HISTORY OF FOOD

-- a timeline.
1,207,000 years ago

 evidence of eating shellfish was

discovered in Southern Africa
 prehistoric diet was basically water and
marine life
 Mankind thrived on food available in their
environment by hunting and gathering.
10,000 BC

 Agriculture began

9,000 BC

 Sheep and goat were domesticated

6,500 BC
 Cattle was domesticated; thus meat and dairy
products were enjoyed
8,000 to 6,000 BC
 Nuts, apples, corn and beans were cultivated

6,000 BC

 Farming was established in China and Peru

5,000 to 4,500 BC
 Consumption of more fruits, nuts and vegetables
were listed
3,000 BC
 Chicken was domesticated
 Festive foods on banquets in Egypt and
Mesopatamia were known.

2,000 BC

 Chinese moon cakes and many spices were

identified
 Civilization flourished in Europe and later in other
parts of the world
 Cultivation of different crops and fishing methods
were more developed
200 BC
 Southeast Asia started using water buffalos
for agricultural purposes

6,000 BC

 Farming was established in China and Peru

5,000 to 4,500 BC
 Consumption of more fruits, nuts and
vegetables were listed
1st Century AD
 Showed records of Ancient Rome and Italian
weddings
 French foods mentioned included French toast and
foie gras
 Fried chicken, flan, rice pudding, challah bread,
capers, turnips and berries were also mentioned
were more developed
2nd Century

 Sushi and ice cream were mentioned in records

 The Romans, Turks and Persians dominated food
history because of their conquests and empire
building

3rd Century

 Food trade accelerated at a faster pace from

these voyages
3rd to 7th Century

 Historical notes included pretzels, lemons, tofu,

spinach, eggplant, and various kinds of beans

10th and 14th Century

 Numerous foods currently enjoyed all over the
world such as Peking duck, cod, corned beef,
pancakes and waffles, hamburgers, guacamole,
assorted fruit pies, baklava, kebabs, and more
varieties of cheeses were recorded
15th to the 17th Century

 Historical notes mentioned turkey in Europe,

tempura and teriyaki in Japan, salsa,
gingerbread, puff pastry and quiche, marzipan,
applesauce, coconuts, reference to the “old
world” cuisine from Christopher Columbus’
voyages.
 Cookbooks started to be published
 Doughnuts and kosher foods were recognized in
about 1650
18th Century
 Colonial America had records of frontier
foods
 Soft drinks were introduced in 1830
 Corn flakes were introduced in 1906
 Widespread printing of culinary
researches and textbooks
THE EFFECTS OF CONQUESTS
AND TRADING ON CULTURAL
FOODS
- A brief look at how food has influenced
cultures
The early exchanges of food were brought about mainly by
conquests and by trading activities. A classic example is when
Spanish expeditions to Central America and Mexico brought their
maize (corn) to Europe and introduced wheat to the Americas.

Chocolate came from Central America, coffee originated from

Africa, and tea from Northern China was brought to Europe by
traders. In return, onions and cabbage were brought to the New
World by the Europeans. Furthermore, the search for spices led to
voyages that resulted in the discovery of other lands and countries.

Eventually, advances in infrastructure and means of transportation

by land or by sea accelerated this pace of cultural interchanges.
Thousands of years prior to the birth of Christ,
Egyptian culture prevailed and influenced many
parts of the world. In Asia, Chinese culture started
to flourish under the Shang dynasty circa 2000 BC
and in the Western world, the seat of early culture
was in Central America.
Among the past empire-builders by conquests was
Persia in the 6th century that extensively covered
areas from the eastern end of the Mediterranean
Sea to the south until India, and to the west up to
the Persian Gulf and Mesopotamia. Four hundred
years later, the culture of Ancient Greece covered
the area of northern Mediterranean Sea up to
Spain.
The Roman Empire that began in Italy, invaded
many areas between 260 to 150 BC, gaining
control over Carthage, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily
and Spain; then the Levant, part Turkey, and
finally England and France.

From 1200 to 1400 CE, the Mongol Empire

united the warring tribes of Mongolia, Central
Asia and also invaded China. The Mongols also
came to Russia, Poland, Hungary.
World wars also led to food exchanges. A good
example is the history of the Philippines when the
Japanese occupation during World War II
popularized more soybean products, gurami, and
Japanese edible seaweeds, and noodles.