In Edible Economics, Ha-Joon Chang is inspired by his passion for food to reflect on why economics matters - or, as he puts it, “a hungry economist explains the world”.

Over five episodes he zooms in on garlic, bananas, okra, rye and chocolate, using the histories behind familiar foods - where they come from, how they are cooked and consumed, what they mean to different cultures - to explore economic theories. Witty and thought-provoking, Professor Chang sets out to challenge ideas about the free-market economy which he believes have been too easily accepted for decades.

Today: okra, a vegetable Ha-Joon discovers when he first arrives in Britain:

“There were some vegetables that I had never tasted before coming to Britain but whose existence I had known about through books and movies – broccoli, beetroot, turnip and suchlike. But I had never even heard of okra…”

Exploring the history of okra takes Professor Chang to Africa, and the dark history of slavery. He reveals how enslaved Africans built the United States economy, and why the slave rebellion in Haiti in 1791 led to a huge expansion of US territory, so that without the revolt of the enslaved Haitians, the US probably could not have become the global superpower that it is today.

Professor Ha-Joon Chang teaches economics at SOAS University of London, and is one of the world's leading economists. His books include Economics: The User's Guide, Bad Samaritans and 23 Things They Don't Tell You About Capitalism.

Reader Arthur Lee is a British actor of Korean descent who made his international debut on HBO Cinemax’s Strike Back in 2015 and who recently appeared in Doctor Who. Arthur grew up mostly in London, but also spent several years in South Korea advancing his knowledge of Korean language and culture.

Abridged and produced by Elizabeth Burke
Executive Producer: Jo Rowntree
A Loftus Media production for BBC Radio 4 Show less