Food & History (Part 1)
Food & History
It is indeed a very simple topic to understand as everyone of us are completely aware about what food is. In general, people say food is something that we eat. But, it could not just be something that we eat. Food is actually more than just something to eat. It is the component as a living proof of our evolutionary past, transformation happening in present and a medium to forecast our future. It is not just the meals to fuel up your Tommy to get rid of hunger but, is actually a weapon for the initiation of our civilization and culture, our politics and economy, our health and habits. It is the secret for our dominance over all the living beings in planet earth.
The oldest fossil of early humans that has been discovered dates back to 12 million years. The species, known as Anoiapithecus brevirostris, was discovered in Spain in 2009. According to scientists, humans developed tools between 1.9 million and 1.6 million years ago. Because early humans used stone-made blades to slaughter animals, including elephants, this era is known as the Stone Age. These humans are referred to by archaeologists as Homo habilis, or “handy man.” After then, a new species called as Homo erectus, or “upright man,” were developed in between 1.5 and 500,000 years ago. The direct progenitor of humans, Homo sapiens sapiens, or “wise man,” is thought by experts to have appeared between one million and 100,000 years ago.
Humans evolved for millions of years before they learned to use fire between 500,000 and one million years ago. Fires may have been accidentally lit by lightning or when hunters struck meat with stone hammers on stone slabs and sparks flew. Humans finally gained access to a powerful instrument for environmental management. Both animals and nocturnal terrors were kept at bay. It was the only substance which humans can kill and revive at their will. Fire fully changed raw food into cooked food, enabling humans to consume otherwise indigestible foods and enabling food preservation.
How did cooking start when humanity discovered fire? Although anthropologists are currently debating this, perhaps accidentally. One theory holds that a fire that got out of control destroyed a hut and unintentionally roasted some pigs. People entered by chance and enjoyed the prepared meat. Another hypothesis is that meat was originally cooked over a forest fire. Whatever could be the possible theory early humans got the ability to eat easily digestible meal and give their body to develop and function better. Anthropologist Richard Wrangham (2009) in his book Catching Fire: How Cooking Made Us Human theorized that “Our ancestors were able to evolve because cooked foods were richer, healthier and required less eating time.” Their body had now spare time beside digesting the food which resulted in many changes and development happened in their physical abilities. One of the many changes happened was the tripling of their brain size to what it is today i.e., approximately 1,400 cubic centimeters.
Early people communicated via acting. Historian Joan Cass explains that these people danced, making of rhythmical steps and movements for their own sake and to assure the fertility of people and crops, for harvest, for a successful hunt and for rain. When the dance gave them the desired outcome, they continued performing it in the exact same manner over and over, developing it into a ritual. And this way a set of culture of dance and simultaneous other cultural aspects might have initiated over the period of time. Here as well food had its major contribution for the development of dance, culture and communication. Then, some 100,000 years ago, humans began to speak. This contributed to their survival as well as towards controlling the tribes from danger, or letting them know where food was located, planning ahead and working together on tasks, naming objects and locations, and generally naming things and places.
The information about early humans that we receive comes from three sources:
1. Corpses : their preserved bodies;
2. Middens : their garbage piles; and
3. Coprolites : their fossilized feces.
All around the world, bodies have been discovered that were preserved by bogs in wet climates, freezing in cold climates, and drying in hot settings. These individuals used spears, as indicated by the overdeveloped bones in their right forearm.The examination of their gastrointestinal systems indicates what these people consumed as well as the fact that many of them had the same intestinal parasites that exist today. The coprolite contained seeds, fibers, and other indigestible material.
Humans first started domesticating wild plants and animals around 10,000 years ago. Sheep and goats were the first domesticated animals, followed by pigs and cows. Barley and Wheat (Triticum) from untamed grasses were the first plants to be domesticated. Wheat comes in around 30,000 different kinds. Ancient wheats, such as emmer, spelt, and einkorn, had multiple layers of defense, including a very tough, inedible outer coating known as chaff that had to be removed by roasting. To make flour, the wheat had to be ground. Before the usage of animals began around 800 B.C., this was done by hand. These flours were coarsely milled on stones and probably still contained small pieces of chaff or tiny pieces of stone which destroyed the gluten that gives a rising property in a bread. Therefore, the first breads were flat and more like to crackers. In around 7000 B.C, When wheat with a weaker chaff started to be grown, the roasting stage could be eliminated, allowing the gluten to rise. In Egypt, leavened bread was probably first created accidentally.
