Food History

Food, is our most frequent indulged pleasure. Human nourishment is essential to life, without it there would be no civilization. However, too much, too little, the wrong kind or the wrong quantity, is one of societies greatest causes of disease and death.

The culinary world has evolved into a huge complex system of exchange and is our nations biggest industry. The need to grow food with a means of trading it, willing buyers and somewhere to store it. This buying and selling has created a global food empire, with each family having it's own culinary DNA. Today, a quarter of the worlds surface is farmed, but in order to stop worldwide hunger, we must stop destroying the earth's topsoil that supports it. 

How will climate change alter our menus? If climate changes cause global temperatures to rise above 2 degrees C, some crops will actually benefit from this warmer climate, with a longer growing season. If the world heats up by more than 2 degrees C, agricultural yields will fall. A sustainable food empire would be one where most farms support their local populations, rather than selling their wares on the global commodities markets, except of course for some products. Our needs are very different from our ancestors, but in order to stop us from going hungry, we must shuffle our crops, reduce the length of our trading routes and store more food, as the world now eats more than it produces.

Food writing, is a relatively new topic that focuses on food. It didn't come into wide use until the 20th century, and is still not included in the Oxford English Dictionary. Food writing includes both Food Critics and Food Historians and utilizes both recipes and journalism, taking a literary approach to food. Food History, examines the culture, economy, environment and sociological impact of food, focusing on the origin and recreation of specific recipes. It looks at food as the most important element of cultures, reflecting the social and economic structure of society.