"Taking on the seemingly sacrosanct yet protean character of protein, this is the book I've been waiting for. King and Weedon skillfully (and bitingly) weave political economy, scientific research, cultural analysis and more to show how protein in various forms has emerged as an imagined solution to all manner of modern ills, from colonial hunger, to agricultural overproduction, to climate change, to the ostensible crisis of masculinity that feeds today's fascist culture. Read this book!"-- Julie Guthman, author of , The Problem with Solutions: Why Silicon Valley Can't Hack the Future of Food. "Biting, original, theoretically rich but also deeply readable, this book unpacks the fascinating backstory behind protein's rise to nutritional superstardom. It is a must-read for anyone curious about how one nutrient became a cultural obsession, and who wants to understand why, even in an era of climate crisis, we remain fixated on eating more of it. With sharp interdisciplinary insight, Protein helps us understand how science, culture, and political ecology have shaped the moral weight of this macronutrient."-- Josée Johnston, co-author of , Happy Meat: The Sadness and Joy of a Paradoxical Idea.