The Lowly Esculent is my illustration series that I began in 2018 as a way to share my fascination with the plant world and to bring attention to issues within the food system.
Currently, I’m working on some fun projects that I hope to launch in 2025 on this very topic!
What is an ‘esculent’? I get this question a lot! ‘Esculent’ is an antiquated word meaning something edible, usually a vegetable. You’ll see the word pop up in some Latin names of plants. Cassava, for example, is Cassava esculenta, which is a fun way to know this plant is edible. ‘The Lowly Esculent’ is specifically referencing the first Encylopaedia Brittanica, which described the newly-introduced potato as ‘the most demoralizing esculent.’
A new world crop, the potato was a dietary staple for people indigenous to the Andes. When it was introduced to Europe, it would become equally important for Irish people facing food insecurity due to British imperialism. Eventually, the potato would become the most important non-grain food crop in the world.