Human existence has been studied through countless lenses since its inception. Philosophers wondering about cognition, about morality. Generals scheming to overtake a city, a nation, to establish an empire that lasts a thousand years. Parents striving to make the world as safe a place as possible for their children. Children dreaming of the life they see ahead, tinted gold with youthful idealism. All throughout history, humanity’s instinct to wonder and explore has furthered our development. But an oft-ignored aspect of this existence is the role that food plays in history—as a symbol of human resourcefulness, but also our greed; human connection, but also our differences.
Food has caused wars. Not just literally, with raiders carving trails of blood to obtain some rare resource or plant—rather, food has set up wars centuries before they actually broke out. Upon discovering tea in China, trading for it along the Silk Road, the British hit upon the idea of adding sugar to it. This, in turn, increased the need for sugarcane plantations—driving the importation of slaves to the Americas and Caribbean. Centuries of inequality, discrimination, and attempted rebellion later, this snowballed into the Civil War. And while this conflict’s inception was influenced by dozens of reasons, if you trace it far enough, there’s a culinary root.
It’s also a war tactic. There’s a reason sieges became a thing: cutting humans off from food and resources is a surefire, if exhausting, path to victory. Napoleon once said that “an army marches on its stomach”—this idea contributed to warfare innovations, too, like canned foods, as humanity recognized the importance of working on a full stomach.
Food has also connected the world on a positive level. Cuisine evolved post-World War II with the first fast-food joints, establishing global networks of the same types of food and making franchises like McDonald’s ubiquitous. Even within Orange County, almost every type of cuisine is accessible—options that even the wealthiest person in ancient times couldn’t have obtained. This globalization has ushered in a more connected, culturally-aware world, one dish at a time.
Food isn’t just a necessity: it’s ignited conflicts and growth through all of history, diversified cultures with geographic differences, and tied them together with universal elements in every cuisine. So take a second to look at your kitchen table. Try and see how food has shaped who you are, and trace it back, back, back—to the first civilizations and their cuisines. It’ll form a timeline of human history.
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Photo Credit: Mashed
