How much do you think about what’s on your plate? Sure, there are health, environmental, and price concerns to consider, but what about the reason your food is on your plate in the first place? When Europeans eat potatoes, Americans eat bananas, or Africans eat corn, there are whole, fascinating and even troubling histories behind them. For better or for worse, read on for some of the foods that changed the world.
1. Bread
Many a historian will say that, bar none, the most important, transformational event in all of human history was the invention of agriculture. And it was wheat, and other cereal grains, that were the first crops to ever be cultivated. Agriculture is what transformed humans from nomadic tribal hunter-gatherers to what we are today. Without the need to spend so much time looking for food, humans were able to settle down and develop all of the hallmarks of civilization as we know it.
