on Earth, every computer screen and silicon chip, is made from sand. From Egypt's pyramids to the Hubble telescope, from the world's tallest skyscraper to the sidewalk below it, from Chartres' stained-glass windows to your iPhone, sand shelters us, empowers us, engages us, and inspires us. It's the ingredient that makes possible our cities, our science, our lives--and our future. And, incredibly, we're running out of it. The World in a Grain is the compelling true story of the hugely important and diminishing natural resource that grows more essential every day, and of the people who mine it, sell it, build with it--and sometimes, even kill for it. It's also a provocative examination of the serious human and environmental costs incurred by our dependence on sand, which has received little public attention. Not all sand is created equal: Some of the easiest sand to get to is the least useful. Award-winning journalist Vince Beiser delves deep into this world, taking readers on a journey across the globe, from the United States to remote corners of India, China, and Dubai to explain why sand is so crucial to modern life. Along the way, readers encounter world-changing innovators, island-building entrepreneurs, desert fighters, and murderous sand pirates. The result is an entertaining and eye-opening work, one that is both unexpected and involving, rippling with fascinating detail and filled with surprising characters.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0399576444
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 306
Book Description
A finalist for the PEN/E. O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award The gripping story of the most important overlooked commodity in the world--sand--and the crucial role it plays in our lives. After water and air, sand is the natural resource that we consume more than any other--even more than oil. Every concrete building and paved road on Earth, every computer screen and silicon chip, is made from sand. From Egypt's pyramids to the Hubble telescope, from the world's tallest skyscraper to the sidewalk below it, from Chartres' stained-glass windows to your iPhone, sand shelters us, empowers us, engages us, and inspires us. It's the ingredient that makes possible our cities, our science, our lives--and our future. And, incredibly, we're running out of it. The World in a Grain is the compelling true story of the hugely important and diminishing natural resource that grows more essential every day, and of the people who mine it, sell it, build with it--and sometimes, even kill for it. It's also a provocative examination of the serious human and environmental costs incurred by our dependence on sand, which has received little public attention. Not all sand is created equal: Some of the easiest sand to get to is the least useful. Award-winning journalist Vince Beiser delves deep into this world, taking readers on a journey across the globe, from the United States to remote corners of India, China, and Dubai to explain why sand is so crucial to modern life. Along the way, readers encounter world-changing innovators, island-building entrepreneurs, desert fighters, and murderous sand pirates. The result is an entertaining and eye-opening work, one that is both unexpected and involving, rippling with fascinating detail and filled with surprising characters.