How Food Made History

Covering 5,000 years of global history, How Food Made History traces the changing patterns of food production and consumption that have molded economic and social life and contributed fundamentally to the development of government and complex societies.

• Charts the changing technologies that have increased crop yields, enabled the industrial processing and preservation of food, and made transportation possible over great distances

• Considers social attitudes towards food, religious prohibitions, health and nutrition, and the politics of distribution

• Offers a fresh understanding of world history through the discussion of food

Auteur
B. W. Higman is Emeritus Professor of the Australian National University and Emeritus Professor of the University of the West Indies. He has published several books on the history of slavery and the social and economic history of the Caribbean. He has taught courses on world food history, and is the author of Jamaican Food: History, Biology, Culture (2008).

Résumé

Covering 5,000 years of global history, How Food Made History traces the changing patterns of food production and consumption that have molded economic and social life and contributed fundamentally to the development of government and complex societies.

• Charts the changing technologies that have increased crop yields, enabled the industrial processing and preservation of food, and made transportation possible over great distances
• Considers social attitudes towards food, religious prohibitions, health and nutrition, and the politics of distribution
• Offers a fresh understanding of world history through the discussion of food

Contenu

Illustrations viii

Preface ix

Prologue: Questions of choice? 1

References 5

1 The Creation of Food Worlds 7

Making the ancient world food map 8

The origins of domestication, agriculture, and urbanization
11

Food worlds at 5000 BP 15

Seven claims 29

References 31

2 Genetics and Geography 35

Genetic modification, ancient and modern 36

Prohibitions and taboos 43

Geographical redistribution 47

Three claims 53

References 53

3 Forest, Farm, Factory 57

Forest gardens 58

Crop farming landscapes 62

Industrialized agriculture 70

Five claims 77

References 78

4 Hunting, Herding, Fishing 81

Hunting 83

Herding 91

Fishing 94

Two claims 100

References 100

5 Preservation and Processing 103

Ancient preservation 103

Ancient processing 106

Modern milling 108

Packaging 111

Freezing and chilling 112

Milk, butter, yoghurt, and cheese 115

Three claims 123

References 123

6 Trade 125

Ancient trades 126

Modern trades 131

The global supermarket 136

Two claims 140

References 141

7 Cooking, Class, and Consumption 143

Cooks 143

Cooking 146

Eating places 149

Meals and mealtimes 156

References 158

8 National, Regional, and Global Cuisines 161

Cuisine, high and low 164

The origins of cuisines 168

Megaregions and pan-ethnicity 182

Global foods 185

Three claims and counterclaims 188

References 188

9 Eating Well, Eating Badly 191

Nutrition and diet 191

Stature 195

Obesity 199

Dieting 203

Denial 204

Vegetarianism 207

References 211

10 Starving 215

Famine 217

Famine foods 224

Survival strategies 226

Food aid 228

Impact 232

Two claims 234

References 235

Conclusion: Cornucopia or Pandora's Box? 237

References 241

Suggested Further Reading 243

Index 251