But then, this is a relatively recent phenomenon — cooking and kitchens have been central to human life since prehistory. History of food is directly linked to the history of mankind since the pre-historic days. On special occasions the rich had huge feasts. That’s what we used to do before we learned how to control fire. The main meal was called the cena and was eaten in the evening. They were the first Chefs in the history of mankind. They both involve the removing of moisture from the food. A global ice age had been underway for one hundred centuries and where food went, we (smartly) followed. Sun drying was a dominant food preservation method during the prehistoric period. In the morning they had bread and cheese and onions. Pieces of meat were submerged in salt (sodium chloride) solution otherwise known as brine. We were a stomach on legs, but we didn’t even know what good food was. Ordinary Incas drank from bowls carved from gourds. This method was invented by a French scientist by the name Louis Pasteur, who identified the relationship between microorganisms and the spoilage of food. During the day they ate 'dumplings' made of maize dough with vegetables or meat inside them. Peasants caught small birds to eat. A few years back, I had chanced upon an article written on the science and art of cooking. How did they come to be? They also ate fish caught in rivers or the sea. They also ate dogs. The first recipe for potato crisps (aka potato chips) appeared in a book by Dr William Kitchiner published in 1817. It’s simply not possible, convenient, or even healthy to avoid all processed foods. You added vegetables and (if you could afford it) pieces of meat or fish. You get to preserve it for future use and in so doing saving you some bucks, which you could have used to replenish your food store shortly. Rich Greeks ate many different types of food such as roasted hare, peacocks eggs or iris bulbs in vinegar. It preserves foodstuffs such as fruits, raw meat, and vegetables by storing them inside their compartment. The staple food of the Egyptians was bread and beer. Its platinum loops shrink to a wedding-ring, Bodacious Bulbs | How To Cook With The Onion Family, The 7 Best Fast Food Chicken Sandwiches, Ranked, Kimchi: How My Heritage Became a Hipster Pickle, The 5 Traits People Will Secretly Adore You For, How Japanese People Stay Fit for Life, Without Ever Visiting a Gym. Rich people ate their food from slices of stale bread called trenchers. As women entered the workforce and television entered the American home, convenience and efficiency became essential and the era of fast food began. (Yes, even pie.) For a long time the secrets of the recipes stayed in the kitchens, safe with those who cooked the meals. In China the rich ate very well. The Lord and his lady sat at a table on a raised wooden platform so they could look down on the rest of the household. For instance, you can place your pork in your freezer straight away from the slaughterhouse. In the North, they ate wheat in the form of noodles, dumplings or pancakes. They only had one cooked meal a day. Ninety-two percent of our food comes from outside of our communities. We were nomads for most of our existence — hunters and gatherers on the move, following the animals. Railroads and steamships made it possible to transport food from far away. That was a kind of stew. The Mayans ate animals like deer, turkeys, dogs, peccaries (wild pigs) and a kind of rodent called an agouti. To revisit this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. With agriculture, some of us could be artists or craftsmen or religious leaders. I think that McGee’s book inspired the modern generation of great chefs who transformed cooking to a performing art, judging by the large number of television shows dedicated to the art of cooking all over the globe.